The Thirty-Nine Grices

Grice's favourite film ever was "The Thirty Nine Steps" which I have to admit, even in R. Powell's remake, I found a bit ... nostalgic?

Anyway, a grice is a step.

Or so the OED says:

grece: Alternate spelling: "grice". A stairway.


Quotes


1300 Cursor M.

A grice there was of steps fifteen.

1300 E.E. Allit.

Glides down by the grice & goes to the king.

1533 Ld. Berners Huon

He mounted up the grice of the palace.

1475 Partenay

On grice went up, the king on bed they found.

1549 Coverdale, etc. Erasm.

That law was given for a season, to thentente it should be a certain grice
to bring us at the length to a better hope (speranza).

1440 Generydes

Down of the grice he fell & broke his neck.

1491 Caxton Vitas Patr.

The devil thew him down from the highest grice to the lowest.

1549 Latimer 2nd Serm.

The top of the ladder, or the first grice.

1559 Will of Sir R. Tyson

The lowest Grice of the Altar.

1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbysw. in Wright Voc. 174 Porceus, gryses.