grass timen.
/ˈɡrɑːs tʌɪm/, /ˈɡras tʌɪm/, U.S. /ˈɡræs ˌtaɪm/ The time of year when animals are at pasture; summer.In quot. c1405 as part of an extended metaphor, referring to a person's youth.
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the world > food and drink > food > providing or receiving food > feeding animals > [noun] > pasturing > pasturing time
grass timec1405
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > herding, pasturing, or confining > [noun] > action or occupation of pasturing > grazing time
grass timec1405
shack-time1573
run1796
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 14 Gras tyme is doon, my fodder is now forage.
1580 J. Stow Chrons. of Eng. 969 He rode to Southwell, where he continued most part of all that Sommer, vntill the latter end of grasse time.
1637 Earl of Strafford Let. 31 Mar. (1739) II. 60 A Place which..affords Sports to pass over a Grass-time.
1744 R. Molesworth Short Course Standing Rules Govt. & Conduct Army App. 153 Give no Furlows while the Horses are in the Stables... Furlows may be given, in the Grass-time, for a Fortnight, or three Weeks.
1838 J. Grant Sketches London 302 ‘Here's a capital good 'un, Sir; three years old next grass-time, Sir’, was the recommendation of his donkey, which was given by a fourth.
1922 Farm Helps from Exper. (Univ. Arkansas Agric. Exper. Station Bull. No. 181) 30 June 60 From January 1, 1921, until grass time, they were fed corn silage and cotton seed meal.
1948 Econ. Geogr. 24 59/2 If possible calves were fatted before grass time and all the milk was used for making cheese.
2017 Ont. Farmer (Nexis) 12 Sept. a27 He feeds his 290 cows on about an acre a day of swaths and runs them right through to grass time, only adding a bale or two of hay when the weather is bad.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.c1405