All 3 Uses
privy
in
The Pardoner's Tale
(Auto-generated)
- e. wine* That of his throat he maketh his privy Through thilke cursed superfluity The apostle saith, <14> weeping full piteously, There walk many, of which you told have I, —I say it now weeping with piteous voice, —That they be enemies of Christe's crois;* *cross Of which the end is death; womb* is their God.†
*
- "Sir," quoth the boy, "it needeth never a deal;* *whit It was me told ere ye came here two hours; He was, pardie, an old fellow of yours, And suddenly he was y-slain to-night; Fordrunk* as he sat on his bench upright, *completely drunk There came a privy thief, men clepe Death, That in this country all the people slay'th, And with his spear he smote his heart in two, And went his way withoute wordes mo'.†
- Wherefore I rede,* that cut** among us all *advise **lots We draw, and let see where the cut will fall: And he that hath the cut, with hearte blithe Shall run unto the town, and that full swithe,* *quickly And bring us bread and wine full privily: And two of us shall keepe subtilly This treasure well: and if he will not tarry, When it is night, we will this treasure carry, By one assent, where as us thinketh best.†
Definitions:
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(1)
(privy as in: privy to her real identity) informed about something secret or not generally known
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Privy can refer to a hidden place, outhouse, or toilet.