E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Measure.
Out of all measure. “Outre mesure.” Beyond all reasonable degree, “Præter (or supra) modum.”
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“Thus out of measure sad.”—Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing, i.3.
To take the measure of one’s foot. To ascertain how far a person will venture; to make a shrewd guess of another’s character. The allusion is to “Ex pede Herculem.”
