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To do justice to. [Obs.] Relieve [marginal reading, righten] the opressed. Isa. i. 17.

To frighten. [Archaic] "Fit tales . . . to affrighten babes." Southey.

llustrious, or more distinguished; to add luster or splendor to. The present queen would brighten her character, if she would exert her authority to instill virtues into her people. Swift.

sturb with fear; to throw into a state of alarm or fright; to affright; to terrify. More frightened than hurt. Old Proverb.

To frighten. [Obs.] Spenser.

To frighten; to scare; to frighten away. That voice doth us affray. Shak.

To impress with sudden fear; to frighten; to alarm. Dreams affright our souls. Shak. A drear and dying sound Affrights the flamens at their service quaint. Milton.

One who frightens. [Archaic]

Affright; the state of being frightened; sudden fear or alarm. [Archaic] Passionate words or blows . . . fill the child's mind with terror and affrightment. Locke.

One who, or that which, frightens away or turns aside. [Obs.] And Gynecia, a blancher, which kept the dearest deer from her. Sir P. Sidney. And so even now hath he divers blanchers belonging to the market, to let and stop the light of the gospel. Latimer.

To frighten or deter from accomplishing a purpose by making a show of confidence in one's strength or resources; as, he bluffed me off. [Colloq.]

An exclamation used to startle or frighten. [Spelt also boh and boo.]

To stop or hesitate as if suddenly frightened, or in doubt, or impeded by unforeseen difficulties; to take alarm; to exhibit hesitancy and indecision. We start and boggle at every unusual appearance. Glanvill. Boggling at nothing which serveth their purpose. Barrow.

le some one (as by children in play), or of looking out and drawing suddenly back, as if frightened. I for sorrow sung, That such a king should play bopeep, And go the fools among. Shak.

right; something used to excite needless fear; also, something really dangerous, used to frighten children, etc. "Bugaboos to fright ye." Lloyd. But, to the world no bugbear is so great As want of figure and a small estate. Pope. The bugaboo of the liberals is the church pray. S. B. Griffin. The great bugaboo of the bi…

To shine forth; to brighten; to become smooth and glossy, as from swelling or filling out; hence, to grow large. A slender poet must have time to grow, And spread and burnish as his brothers do. Dryden. My thoughts began to burnish, sprout, and swell. Herbert.

To make clear; to free from obscurities; to brighten or illuminate. To clarify his reason, and to rectify his will. South.

s to the nature of epic poetry. Blair. It is no ways congruous that God should be always frightening men into an acknowledgment of the truth. Atterbury.

To make timoroys; to frighten. [Obs.] That which cowardeth a man's heart. Foxe.

The process of cleaning or brightening sheet metal or metalware, esp. brass, by dipping it in acids, etc.