> 1) 又八｛またはち｝は、壁の陰に立って、刀を振りかぶり、彼らの首が入口から三寸と出たら、ばさりと斬ッて落そうと、 **撓｛た｝め** きッている。
>
> 2) 武蔵｛たけぞう｝は黒樫の木剣を横に **撓｛た｝め** て待っていた、そして典馬｛てんま｝の脚もとを目がけて、半身を投げ出すように烈しく払った。

｛宮本武蔵（1935年–1939年、朝日新聞連載、吉川英治）｝

What dictionary meaning would fit with how 撓｛た｝める is used here? Could it be
aiming (弓・鉄砲で、ねらいをつける。三省堂 スーパー大辞林)?
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meaning
What does 撓｛た｝める mean in these 2 sentences?
From my first impression, that ためる means
["力などを発揮するのをぎりぎりまで押さえて、たくわえておく。"](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/139058/meaning/m0u/)
(Being still with all your power so that you can release it at any point.)

But, it seems that 溜める is usually used in that case.

The kanji, 撓 generally means bending. And, it is a little bit strange to use
it here.

I have no good explanation, but 吉川英治 is an old popular novelist, so he could
have some different rules from now a days. Anyway, 溜 and 撓 are not in 常用漢字
(2136 kanjis that the government suggests to use in daily life.) So, we are
not good at telling their differences.
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Regarding the sentence 2), I can't tell whether it just means _to hold_ or it
also implies _to aim_. The verb ためる is very rarely used in this situation
today, and the only word I know is [腰【こし】だめ
("hipfire")](http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2142046676932117801), which is still
occasionally used today (presumably mainly by FPS gamers). I haven't wondered
whether this ため means _to hold_ or _to aim_. Maybe it means both. Anyway the
verb we normally use today in this situation is （剣を）構【かま】える.

Regarding the sentence 1), the auxiliary verb 切る (≒"fully", "out" as in "sell
out", "up" as in "eat up") is used with ためる, and that gave me the impression
that it's maybe [this ためる ("psyche
up")](http://dragonquest.wikia.com/wiki/Tension). But I may be wrong and it
could just mean "completely 構える".

As Keita Oda said, the kanji choice between 撓 and 溜 would probably be
unimportant because it was not standardized in the prewar period.
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