needlewise

From needle +‎ -wise. First use appears c. 1873. See cite below.

needlewise (not comparable)

1. (uncommon) In the direction of a needle; into a needle.
2. (uncommon) Using a needle.
   • 1873, Edgar Fawcett, Purple and Fine Linen: A Novel, page 316:

     He peered into my masque as though his funny black eyes could pierce it needlewise.

   • 1915, British Architect (architect), The British Architect, Volume 83, page 62:

     The Professor touched two needles, ordinary sewing needles, with a strong magnet. He did not stroke them, he just touched them, then picked them off the magnet. Next he put them needlewise through a piece of brown paper, threading them in and out.

   • 1917, Gertrude Singleton Mathews, Treasure, page 215:

     Jiggers swarmed and it is easier to keep feet covered than to have to prospect needlewise, afterwards, so vast an acreage for invisible scratch-producers.

   • 1926, Mabel Osgood Wright, My New York, page 240:

     For now that even I, the youngest, was well out of hand needlewise-or supposed to be-though it was almost proverbial that I did not love my needle and was much more dexterous in the use of hammer, rake or spade-there were grandchildren coming on who needed stitches.

   • 1934, John Robert Sala, Preaching in the Anglo-Saxon Church, page 136:

     And each head has a hundred eyes and each eye is fire-hot; and he has a hundred hands and on each hand one hundred and twenty fingers, and one each finger one hundred nails, and each is needlewise sharpened.

   • 1938, Massachusetts Horticultural Society (contributor), The Gardener's Omnibus, page 287:

     The ends were then held together and fastened securely with medium-sized wire nails, used needlewise, placing them about six inches apart.

   • 1944, Making of America Project (contributor), House Beautiful, Volume 86, page 59:

     If you're needlewise, embroider matching flowers on napkins.

   • 1968, Lord Shayne, Drug Addiction, page 20:

     In the 'amp' form 'meths' is generally taken needlewise.

   • 1977, Institute of Textile Technology (Charlottesville, Va.) (contributor), Textile Technology Digest, Volume 34, page 2:

     The question is as much as the production of regularly finished parts on flat knitting machines is economically feasible as well as the approved method of needlewise taking off loops and adding by groups used frequently in sleeve manufacture is discussed.

   • 1987, Simon Fraser University, Contemporary Literature Collection (contributor), Line, Issues 9-10, page 6:

     Generous in support of my work, he never stopped (or so my projection runs) egging me on, needlewise.

   • 1999, Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics (contributor), Journal of Cognitive Liberties, Volume 1, page 57:

     Needlewise, we would be remiss not to mention the latest wizardry in whizz-bang weaponry for our addiction-army, the so-called "cocaine-vaccine."

   • 2012, Da Chen, My Last Empress, A Novel, page 208:

     One prick, needlewise, at a certain hot blooded nerve point beneath a woman's tender ankle and she would coil with rampant desire and contort for condign punishments.