aflood

comparative more aflood · superlative most aflood

1. literarypoeticpredicativeFlooding.

   Water came in everywhere,—through roof and walls; the floors were aflood.

   1866, Public Health. Eighth Report of the Medical Officer of the Privy Council. […] 1865., London: […] George E[dward] Eyre and William Spottiswoode, […] [f]or Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, page 121

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   Mark Antonine getting upon his pate / Th’Imperiall Trinket, Royall Laureate / Doth point his sparkling sword in Holy blood / Drawn from the Saints, Phlebotomizd, aflood.

   a. 1730, Edward Taylor, “The Persecution under Mark Antonine”, in Donald E[lwin] Stanford, editor, A Transcript of Edward Taylor’s Metrical History of Christianity, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International, published 1962, page 21

   […] I ſtepped on-ſhore in the evening, concealing myſelf in a buſh near the water-ſide, whence he took me in as the flat paſſed up along with the tide aflood, on having a quarterly wind.

   1792 May [1782], David Lowellin, The Admirable Travels of Messieurs Thomas Jenkins and David Lowellin through the Unknown Tracts of Africa; […], London: […] [F]or the Benefit of Robert Barker, page 8

   In some long rivers it is high and low water in several places at the same time, and there is not an hour in the day, but it is high water at one place or other. A vessel has been known to sail, and to continue her course with the tide aflood, forty-eight hours together.

   1823, B[enjamin] Mayo, “Of Earth and Water”, in John Wesley, A Survey of the Wisdom of God in the Creation: or A Compendium of Natural Philosophy. […]; with Notes, by B. Mayo., 3rd American edition, volume I, New York, N.Y.: […] N[athan] Bangs and T[homas] Mason, for the Methodist Episcopal Church. […], part the fourth (Of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Meteors), footnote, page 453

   Her wealth hath turned, within her crimson’d hand, / To withered leaves; her glory set in blood; / And foreign swords have reaped her guilty land, / Sluicing her veins, and leaving Spain aflood / In her own gore.

   1843 July, [Robert Taylor] Conrad, “The Sons of the Wilderness. Reflections beside an Indian Mound.”, in George R[ex] Graham, editor, Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine, […], volume XXIII, number 1, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R. Graham, […], stanza XX, page 40, column 2

   This, the zanca, is more of a stagnant sink than a drainage sewer; since from the city to the outside country there is scarce an inch of fall to carry off the sewage. As a consequence it accumulates in the zancas till they are brimming full, and with a stuff indescribable. Every garbage goes there—all the refuse of household product is shot into them. At periodical intervals they are cleared out, else the city would soon be aflood in its own filth.

   1881, [Thomas] Mayne Reid, “Por Las Zancas!”, in The Free Lances. A Romance of the Mexican Valley. […], volume I, London: Remington & Co., […], pages 184–185