Quarter
. To grant quarter. To spare the life of an enemy in your power. Dr. Tusler says:—“It originated from an agreement anciently made between the Dutch and the Spaniards, that the ransom of a soldier should be the quarter of his pay.” (French, donner and demander quartier.)
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Entry taken from
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,
edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.