coney-catchern.

1591 R. Greene (title) A Notable Discovery of Coosnage. Now daily practised by sundry lewd persons, called Connie-catchers, and Crosse-biters.

1591 R. Greene Notable Discouery of Coosenage f. 1^v The Conny-catchers apparelled like honest ciuel Gentlemen..attend onely to spie out a pray.

1600 T. Nashe Summers Last Will sig. E3 A Carle: that is as much to say, as a conny-catcher of good fellowship.

1607 T. Walkington Optick Glasse 15 Whereof that old-english prophet of famous memory (whome one fondly tearm'd Albion's ballade maker, the Cunnicatcher of time)..G. Chaucer took notice.

1632 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy (ed. 4) ii. iii. viii. 366 No sharkers, no Cunnicatchers, no prolers.

1657 S. Purchas Theatre Flying-insects 329 In this order are Cunnycatchers, who like the Devill are..still goeing up and downe seeking whom they may devoure.

1706 Nocturnal Revels II. 62 But to a Coney-Catcher, and a fair Woman, to have more Eyes, is not good.

1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel II. xii. 282 Marry, thou hast me on the hip there, thou old miserly cony-catcher!

1894 E. Gosse Jacobean Poets v. 111 At Hodsdon he is prevailed on to play cards with some coney-catchers, who fleece him of everything.

1934 J. Buchan Free Fishers xii. 194 I have heard too much of her to credit her innocence. In my judgment she is the most expert coney-catcher alive.

2010 P. F. Chisholm Murder of Crows 114 He was the target of a lot fewer London coney-catchers when he wasn't wearing it [sc. a homespun suit].

1617 J. Minsheu Ἡγεμὼν είς τὰς γλῶσσας: Ductor in Linguas 90/1 Conie-catcher, a name giuen to deceiuers..borrowed..from those that vse to robbe Warrens and Conie grounds, vsing all meanes, sleights, and cunning to deceiue them.]

?1648 Hunting of Hare (title page) As 'twas perform'd on Banstead downs, By Cony-catchers, and their hounds.

1872 Belgravia Aug. 275 Rabbits will be the ruin of this favoured land... There should be public coney-catchers, whose sole business, or rather duty, it should be to exterminate them.

1891 Zoophilist Jan. 187/2 (advt.) The anti-cruelty coney catcher,..takes rabbits alive and painlessly.

1904 E. Phillpotts Amer. Prisoner i. iv. 33 I be Leaman Cloberry—coney-catcher an' mole-catcher.

1991 Working Terrier Feb. 32 For the average enthusiast whose only real desire is just to catch the base ingredients of a tasty rabbit pie, albeit slightly tenderised, then maybe the ownership of a hard gripping ‘cony catcher’ might perhaps be of scant importance.

2005 Chattanooga (Tennessee) Times Free Press (Nexis) 9 Mar. e1 Coney catcher—rabbit trapper.