read over
verb1
To read (a document, book, etc.) through, though not necessarily thoroughly.
2
In superstitious belief, to read from the Bible out loud physically over something so as to confer some magical relief or power.
- [H]e read over the changeling the following spell: Receive, O earth! O virgin earth!1866, William P. Nimmo, Nimmo's Popular Tales, volume 3, page 252:
- "He could read over and cure all sorts of ailments and sprains, stop bleeding, melt lead, and tell of stolen goods; and to tell the truth, he knew also a little about witchcraft, and could afflict people with evil."1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 121: