ETYMOLOGY
? for the first element ‘catter’ perhaps from Dutch kater (tomcat) + batter (to fight)
EXAMPLE
“…By Gemini ! you never heard such a catter- batter! The whole court-room stamping and laughing fit to split, and the ushers calling order, and the tipstaffs running, and his worship gobbling like a cailzie-cock…”
From: Blackwood’s Magazine
Volume 225, 1929
ETYMOLOGY
from ‘to claw the back of‘ (to flatter, fawn upon)
EXAMPLE
“…Yea, trouble not your self sir, ye may hauke and hunt, & take youre pleasure. As for the guiding of your kingdom and people, let vs alone with it.
These flattering clawbackes ar original rotes of all mischief…”
From: The Second Sermon of Maister Hughe Latimer, which be Preached before King Edward
By Hugh Latimer, 1549
ETYMOLOGY
from Old French type couardos + -ous
EXAMPLE
“…The cowardous pees that was ordeyned…”
From: The Chronicles of England
By: William Caxton (1480)
ETYMOLOGY
of unknown origin
EXAMPLE
“…OLIVER. I do, thou upstart callymoocher, I do. ‘Tis well known to thee I have been twice alecunner, thou mushrump that shot up in one night with lying with thy mistress….”
From: The Mayor of Quinborough: A Comedy
By Thomas Middleton, a1627
ETYMOLOGY
from French cagnard (sluggard)
(according to Littré, from Italian cagna bitch, fem. of cane dog)
EXAMPLE
“…He leneþ on is forke ase a grey frere
þis crokede caynard sore he is adred
Hit is mony day go þat he was here
ichot of is ernde he naþ nout ysped …”
From: The Harley Lyrics, a1350
ETYMOLOGY
from cugger (to hold a confidential conversation)
EXAMPLE
“…There was a great laugh at Tim’s answer; and then there was a whispering, and a great cugger mugger and coshering; and at last a pretty little bit of a voice said, “Shut your eyes, and you’ll see, Tim…”
From: Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland.
By Thomas Crofton Croker, 1859
Treasure Legends. Dreaming Tim Jarvis
ETYMOLOGY
from clatter (to talk rapidly and noisily; to talk idly; to chatter, prattle, babble) + fart (a disagreeable or annoying person)
EXAMPLE
“…The Irish enimie spieng that the citizens were accustomed to fetch such od vagaries, especiallie on the holie daies, & hauing an inkling withall by some false clatterfert or other, that a companie of them would haue ranged abrode, on mondaie in the Easter weeke towards the wood of Cullen…”
From: The firste (laste) volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande
– Raphael Holinshed, Richard Stanyhurst, 1577
ETYMOLOGY
adjective: from Latin conspurcātus past participle
verb: from Latin conspurcāt-, participial stem of conspurcāre (to defile, pollute),
from con- + spurcāre (to befoul),
from spurcus (unclean, dirty, foul)
EXAMPLE
“…in dede I thynk they both will declare it hartely, if they should come before them. As for me, if you woulde knowe what I thynk (my good and most deare brother Laurence) bycause I am so synfull & so conspurcate (the Lord knoweth I lye not) with many greuous synnes (which yet I hope ar washed away Sanguine Christi) I neither can nor would be consulted withal, but as a siphar in augrim.…”
From: The first volume of the ecclesiasticall history contaynyng the actes and monumentes of thynges passed in every kynges tyme in this realme
– John Foxe, 1563
ETYMOLOGY
from cock + stride
EXAMPLE
“…It is now February and the Sun has gotten up a cocke-stride of his climbing, the vallies now are painted while, and the brooks are full of water…”
From: Fantasticks
– Nicholas Breton, 1626
ETYMOLOGY
from Greek καλός (fair, excellent) + -ϕαντης (shower) (from ϕαίνειν to show) + -ic
EXAMPLE
“…T’is only wisht your work from Dolts, your Hiues from Drones were free:
T’is wisht in These, in Fugitiues, in Papists, and (more bad,
Whom to perswade to reason, were with reason to be mad)
In Calophantick Puritaines, amisse amendment had…”
From: Albions England
A continued historie of the same kingdome, from the originals of the first inhabitants thereof
– William Warner, 1596
Lexicophilia 