earthstoppern.
/ˈəːθˌstɒpə/, U.S. /ˈərθˌstɑpər/ In fox hunting: a person employed to block up fox holes or earths in order to prevent the foxes from escaping into them.
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1726 D. Eaton Let. 1 May (1971) 52 The earth stoppers and keepers & apothecary's..are not paid.
1793 ‘H. Bromley’ Catal. Engraved Brit. Portraits 457 Arthur Wentworth, Earth-Stopper at Castle-Howard, Yorkshire.
1828 C. White Herbert Milton II. i. 37 I'll break away, if they bring all the earth-stoppers in Oxfordshire to stop me.
1880 Times 2 Nov. 4/5 There are huntsmen, whips, and grooms, kennel attendants, smiths, and earth-stoppers to be employed.
1919 J. Masefield Reynard the Fox i. 64 ‘They'm lying in the Ghost Heath Wood, Sir Peter,’ said an earth-stopper.
1981 Amer. Ethnologist 8 296 Keepers and earth-stoppers generally know just where the earths are, and they often know individual foxes by sight.
2000 Country Illustr. Apr. 92/1 Richard Jones, a professional to his boots—just as well, since he supervises the work of 112 earthstoppers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1726