field-dressv.
/ˈfiːl(d)ˌdrɛs/, U.S. /ˈfil(d)ˌdrɛs/ chiefly North American.
transitive. To remove the internal organs from (hunted game) soon after the kill, primarily to aid the cooling of the carcass.
ΚΠ
1939 J. O'Connor Game in Desert xxi. 290 For a hunting knife the sportsman should choose a good substantial pocket knife... With it he can field-dress his game, bore holes in leather, [etc.].
1944 Independent-Record (Helena, Montana) 15 Nov. 9/8 Helena hunters will learn everything but how to trail and shoot big game at a free demonstration of field dressing the kill.
1994 Ont. out of Doors Sept. 14/2 Step-by-step instruction on butchering and field dressing your deer.
2008 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 6 Nov. 4/3 Another one of those cool Harvard Law Review cats who can't field-dress a chicken, much less a moose.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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