| 释义 |
oystern.adj. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from French. Etymons: Latin ostrea; French oistre. Etymology: In Old English < classical Latin ostrea (see below); in Middle English reinforced and subsequently (in β. forms) superseded by borrowing < Anglo-Norman oistre, oister, ostre, ostrei, hostre and Old French, Middle French oistre (13th cent.), uistre, huistre (15th cent.; French huître ) < classical Latin ostrea (feminine, probably arising from a reinterpretation of the neuter plural), alteration of ostreum (neuter) bivalve mollusc, oyster < ancient Greek ὄστρεον , also ὄστρειον < the same Indo-European base as the word for bone (see osteo- comb. form), with an -r- suffix (shown also by ancient Greek ὄστρακον ostracon n.) + -ειον, suffix forming nouns. Compare Italian ostrica (a1294; also †ostrea), Portuguese ostra (mid 13th cent.), Spanish †ostia (14th cent.; also †ostria), ostra (1591; < Portuguese ostra). The Latin word was also borrowed into other Germanic languages, compare Middle Dutch oester (Dutch oester; > Middle Low German ūster, early modern German uster (German Auster)), Old High German aostor (one isolated attestation in the compound aostorskāla oyster shell; Middle High German (rare) oster); Old Icelandic ostra is < Old English.In a number of cases in Latin documents it is uncertain whether the Anglo-Norman or the Middle English word is shown. Compare:1207 in C. M. Woolgar Househ. Accts. Medieval Eng. (1992) I. 113 Pro oistres ii s.1290 in Archaeologia (1806) 15 352 Pro vi lagen oistroz..iij s. iij d.1357–8 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1898) I. 124 In Oystres empt., 6s.a1377 in R. E. G. Kirk Acct. Abingdon Abbey (1892) 38 In ostreys ix s. Also attested as an element in place names. Compare:1141 in Hist. Pet. Gloucr. I. 75 Ostrenuwe [read Ostremuwe].1259 in R. R. Sharpe Cal. Wills Court of Husting (1889) I. 4 [Houses, rents, etc...at the corner of] Oystregate. A. n. 1. the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > seafood > [noun] > shell-fish or mollusc > oyster the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Aviculidae > member of (pearl oyster) eOE (Royal) (1865) ii. xvi. 194 Fixas þa þe heard flæsc habban, & wine winclan, & ostran & oþru. OE (1991) 29 Alleces et isicios, delfinos et sturias, ostreas et cancros : hærincgas & leaxas, mereswyn & stirian, ostran & crabban. 1364 No. 7 (MED) [To supervise the sale of] hostres, muskeles, cokkes, and welkes. c1395 G. Chaucer 2100 Many a muscle and many an oystre..Hath been oure foode. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add.) f. 137v By nyȝte..oystres openeþ heymsilf aȝaynes dewe...and by his incorporacioun..brediþ..a stone þat hatte margarite. 1422 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt (1931) 128 (MED) John of Ely hath take a charge..for to do kepe þe assay of oistrez, that þe oistrez be gode, holsome, and in sesoun for mannes body. a1475 (Sloane) (1862) 17 For to make potage of oysturs. 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria iii. ii. f. 95 The fisshe it selfe, is more pleasaunte in eatynge then are owre oysters. ?c1625 in E. Beveridge & J. D. Westwood (1924) No. 1562 Ye ar sib to Cramond oysters & puiter vessel ye ar ay clattering. 1674 T. Flatman 57 Your Wall fleet Oysters no man will prefer Before the juicy Grass-green Colchester. 1755 E. Young Centaur v, in (1757) IV. 226 If we should find a small pearl in one oyster of a million, it would hardly make us fishers for life. 1806 ‘P. Pindar’ 17 'Who first an oyster eat' was a bold dog. 1839 W. M. Thackeray ii The oyster remained with the British Government. 1883 E. P. Ramsay 37 Recent experiments tend to prove that the Rock-Oyster of our shores..which is left dry by every tide, is only a variety of the Drift-Oyster. a1933 J. A. Thomson (1934) I. xv. 392 Though occasional hermaphrodites occur, there are normally separate males and females in the American oyster (Ostrea virginica) and in the Portuguese oyster (Ostrea angulata). 1963 H. Byas in A. Rappaport p. ii It is a great opportunity geographically placed where three nations meet, and such an oyster has seldom been opened without war. 1987 A. Pryce-Jones v. 59 His own breakfast consisted of sherry and garlic cloves, his luncheon of oysters and white wine. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Mollusca > [noun] > mollusc or shell-fish 1419 in H. T. Riley (1859) I. 275 Scaleoisters, moules, welkes, et hanocynes. 1756 T. Amory I. 52 Of all the curious shells..the hammer oyster was what I wondered at most. 1828 G. Young (ed. 2) 241 Gryphoea. Boat-oyster, or Miller's thumb. 1840 XVII. 363 Placuna Placenta, vulgarly known as the Chinese Window Oyster,..and Placuna Sella, known to collectors as the Saddle-Oyster (from Tranquebar, etc.). 1883 E. P. Ramsay 36 The ‘Hammer-head Oyster’ (Malleus albus, Lam.), &c., are found on our coasts. 1923 D. A. Mackenzie xvii. 334 Kaempfer, writing in the eighteenth century, stated that the Japanese pearls were found in small varieties of oysters (akoja) resembling the Persian pearl oyster. 1999 Fall–Winter 7/1 This misnamed warm-water ‘oyster’ [sc. the thorny oyster Spondylus americanus]..is actually more closely related to the scallops. the world > life > the body > secretory organs > secretion > mucus > [noun] > collection of the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > excretions > slaver > [noun] > spittle > quantity ejected at one time 1785 F. Grose 119 Oyster, a gob of thick phlegm, spit by a consumptive man. 1922 J. Joyce ii. xii. [Cyclops] 317 The citizen said nothing only cleared the spit out of his gullet and, gob, he spat a Red bank oyster out of him right in the corner. 1967 N. Mailer (Intro Beep x.) 170 Cough up an oyster, roll that phlegm. 1999 (Nexis) 19 Sept. 1 The viscid squish of just-shined shoe piercing the meniscus of a freshly hawked pavement oyster. 3. 1847 S. Rutledge 101 Corn Oysters. 1883 388 Veal Oysters—Get one and one-half pounds of tender veal from the leg, cut into pieces the size and shape of an oyster, dip in olive oil and roll in fine cracker crumbs. 1907 4 Feb. 4/7 A wistful pet name for an egg, duly seasoned and to be swallowed whole—the ‘prairie oyster’. 1937 A. Wynn in J. F. Dobie & M. C. Boatright 217 At branding time there was that delicacy known as the mountain oyster. a1969 in (1996) III. 924/2 Cabbage oyster..tastes like oyster stew, like oyster stew with cabbage in place of oysters. 1999 (Electronic ed.) 8 Mar. Chitlins, formally called chitterlings, casually called ‘chitts’, and occasionally referred to as ‘Kentucky oysters’. the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > fowls > [noun] > cuts or parts of fowl 1855 E. Acton (ed. 14) p. xliv On the upper part of the side-bone is the small round portion of flesh called the oyster. 1893 T. F. Garrett & W. A. Rawson 682/1 at Veal The shoulder or oyster. 1937 D. T. Lutes 162 The back [of a young rooster]..was deftly split down the centre, leaving an ‘oyster’ of meat on either side. 1950 (rev. ed.) xvii. 378 Fore-Quarter [of veal]..Oyster or Bladebone, often sold in halves for roasting. 1990 (Brit. Independent Grocers' Assoc.) 136/1 Keep to the choice rashers which will eliminate the problems of selling the difficult cuts such as oyster. the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > [noun] > one who does not speak a1910 ‘Mark Twain’ Let. in C. Clemens (1931) iv. 47 The Tribune review of Roughing It was written by the profound old stick who has done all the Tribune reviews for the last 90 years. The idea of setting such an oyster as that to prating about Humor! 1925 M. Wiltshire xi. 221 I wouldn't mind betting Jane's worrying herself sick over it; and he—goodness knows what he's doing or feeling. I never saw such an oyster. 1930 J. B. Priestley vi. 305 I never knew anybody so close, you old oyster you! the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > [noun] > greyish white 1922 11 Dec. 14 (advt.) Silk hose... In black, white,..peacock, flame, oyster. 1960 Apr. 97 Cotton sailcloth... In a choice of three good colours—oyster, light royal blue, or black. 1992 C. Bingham (BNC) Dresses, gowns and lingerie..in colours of white or pastel blue, cerise, pearl-grey, oyster and of course rose-opaline. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > inlaying, etc., in wood > [noun] > veneering > material > piece of > specific type of material > cross-section 1924 G. O. Wheeler (ed. 3) iii. 22 These ‘oysters’ are often in kidney-shape and the welding of a mosaic was no easy task. 1974 26 Sept. (Suppl.) 60 Olivewood chest. The top with concentric rings of oysters of decreasing size. society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > naval weapons and equipment > [noun] > mine 1945 15 Oct. 5/4 Bremen in particular was thickly sown with oyster mines. 1955 J. F. Turner xi. 155 The Luftwaffe produced ‘acoustic oysters’ and the Navy ‘magnetic oysters’. 1998 (Nexis) 8 Nov. i. 1 At 9:30 a.m. July 30, 1944, the YMS304 hit a German ‘oyster’ mine. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > mushrooms or edible fungi > mushroom > types of c1950 Wisconsin Eng. Lang. Surv. in (1996) III. 926/1 (Mushrooms that grow out like shelves from the sides of trees) 3 Infs, Oyster. 1981 G. H. Lincoff 790 The Late Fall Oyster [= Panellus serotinus] is edible, but requires long, slow cooking. 1997 Mar. 22/1 We..feasted on chanterelles, boletes.., oysters, and black trumpets, all picked within 100 yards of her office window. B. adj. ( attributive). the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > [adjective] > greyish white 1893 10 May 6/4 Lady F.'s dress was made of oyster brocade trimmed with old point. 1952 P. Atkey i. 5 A short, pink man in oyster silk pyjamas. 1990 June 154/2 A pale oyster light of dawn was spreading over the fells. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > inlaying, etc., in wood > [adjective] > veneered > specific type 1953 7 Mar. 3/3 Clock..enclosed in a case..with shaped panels of oyster-olivewood within walnut bandings. 1974 26 Sept. (Suppl.) 60 William III oyster olivewood chest. 1992 Apr. 22/2 Featuring in this sale of timepieces is a Charles II olivewood oyster and parquetry longcase clock. Phrases†P1. c1387–95 G. Chaucer 182 Thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre. a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville (Vitell.) 13155 (MED) I ne haue noon avauntage ffor to harme nor do damage—Nat the valu off An Oystre. society > morality > dueness or propriety > [verb (intransitive)] > deserve well or ill > get one's deserts 1470 J. Paston in (2004) I. 557 For and I had not delt ryght corteysly..I had drownk to myn oystyrs. the mind > attention and judgement > testing > refutation, disproof > [noun] > instance of > sufficient to silence ?1499 J. Skelton (de Worde) sig. Bv I haue a stoppynge oyster in my poke. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus i. f. 55v To a feloe laiyng to his rebuke, that he was ouer deintie of his mouthe and dyete, he did with this reason geue a stoppyng oystre. 1546 J. Heywood i. xi. sig. Eiii His wyfe..deuiseth to cast in my teeth, Checks and chokyng oysters. the world > relative properties > relationship > difference > [phrase] > totally different 1533 T. More vii. p. ccccii Hys symylytude of grammer lykened vnto fayth, is no more lyke then an apple to an oyster. 1745 P. Thomas 40 They are no more one like another than an Apple is like an Oyster. ?1856 J. Pilgrim i. ii. 9 He is a scapegrace, and no more like his father, than an apple is like an oyster. the world > action or operation > advantage > an opportunity > while opportunity exists [phrase] > have opportunity > the world offers opportunities a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. ii. 5 Why then the world's mine Oyster, which I, with sword will open. View more context for this quotation 1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage III. viii. ix. 315 Invested with full powers to make the world his oyster, and leave nothing but the shell to his unpatented competitors. 1858 A. Trollope I. iii. 58 The world was his oyster; but, circumstanced as he was, he knew it was not for him to open it with his lancet all at once. 1930 J. A. Williamson (ed. 2) II. vi. ii. 183 Laissez-faire, with its cosmopolitan view of the world as the trader's oyster. 1997 Jan. 26 The world's your oyster when it comes to adventures on horseback. Compounds C1. a. General attributive. 1750 (Royal Soc.) 45 599 To this Belemnites adheres a Shell of the Oyster-kind, which is fasten'd thereto so strongly, that they are not to be separated without breaking. 1853 C. Dickens xxvii. 273 Young Woolwich's knife..is of the oyster kind. 1948 23 298 Stripping is milking the males to stimulate earlier spawning by the surrounding females of the oyster kind. 1827 J. L. Williams 16 The entrance to this bay is obstructed by sand bars and oyster shoals. 1991 (Nexis) 20 July 1 b Wading birds that strutted on oyster shoals pocked with tar. 1869 3 264 Libinia canaliculata..is regarded by some as a pest on the oyster beds, and is accused of eating the oyster spat or young. 1884 M. S. Lovell (ed. 2) 44 Cockle-shells are used as cultch for the oyster spat to adhere to. 1991 Feb. 4/2 Oyster spat..settle on hard substrates, usually limestone rocks, other shells, or mangrove roots. b. Connected with the fishing, breeding, keeping, selling, or eating of oysters. 1682 27 June 1/1 As much a Mock t' Esquire, 'midst all his Ruff, As empty Oister-Barrel to a Muff. 1882 R. Jefferies I. xi. 180 There was an oyster barrel under the bench, which was to contain the fresh water for their voyage. 1993 (Nexis) 17 Dec. l40 Outside, in front of the restaurant's spotless tiled facade, a row of burlap-covered oyster barrels borders the curb. the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > [noun] > shout of oyster-seller 1716 J. Gay i. 3 When..Damsels first renew their Oyster Cries. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters 1862 Jan. 201 The dredgers at Whitstable have so far adopted oyster culture. 1946 26 Oct. 586/2 Researches on this important aspect of oyster-culture are difficult and are urgently needed. 1997 42 1081/1 Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor on the Washington coast are sites of intense oyster culture. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters > oyster-breeder 1882 18 Aug. 4/8 Oysterculturists are becoming alarmed lest the superior oysters known as natives should be contaminated by the near presence of the inferior sort. 1986 (Nexis) 3 Nov. i. 9 The biggest problem facing oyster culturists today is pollution in the oysterbeds. 1859 B. P. Shillaber 297 We..uncover (the oyster-dish) in reverence for the occasion. 1865 ‘G. Eliot’ 8 Jan. (1956) IV. 174 I am so much pleased with..the pretty oyster-dish. 1996 (Nexis) 24 Nov. 56 [She] also specializes in rare and expensive Majolica porcelain and antique oyster dishes. 1810 P. Neill 9 (Jam.) Cottus Cataphractus, Pogge or Armed Bullhead; Pluck... This is often taken in oyster-dredges, and herring-nets, but is detested by the fishermen. 1998 8 128 To explain oyster loss, we tested whether..harvesting by oyster dredges reduces the height of oyster reefs. 1728 I. xvi. 206 He mentions the oyster-fisheries at Ore, Harting and Feversham, which..are now very eminent. 1793 J. Morse (new ed.) II. 103 About 10,000 people are employed in the oyster-fishery along the coasts of England. 1869 Sept. 314 While the farming is very productive, a small portion of the people are engaged in the oyster fisheries. 1998 8 130 The estuary supported a productive oyster fishery prior to the 1950s. 1889 June a31/1 (advt.) We will send for your examination..Fish Sets, Oyster Forks, [etc.]. 1946 S. J. Perelman 78 Three Lilliputians in doublets and hose, armed with nutpicks and oyster forks, were enfilading my big toe. 1988 Fall 108 He was leaning out of the boat to retrieve his oyster fork, fell overboard and suffered a heart attack. 1659 No. 22. 299 (advt.) In the Parish of Up Church 6 miles beyond Rochester in Kent are 334 Acres of Marish ground..there are Oyster grounds and fishings, belonging to the Marish. 1755 (Royal Soc.) 48 628 I hir'd a fisherman, the next day, to take up some oysters from an old oyster-ground, that had been long disus'd, lying about three or four leagues off to sea. 1834 (Royal Soc.) 124 366 Repeated endeavours to get them, through fishermen, from rocks at sea, or from oyster-grounds were unsuccessful. 1977 J. R. L. Anderson (1980) (BNC) 110 Those creeks on Winter Marsh are about the best oyster grounds in Europe! 1774 15 Sept. 3/3 He has set up his Business on Gold-Hill-Street..opposite Mr. Scandaret's Beer and Oyster House. 1834 H. J. Nott I. 94 He can escape from the empty pageant to the substantial and homely comforts of a beefsteak or oyster house. 1986 B. Fussell ii. viii. 123 A po' boy can..mean roast beef and gravy, but not in an oyster house. 1881 E. Ingersoll (title) The oyster industry. 1923 1 171 The oyster industry along the coast which once centered in the Chesapeake..has been transferred in large part to the Gulf states. 2003 (Nexis) 22 June 54 For every 10 hectares of oyster-industry development, the number of jobs created was three to four. 1783 A. Macaulay Let. 3 Mar. in (1903) 11 190 I wish, if a good safe conveyance offers, you would return us the Oyster Keg, filled with Hash & Homony. 1890 412 He..must count, seal, superscribe, and way-bill money packages and handle oyster-kegs..at a moment's notice. 1999 (Nexis) 17 Apr. 37 The earliest Royals are still packed in cardboard cartons, reflecting the time when slatted wooden oyster kegs were used. 1722 ‘A. Gunter’ 5 You, eloquent Oyster-Merchants of Billingsgate, (just ready to be call'd to the Bar, and quoif'd like your Sister-Serjeants). 1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 340 in (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV An oyster merchant of Rochelle, doing business with the growers of the adjacent islands of Oleron and Ré, will say £250,000 per annum. 2001 (Nexis) 23 Dec. b1 Struggling oyster merchants and watermen appear poised for a push for unconstrained stocking. society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of provisions > seller of fish or seafood 1321 in B. Thuresson (1950) 198 (MED) Oystermonger. 1720 J. Strype (rev. ed.) I. i. v. 25/2 One Rufe de Reines, Oistermonger, took a Custom of all Men and Women that washed their Cloathes..there. 1854 W. M. Thackeray I. v. 46 We belong to the same livery in the City, Hobson and I, the Oystermongers' Company. 1991 L. Sante iii. iv. 281 The rise of New York's first families to the point where they could forget they had been oystermongers and ragpickers less than a century before. 1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti II. 122/2 You may take up the Mud from the bottom by means of an Oyster-Net. 1856 T. Pishey xiv. 680 Fishermen..can perceive the bottom much harder than usual by the dredge or oyster-net jumping upon it. 1999 (Nexis) 18 Nov. 34 The port..on the Cotentin peninsula—complete with oyster nets trailing along the picturesque quayside. 1888 15 Dec. 208/1 The Maryland steamer..has a two hours' fight with a fleet of oyster pirates..and runs down two of the dredgers. 1903 J. London 9 Mar. (1966) 147 When the oyster pirates..arrived, they forced the two watchmen off into the water. 1984 31 26 [The association provided] a vehicle for policing the oyster beds from the depredations of oyster pirates. 1815 R. Rylance 19 Adjoining, in the same passage, are Ireland's oyster rooms and shell-fish shop, where spruce-beer and other fermented beverages are kept, and vended in high perfection. 1892 W. D. O'Connor 14 The street-floor of one of my houses in Hanover Street lets for an oyster-room. 1992 3 June 4 Residents moved out after 1843 when the square was opened to through traffic. Hotels, shops, exhibitions, a Turkish bath and oyster rooms moved in. 1825 in (Brit. Mus.) (1952) X. 545 The Hall of Infamy, alias the Oyster Saloon in Bridges St. or New Covent Garden..Hell. 1933 S. Griffiths 30 Drop into Ned Bitton's oyster saloon..and have a large plate of Sydney rocks. 2002 (Nexis) 5 Jan. 2 The restaurant started life as an oyster saloon run by Samuel Bookbinder in 1865. society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > fishing vessel > [noun] > vessels fishing for shellfish or crustaceans 1824 26 Jan. He wore a hat of the new oyster-scow cut. 1856 11 Dec. 2/5 Our river boats are palaces of paint and gilding, but a leak from the bowsprit of an oyster-scow will sink one in fifteen minutes. 1976 D. Smith iii. 102 I breathe that stale, distant death not quite relinquished from an island floater hollowed by the brass wheel of homebound oyster scows. 1813 R. Southey (1965) II. 68 By good fortune this is the oyster season, and when in town I devour about a dozen in the middle of the day. 1866 ‘F. Kirkland’ 181/2 [He] traded up and down the James and York rivers, especially during the oyster season. 1977 Nov. 276/3 When the British oyster season is over, the clam trade continues. 1815 R. Rylance 26 It is from hence and from other oyster shops in the vicinity, that the good citizens of London send..a barrel of Colchester or native oysters to ensure..a cargo of game from their friends in the sporting counties. 1913 Mrs. P. Campbell Let. 25 Mar. in (1952) 102 Many a rendez-vous at Cheesmans oyster shop. 1992 (Nexis) 5 Apr. a1 Vietnamese women work in the crab and oyster shops. 1785 (1992) 12 July 1173 [It] is no cutter. [It] is an oyster smack. 1802 E. Wynne 22 Oct. (1940) III. iv. 69 Several other sailors' bodies have been thrown on shore, it was an oyster smack that was lost. 1976 27 Aug. 17/1 A string of oyster smacks..will be competing in the Thames Oyster Smack Race. 1770 E. Thompson 107 From every gin'bread, apple, oyster stall. 1836 C. Dickens (1837) xxii. 227 Here's a oyster stall to every half-dozen houses. 2002 (Nexis) 29 Sept. 21 I would have missed le bar a huitres, an unpretentious oyster stall on the corner of Montparnasse and Raspail. 1808 S. Wood 39 There are many oyster stands in the city. 1977 14 May 13/4 For £4,000 to £6,000 each..you may be able to buy two Sèvres oyster-stands. 1986 B. Fussell vi. xxiii. 454 The Pacific Coast is littered with roadside barbecue oyster stands that you recognize by the heaps of discarded shells outside the door, like kitchen middens on the rise. 1741 B. Lynde Diary 17 Apr. in B. Lynde & B. Lynde (1880) 107 Oyster supper with all the Court. 1856 H. B. Stowe II. 221 He drinks and frolics, and has his oyster-suppers. 1986 June 40/3 The glamorous oyster suppers in Rector's and other legendary restaurants in turn-of-the-century New York. the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > [noun] > shout of oyster-seller 1612 R. Daborne sig. C2 Affrighting of whole streetes With your full Oyster voyce. c. Made with oysters. 1895 I. K. Funk et al. II. Oyster cocktail. c1938 53/1 Oyster Cocktail—per bot. 1/9. 1975 M. Orr (1977) xii. 147 The meal..began with an oyster cocktail and progressed to a cold Senegalese soup. 1769 E. Raffald ii. 27 Lay over it Oyster Patties. 1843 4 97 An eulogy of the excellence of Lord Marmiton's oyster patties. 1953 K. Tennant vi. 51 Mrs. Mike was carrying a plate of oyster patties. 2002 (Nexis) 10 May 30 Included in the book are recipes for oyster patties, stuffed crab and Goa sausages. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > pastry > pie > [noun] > seafood pie 1601 B. Jonson ii. ii. sig. D2v O (by Hercules) 'tis your onely dish, aboue all your Potatos, or Oyster-pyes in the world. View more context for this quotation 1851 A. O. Hall 59 Some of them [sc. mosquitoes] are dainty, and associate only with fat people whose nightmares are based upon turtle steaks and oyster pies. 1976 R. Condon i. xxiii. 146 They ate oyster pie and crab cakes. 1741 (ed. 10) 62 (heading) Oyster soop. 1861 I. M. Beeton vi. 103 Oyster Soup. 2003 (Nexis) 21 Apr. 11 Their impressive menu includes oyster soup and baked Alaska Caribbean coral fish. 1846 D. Corcoran 128 Mrs. Smith was never known to have an oyster stew of an evening that she did not divide it with Mrs. Jones. 1903 24 Jan. 419/1 The men..wolfing up meals of oyster stew in an atmosphere of perpetual dyspepsia. 1988 Oct. 218/2 Mother made oyster stew for Christmas eve supper, fried oysters with cornmeal coating for Christmas breakfast, and escalloped oysters for Christmas dinner. 1935 ‘Countess Morphy’ 611 Oyster stuffings for poultry are frequently found in old English cookery books. 2003 (Nexis) 20 Mar. 1 Huge specimens [of red snapper]..baked with oyster stuffing are known as ‘Panama City turkeys’. C2. a. Objective. 1881 15 707 These Portuguese oysters are regarded with contempt by the French oyster-cultivators. 1996 11 Mar. 12/4 The invention became the subject of litigation between the North Breton oyster-cultivators..and a recently constituted company inexplicably named Fizz. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fisher > [noun] > for oysters a1513 W. Dunbar Flyting in (1998) I. 208 Rank beggar, ostir dregar, foule fleggar in the flet. 1691 in F. G. Emmison (1958) II. 138 William Francis, oyster dredger, Tollesbury. 1723 No. 6196/8 Edmund North, late of Wakerin in Essex, Oyster-Drudger. 1853 E. Forbes & S. Hanley II. 320 Irish oyster-dredgers have a notion that the more the banks are dredged, the more the oysters breed. 1986 11 Sept. 31/4 She started life as a racing smack, then became an oyster dredger. 1659 No. 22. 299 (advt.) In the Parish of Up Church 6 miles beyond Rochester in Kent are 334 Acres of Marish ground..there are Oyster grounds and fishings, belonging to the Marish. 1676 E. Coles Drudging, Oyster-fishing. 1867 R. Garner v. 141 The vessels used in the oyster fishing were..lying idle. 1982 (Nexis) 13 Dec. a16/1 The state has temporarily closed 440,000 acres of water bottom to oyster fishing because of fecal contamination. 1867 1 350 The French oyster-growers are very particular that the oysters..shall lie for five or six days in the claires..in order that all mud and impurities shall be washed out. 1996 11 Mar. 12/4 The oyster-growers had subcontracted development of the opener. 1877 Dec. 234/1 They are..all showing the rounded outline which delights the oyster-lover. 1977 22 Jan. 12/3 Huxley concluded that the only hope for oyster lovers..was in the encouragement of oyster culture. 2003 (Nexis) 16 Apr. vi. 13 A few intrepid oyster lovers have already settled in and are slurping down Fanny Bays and Skookums. 1827 W. Clarke 62 If the visitor make an ally of the waiter or oyster-opener, he may often have people pointed out to him there, who are rather worth seeing. 1969 E. H. Pinto 140 A simple but effective oyster opener, in Colchester Museum, is a wooden block, hollowed out to take a large oyster; [etc.]. 2003 (Nexis) 24 Feb. 7 A close friend recounted working with Dad when he was an oyster opener. society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of provisions > seller of fish or seafood a1425 (Stonyhurst) f. 46v Ostriarius, an oyster siller. 1609 (new ed.) 2 A great Oyster..lay on the ground neere the Miter doore, where some Oyster seller sitting (as their custome is) belike had let it fall from her basket. 1841 C. Dickens ii. lxv. 165 She began to shape her course for the notary's office—shrewdly inquiring of apple-women and oyster-sellers at street-corners. 1998 (Nexis) 15 July 4 From a lowly oyster seller in China's Fujian province, he steered his way up to become one of the most successful Chinese immigrants in Singapore. 1871 (U.S. Patent Office) (1874) 989 Oyster-shucker. 1969 L. Hellman vi. 61 The oyster shucker..would open oysters for my father. 1993 8 Apr. e6/1 Van Riper's people are mostly traditional and rural. They're..the oyster shuckers; the duck carvers; the small-shop owners. 1914 16 Oct. 1/6 More than a dozen oyster trawlers arrived at Lowestoft, Suffolk today, crowded with refugees. 1995 (Nexis) 10 June We started part time in the late 1970's with a small..1931 built wooden Chesapeake Bay Oyster Trawler running with a foreign flag. 1628 T. May tr. Virgil i. 11 Plow-men had need each starre as well to know..To passe the Oyster-breeding Hellespont. 1865 Jan. 52 Oyster-breeding on the foreshores of France. 2002 19 Oct. 13 He said the oyster breeding was a side business to supplement his income from the core fish farming business. 1821 T. Carlyle in (1970) I. 408 How poor, how beggar-poor, compared with this, is the..dandyish, punch-drinking, oyster-eating existence often led by your..embryo Provost! 1859 G. A. Sala 326 Temples of oyster-eating..called oyster-cellars. 1994 20 689/2 The..strain responsible for cholera in Central and South America has been isolated from oysters and oyster-eating fish. b. Instrumental. 1882 W. D. Hay I. iii. 72 Oyster-covered rocks. 1961 31 245/2 The overall length of the oyster-covered area is about 45 m. 2003 (Nexis) 31 Mar. 12 Oyster-covered rocks at either side of the boat ramp present a danger to people getting in and out of their vessels. c. Similative. (a) 1631 P. Fletcher iv. vi O platter face! O oyster eyes! 1840 J. H. Frere 62 If you turn your oyster eye, with ostracising look, Those his allies, will from the pegs, those very shields unhook. 1850 Aug. 485/1 Wide staring eyes of a whitish grey (‘oyster-eyes’ our friend Billy used to call them). 1922 J. Joyce ii. vi. [Hades] 111 Oyster eyes. 2008 D. Bilsborough 393 Those watery little oyster eyes churned, swelled and seethed. a1640 in R. Burton (1850) iii. iii. 562 Gentle youths, go sport yourselves betimes. Let not the doves outpass your murmurings, Or ivy-clasping arms, or oyster-kissings.] 1938 S. Beckett 117 Oyster kisses passed between them. 1994 12 Feb. d10 The raw oyster kiss. ‘They're those wet, cool, open-mouth slobbering kisses,’ she explained... ‘You feel like a mollusc has attached itself to your face.’ a1678 A. Marvell Last Instr. to Painter in (1689) III. 2 Paint her with Oyster Lip. 1966 4 Mar. 12/1 The Opposition demanded to know, and they prised persistently at Mr. Benn's oyster lips. 1998 (Nexis) 25 July Plump oyster lips and a face which imprints itself on your mind. 1805 15 35 I remained in an oyster state, between asleep and awake. (b) 1904 5 May 8/4 Women are wearing bronze shoes with their golden-brown costumes,..oyster-coloured suede with a costume of that shade. 1997 A. Motion 15 The pink windpipe, the oyster-coloured muscles like a lesson in biology. 1894 11 May 6/5 The train was in brocade of an oyster-grey ground shot with mother-o'-pearl. 1985 (Nexis) 5 Apr. c20/5 A portrait of two men done in juicy oyster-grays outlined by the artist's characteristic black contours. 1891 16 Dec. 3/4 My wedding gown is oyster white satin. 1974 N. Marsh i. 20 The glossy walls were an agreeable oyster-white. 2001 (Nexis) 12 Mar. 1 An oyster white lace gown with pearl accents. C3. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) > oyster bed 1612 W. Symonds Proc. Eng. Colonie Virginia xi. 102 in J. Smith Hee..forced them to the oyster bankes. 1775 B. Romans 287 The branch which disembogues itself at Hobé is shallow, and full of oyster banks. 1831 IV. 284 The oyster banks produce the finest pearls in the world. 2000 (Nexis) 29 Apr. 24 Most ships wrecked on the nearby oyster bank (now northern breakwater) were built of iron. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) > oyster bed 1823 J. L. Williams Jrnl. 23 Oct. in (1908) Apr. 44 At 3 p.m. we entered the river at ebb tide and beat among the oyster bars until evening. 1878 R. L. Stevenson in 8 June 441/1 They were driven by a sharp fall of sleet into an Oyster Bar. 1925 E. Sitwell 74 That child is the small wicked ghost Of Metropoles and oyster bars. 1993 July 81 Though the tide was low, she made her way at near full speed among the oyster bars, circling in off the sandy point..and grinding her right up onto the beach. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for hands > [noun] > muff > types of 1703 D. Defoe Misc. 101 Knights of the Famous Oyster-Barrel Muff. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters > oyster-bed the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) > oyster bed the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > sedimentary formation > [noun] > stratum > stratum by constitution > organic remains or fossils 1591 R. Percyvall Dict. at Ostiario An oister bed. 1675 J. Crowne iv. i. 54 Oh Sir, a witty man's Head is a Similies Bed, and breeds Similies as fast as an Oysterbed breeds Oysters. 1780 Oct. 290 They have many excellent oyster-beds about the islands of the Texel, producing very large and well-tasted oysters. 1833 C. Lyell III. 354 The strata of sand which immediately repose on the oyster-bed are quite destitute of organic remains. 1969 G. M. Bennison & A. E. Wright xv. 342 The Bembridge Limestone is followed by an oyster bed laid down by a marine transgression of limited westerly extent. 2001 May 49/2 For years oystermen tended their oyster beds moving the oysters annually from one place to another to increase their growth. the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > haematopus ostralegus (oystercatcher) 1877 Apr. 502/2 The red-beaked oyster bird flew by, and close down to the sea skimmed the razor-bill shear-water. 1952 J. Blight Oyster-eaters in 194 I saw the oyster-bird with red cockade-like beak; White, blue-black, like a tricolour; plump as a chef. 1891 6 Mar. 5 (advt.) The ‘junior’ is the best oyster biscuit in the world, and the delight of boys and girls. 1898 13 May 5/2 The ration..consists of..16 oz. of hard bread (called oyster biscuits in the States). 1928 4 Aug. ii. 2/1 A vaudeville act consisting of trick shooting by Woods with his wife as the holder of such targets as..oyster biscuits and playing cards. society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > altar > [noun] > communion table > in reformed churches 1563 J. Foxe 984/2 In the same place, he proueth a propitiatory sacrifice, and that vpon an altare, and no Oyster board. 1849 T. B. Macaulay (1871) I. i. 40 Tables which the Papists irreverently termed oyster boards. 1952 J. Gloag 347 Oyster board, mediaeval term for a table used for opening and preparing oysters. society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > fishing vessel > [noun] > vessels fishing for shellfish or crustaceans 1419 in H. T. Riley (1859) I. 376 Item, oystrebot qui navigat in tholles dabit obolum. ?1548 J. Bale iv. sig. Dvij He that spake of ye, was sellynge of a Cod, In an oyster bote, a lyttle beyonde quene hythe. 1681 S. Colvil i. 37 Some getting Oyster-Boats to Dreg, Some making Satyrs for to Beg. 1813 J. K. Paulding i. 18 The sailors..urg'd in dreams the gallant chase Of oyster-boats far up the bay. 1989 C. R. Wilson & W. Ferris 392/2 Low, squat white oyster boats are constantly relocating and/or harvesting oysters in Gulf coastal waters. society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > types of sailor > [noun] > sailors on specific types of fishing boats 1859 G. A. Sala 251 Listen to the slang of oyster-boatmen and bargees. 2002 (Nexis) 22 Dec. This Auburn fullback and oyster boatman from Bayou La Batre once gave himself a tattoo with a lighter, paper clip and indigo ink. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > bread with spread or filling > [noun] > bread with seafood 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny I. 556 Oister-bread, so called for that it was good with oisters. 1992 A. Bell tr. M. Toussaint-Samat viii. 228 Ostrearius, oyster bread, was eaten with oysters at banquets. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) > spawn > in it's second year 1827 c. 29 §36 If any Person shall steal any Oysters or Oyster Brood from any Oyster Bed. society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of provisions > seller of fish or seafood > woman 1621 R. Brathwait Odes in 254 Oister-callet, slie Vpholster. 1961 G. C. Ainsworth (ed. 5) 326 P[leurotus] ostreatus, the Oyster Cap, which does damage to wood, is edible. 1989 I. 140/2 Among the shelf or bracket fungi growing from tree trunks is the oyster cap, Pleurotus ostreatus, so called because of its appearance. society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shop selling provisions > fish or seafood 1772 S. Neville 15 Mar. (1950) vii. 152 Supped with him at an Oyster Cellar. 1830 J. F. Watson 220 Oyster Cellars..did not at first include gentlemen among their visiters. 1889 R. Brydall vi. 96 The then popular Oyster-cellars in Edinburgh. 1996 (Nexis) 22 Sept. 1 By 1874, New York City alone had over 850 oyster cellars, saloons, houses, and lunchrooms. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Crustacea > [noun] > subclass Malacostraca > division Thoracostraca > order Decapoda > suborder Brachyura (crab) > member of family Pinnotheridae (pea-crab) 1756 P. Browne ii. iii. 421 The Oyster-Crab. This little species is generally found with the Mangrove oysters, in their shells. 1844 J. E. De Kay vi. 5 Panopeus herbsti... This species is commonly known on our shores by the names of Mud Crab and Oyster Crab. 1938 L. Bemelmans i. iii. 49 All maîtres d'hôtel..are especially fond of little fried things..whitebait, oyster crabs, fried scallops. 1994 E. E. Ruppert & R. D. Barnes (ed. 6) xiv. 702/1 Often the body has become considerably modified for commensal existence. For example, the female of the oyster crab, Pinnotheres ostreum, has a soft exoskeleton. 1858 21 Dec. 5 (advt.) Bond's celebrated Boston and Oyster Crackers, Soda and Wine Biscuit. Sold by all grocers. 1924 Apr. 430/1 The custom that some Baptist churches have fallen into of oyster crackers and cubes of bakers' bread in the Lord's supper is to my mind unscriptural. 1980 M. Robinson iii. 49 We found Sylvie sitting in the kitchen..eating oyster crackers from a small cellophane bag. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Gastropoda > [noun] > superorder Branchifera > order Prosobranchiata > section Siphonostomata > family Muricidae > member of 1877 H. Dorner 70 The Oyster-drill. (Urosalpinx cinerea). Next to the starfish this shell is the greatest enemy to young oysters and clams. 1929 24 Aug. 298/1 There now occur in England three oyster-drills or tingles, which in the adult state bore holes through the shells of oysters. 1978 R. J. Conover in O. Kinne IV. v. 309 A very similar range of feeding was found..for the rough oyster drill Eupleura caudata. 2015 E. B. Sherr v. 60 The oyster drill, Urosalpinx cinerea,..has a narrow white shell with fat ribbed whorls ending in a sharp tip. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters > oyster-farm 1865 Jan. 52 Oyster farms which formerly employed fourteen hundred men..had become so reduced as to require only one hundred men. 1940 18 Oct. 3 Chesapeake oysters, which are now raised on ‘oyster farms’. 2002 (Nexis) 19 May 37 The UK's largest oyster farm on the shores of Loch Fyne, Argyll. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters > oyster-breeder 1866 1 July 434 The French oyster farmers have one department which is unknown elsewhere; that of greening the oysters. 1953 5 Feb. 19/5 If private leasing of such beds were allowed, they could produce enough seed to supply oyster ‘farmers’ their all-important seed oysters. 2000 27 Nov. i. 8/3 Andrew Abrahams, a local oyster farmer who helped to found the company..said the project was vital to the environment. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters 1865 Jan. 52 (heading) Oyster farming. 1943 5 Feb. 10/1 A system of ‘oyster farming’ combining a free fishery with close State management. 1997 25 June (Suppl.) 18/2 There's an abundance of the algae and nutrients so essential to oyster farming. the world > food and drink > food > meal > feast > [noun] > feast by type of food 1718 C. Morris 8 Nov. (1934) 65 I Dined with the Vicars at Close-Hall, it being Mr. Perry's Oister-Feast. 1808 A. M. Grant (ed. 2) 198 (title) Answer to a poetical apology sent by Professor M'Leod of Glasgow, to some ladies who had invited him to an Oyster Feast. 1924 F. Muirhead (ed. 2) 575 The opening of the oyster fishing is celebrated by an ‘Oyster Feast’ on Oct. 20th. 1998 (Nexis) 5 May c3 Oyster Appreciation Day is Thursday... It features a free oyster feast in the courtyard. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) > oyster bed 1868 tr. L. Figuier 374 The common oyster fields on both sides of the Channel were ploughed up by the oyster dredger. 1948 23 296/2 Such terms as oyster farm, oyster-plantation, oyster-field grew out of the obvious parallels between producing oysters as a business and producing certain agricultural crops. 2002 (Nexis) 10 Feb. (Special Suppl.) 6 In one section of the oyster fields, the farmers ‘plant’ long tubes with hundreds of baby oysters clinging to them. the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > artificial light defined by light-source > electric light > [noun] > type of 1892 J. W. Urquhart vii. 227 The oyster fitting, without the guard, is much used for cabins. 1940 606/2 Oyster-fitting, a bulkhead fitting designed to emit light on both sides of the bulkhead or other partition upon which it is mounted. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [adjective] > of or relating to oyster > replete with 1855 R. C. Singleton tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil I. 83 Pontus and oyster-full [L. ostrifer] Abydos' straits Are tempted. the world > plants > particular plants > algae > seaweed > [noun] > sea-lettuce 1597 J. Gerard iii. 1377 Lungwoort..groweth vpon rockes..especially among Oisters..; this Mosse they call Oister greene. 1701 W. Kennett (new ed.) Laver-bread, in Glamorganshire and some other part of Wales, they make a sort of Food of a Sea plant, which seems to be the Oyster-green or Sea-Liver-Wort. 1833 W. J. Hooker in J. E. Smith V. 311 U[lva] latissima... Most authors consider this as a large state only of the following [sc. U. lactuca]. Both are..indiscriminately eaten under the name of green-laver, or Oyster-green. 1903 W. S. Furneaux (1922) xv. 354 The fishermen..call it [sc. U. lactuca] ‘oyster green’. a1978 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ (1993) I. 458 It seems advisable to gloss a few words in this poem..cheirotherium, labyrinthodont; green-sloke, oyster-green; blehand, a brownish colour inclining to purple or violet. the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > [noun] > knife 1637 in (1986) 163 For 6 oyster knifes 2s. 6d. 1768 Lady M. W. Montagu 49 Thine is an oyster-knife, that hacks and hews. a1841 ‘J. Cypress, Jr.’ (1842) II. 120 Oyster-knives and blood become well acquainted. 2000 A. Bourdain (2001) 302 I would regularly lose control of the oyster knife, the dull blade hopping out of or breaking through the shell to bury itself in my hand. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) > oyster bed 1703 No. 3897/4 The Oyster-Lays in the Hundred of Rochford, in the County of Essex. 1905 25 Mar. 400/2 More than 200 fresh oyster ‘lays’ have now been staked out on the north side of the Witham. 1761 9 May 4/3 To be Lett for any Term, not exceeding 15 Years, The Oyster Layings in Ramsey Creek, capable of containing a large Stock of Oysters, with the Liberty of digging Pits on the adjoining Saltings. 1826 R. V. Barnewall & C. Cresswell 4 486 The messuage,..sea-grounds, oyster-layings, [etc.]. 1959 (Republic of Ireland) §255 If any person wilfully trespasses on any licensed oyster bed or oyster layings [etc.]. 1581 in F. G. Emmison (1987) (modernized text) IV. 68 Also my oyster layne and fishing place which I hold in fee simple. 1591 in F. G. Emmison (1998) (modernized text) XI. 64 To Bridget my wife my house wherein I dwell with the oyster layne belonging for life. 1673 in H. Benham (1993) v. 47 (modernized text) Except for certain weirs and oyster lanes. 1737 G. Ogle 16 Oyster liquor,..More sav'ry far, than catchop, or cavare. 1860 C. W. H. Dall 153 (note) Gallons of oyster liquor are thrown away every day by dealers who sell the fish ‘solid’. 1979 (Nexis) 11 Nov. (Mag. section) 14 The diner can enjoy sipping the oyster liquor after eating the oyster. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > bread with spread or filling > [noun] > bread with seafood eOE (Royal) (1865) ii. xxiii. 210 Oþre wætan [read hwætene] mete gearwa & cocnunga ealle sint to forbeodanne, & eal þa wætan þing & þa smerewigan & osterhlafas & eall swete þing. 1747 H. Glasse ix. 99 To make Oyster-Loaves. 1837 B. Disraeli I. 32 A dish of oyster loaves. 1888 16 Feb. 64 Cold baked chicken, oyster loaf (and boiled duck if desired after the first day) were the chief articles of diet that this crew fed on during the trip. 1986 B. Fussell ii. viii. 113 Only plentitude can account for the number of oyster dishes named by New Orleans restaurant cooks desperate to distinguish their bivalves from the po' boy oyster loaves of the bars. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fisher > [noun] > for oysters society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in food and drink > in specific foodstuffs the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters > oyster-breeder 1305 in L. F. Salzman (1923) 283 Walter le Oysterman. 1552 R. Huloet Oyster man,..ostrearius. 1590 R. Wilson sig. I4 The verie oistermen to mingle their oisters at Billinsgate. 1753 in E. Singleton (1902) 350 I am informed that an oysterman..may clear eight or ten shillings a day. 1853 O. S. Fowler (rev. ed.) 23 Those persons who would economize, have only to order those very shells which the oyster-man has to pay to have carted from his cellar. 1974 ‘A. Garve’ xxxix. 143 I talked first with some oystermen along the front here. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fisher > [noun] > for oysters > official 1780 50 149/1 A cause was tried, and learnedly argued, between the oyster-meters of London, and the proprietors of oyster-beds in the county of Essex. 1880 1 Jan. 1/2 The annual sum of £30, directed under the will of the above-mentioned donor to be paid to the deputy oyster meters of the City of London. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > mushrooms or edible fungi > mushroom > types of 1875 M. C. Cooke iv. 86 The oyster mushroom..included in almost every list and book on edible fungi. 1953 J. Ramsbottom xix. 228 Pleurotus ostreatus.., the Oyster-Mushroom, usually at the base of trunks in clustered overlapping masses..the cap thick, fan shaped when very young, then slate-blue, pale grey or fawn. 1994 91 4599/1 Gene phylogenies were developed to examine the relationship between reproductive isolation, genetic divergence, and biogeography in oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus). 2002 22 Aug. 25/7 Even in the wilds of Fife, which might be expected to suffer from Celtic mycophobia, oyster mushrooms are far more common in supermarkets than on trees. 1873 G. W. Howard 102 An Oyster-navy has been established..and during the season the vessels composing this water-police are constantly in motion for the purpose of enforcing the Oyster laws. 1932 19 Sept. 6/5 (heading) Sour note on a recent addition to the oyster navy. 2002 (Nexis) 8 Aug. t10 They are Department of Natural Resources marine police, descendants of the old Oyster Navy established in 1868 to bring law and order to Maryland waters. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Ostreidae > member of (oyster) > oyster bed 1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham iv. xxii. 509 About 250 men and women are employed in the oyster parks in sorting, loading, and unloading oysters. 1936 F. S. Russell & C. M. Yonge (ed. 2) xiv. 297 The Emperor Napoleon III became interested in the schemes and two Imperial oyster parks were established in the shallow Bay of Arcachon. 1992 A. Bell tr. M. Toussaint-Samat xii. 398 They may go into oyster parks in deep waters, or be placed in cases on tables where there is a strong tide, or on vertical posts in the Mediterranean, where there is little or no tide. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > inlaying, etc., in wood > [noun] > veneering > material > piece of > specific type of material 1925 J. Penderel-Brodhurst & E. J. Layton 117 The slices are referred to as Oyster-pieces. 1960 9 Dec. 18/7 The beautiful ‘oyster-piece’ veneers and marquetry. 1973 16 Mar. (Colour Suppl.) 47/2 Laburnum wood which has a dark heart and a yellow sapring when cut across the grain produces highly decorative ‘oyster pieces’. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > fish-keeping, farming, or breeding > [noun] > breeding oysters 1859 May 749/2 Cotton-planting has now given place to oyster-planting, as the leading culture. 1916 21 736 Cattle-raising in the south-west, oyster-planting in the lower reaches of the rivers and coves..all showed a decided advancement. 1984 31 20 Enclosure in the classic sense is limited to the historical and special case of oyster-planting. the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > haematopus ostralegus (oystercatcher) the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > other fishing equipment > [noun] > oyster-rake 1705 in (1894) VI. 247 Oyster Rake 3 hammer and a hand Bill. 1853 ‘R. Haywarde’ 142 The sword was beaten into the oyster-knife, and the spear into oyster rakes. 1986 (Nexis) 25 Aug. c10/3 A potato fork makes an excellent oyster rake. 1853 F. A. Durivage 117 Benevolence, like an oyster-roast, is good for nothing if it's overdone. 1906 L. Bell 326 Aunt Angie was to give an oyster roast on the shore. 1979 (Penguin Travel Guides) 572 You can play tennis, ride bikes,..take afternoon tea, join oyster roasts on the beach, and much more. the world > food and drink > food > additive > sauce or dressing > [noun] > sauces made with fish 1727 P. Longueville i. 27 The boil'd Meat and Oyster-Sauce. 1816 ‘Quiz’ vii. 24 To partake Of oyster-sauce and a beef-steak. 1992 25 Mar. c6/1 The executive chef and pastry chef..also shop in Chinatown for nuoc nam, the Vietnamese fish sauce, and for Chinese oyster sauce. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > order Hemiptera > suborder Homoptera > family Coccidae or genus Coccus > mytilaspis pomorum 1881 E. A. Ormerod iii. 288 Pear Oyster Scale..of the same nature as the Mussel Scale of the Apple. 1900 7 July 45/2 The prevalence of oyster scale on the gooseberries. 1994 18 623 Willow oyster scale.., Lepidosaphes salicina Borchsenius.., is an important pest of willows and poplars in northern China. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Asiphonida > family Pectinidae > genus Pecten > member of 1552 R. Huloet Oyster scalph, ostrifer. 1803 R. Sibbald (new ed.) ii. ii. 93 (note) Around this little island..there are several oyster scalps. 1862 Oct. 503 There used to be great battles between the men of Newhaven and the men of Fisherrow, principally about their rights to certain oyster-scalps. 1883 in (1893) 1010 The appropriation of $200, for spreading oyster seed in Port Jefferson Bay. 1997 Mar. 23/1 (caption) Darnley Basin oyster grower Greg Hebert examines oyster seed attached to a Chinese hat collector. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > table > [noun] > other tables 1559 in E. Roberts & K. Parker (1992) I. 161 An Oyster table, xvj d. 1610 Althorp MS in J. N. Simpkinson (1860) App. p. ii The Parlor. Impr. ij tables—a cup~bard..a round oyster table. 1827 T. F. Hunt 32 ‘His oyster-table stood at the lower end of the room’ ie of the great hall. 1882 27 Aug. 5/7 Another fish, useless as food, the oyster toad, is represented by one specimen in each tank. 1961 65 402 Oyster toadfish. Collected from July to September. 2002 (Nexis) 10 Feb. c1 Some marine animals, such as the bottom-dwelling oyster toadfish, make different sounds. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > other fishing equipment > [noun] > oyster-tongs 1716 in (1894) VI. 161 To Iron Teeth for Oyster Tongs and Carpenters Adds 00–05–00. 1835 J. J. Audubon III. 608 My host carried with him..a pair of oyster-tongs. 1994 8 Mar. 34/5 Members of other local families have donated or loaned other prime examples of artifacts of the bayman's life, including..oyster tongs, clam rakes and more than 4,000 photographs. 1582 R. Madox Diary 21 Aug. in E. S. Donno (1976) 171 The shore is wonderfully defensed with great oyster trees. 1672 W. Hughes 98 This Tree is [in Jamaica] most familiarly called the Mangrove-Tree, or by some the Oyster-Tree. 1700 R. Wodrow Let. 13 Aug. in (1937) 104 [Queries:] If (as Bloom relates) there be in Guiney a trea called the oyster trea that bear oysters 3 times a year. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > inlaying, etc., in wood > [noun] > veneering > material > specific type of material 1909 G. O. Wheeler (ed. 2) iii. 115 Sections of small walnut branches were built in veneers,..resembling..oyster-shells, and..this particular work has come to be classed as ‘oyster veneer’. 2001 (Nexis) 27 May h1 The..Tompion clock is elegantly housed in a case that is finished in an oyster veneer and embellished with geometric and floral inlaid designs. 1914 H. D. Eberlein & A. McClure 86 When the cabinets were ‘oyster’ veneered, inlaid with marqueterie or lacquered. 2000 (Nexis) 16 Feb. 10 The front of the walnut case is richly inlaid with marquetry and the sides have oyster-veneered panels. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > inlaying, etc., in wood > [noun] > veneering > material > specific type of material 1916 E. W. Gregory vi. 91 The well-known ‘oyster’ veneering is also typical of the style. society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood of specific trees > [noun] > walnut > types of 1917 5 Mar. 14/6 An old wall mirror in oyster walnut frame. 1944 C. W. Drepperd 241/2 Oyster Walnut, the burl in walnut having oyster shapes and forms in it and obvious when cut on the bias. A fine veneer pattern. 1989 339/1 A William and Mary oyster walnut veneered lacemaker's box, with brass escutcheon. society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of provisions > seller of fish or seafood > woman 1597 W. Shakespeare i. iv. 30 Off goes his bonnet to an oysterwench . View more context for this quotation 1640 R. Chamberlain i. i The noyse of an Oyster wench wu'd not be halfe so divelish. 1704 iii. 21 Rag-gatherers, Cynderwomen, and Oyster Wenches wou'd disclaim her Acquaintance. 1976 K. Tynan 21 Jan. (2001) 300 This isn't the eighteenth century of ogling oyster wenches and sexy young rapscallions and bottom-pinching squires. 1596 T. Nashe sig. Xv Chute that was the bawlingest of them all, & that bobd me with nothing but Rhenish furie, Stilliard clyme, oyster whore phrase, claret spirit, and ale-house passions. 1706 E. Ward I. v. 4 I glanc'd an Eye at ev'ry Body,..Oyster-Whores fighting, School-Boys scrambling, Street Porters running, Rascals batt'ling. society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of provisions > seller of fish or seafood > woman 1550 J. Heywood lxvii. sig. Ciiv On whom gape thine oysters so wyde, oysterwife? 1691 R. Ames viii. 4 At the Mermaid we found Six fat Oyster-wives sitting, Who over cool Quarterns were smoaking and spitting. 1811 T. Pringle iii. 39 As Oyster Wives, disburden'd of their load, Chant merrily along their home-ward road. 2001 (Nexis) 9 June a5 There were oyster wenches, oyster wives, who simply sold oysters. society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > seller of provisions > seller of fish or seafood > woman 1597 J. Gerard iii. 1377 The poore Oisterwomen which carrie Oisters to sell vp and down. 1663 S. Butler i. ii. 113 The Oyster-women lock'd their fish up, And trudg'd away, to cry No Bishop. 1783 Mar. 114 The Pun which we have expunged, was not decent for the perusal of an oyster-woman at Billingsgate. 1999 (Nexis) 6 Nov. 52 We glided past oyster women in wooden canoes collecting the shellfish from the roots of the mangroves. Derivatives the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [adjective] > of or relating to oyster 1838 53 545 We are now approaching the paradise of the oysterian Adam and Eve..the locality of the first fossil occurrence of the ostrea leviuscula. 1793 R. Southey Let. 14 Dec. in C. C. Southey (1849) I. 196 Poor Southey will either be cooked for a Cherokee, or oysterised by a tiger. the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > [adjective] society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > [adjective] > retiring or withdrawn the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [adjective] > of or relating to oyster > of the nature of or resembling 1665 J. Crowne 10 They Cough and spit out such Phlegmatick conceipts; which oyster-like dotes, they will (in despite of any) fancy to enshrine the richest Pearls. 1784 R. Bage I. 229 How I acquired any oyster-like disposition..I know no more than a coach-horse. 1835 C. Dickens (1836) 2nd Ser. 202 The lady..retired, in oyster-like bashfulness, to the very back of the counter. 1937 16 Feb. 19/6 I have never known Mr. Rinder so definitely oyster-like as when I tackled him yesterday on the line he proposed to take in the broadcast. 1975 13 Sept. 1320/4 Its [sc. salsify's] stale fish flavour, described as oyster-like. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online June 2022). oysterv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: oyster n. Originally and chiefly North American. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing for type of fish > fish for type of fish [verb (intransitive)] > for shellfish 1767 in (1880) I. 186 To grant liberty to the inhabitants of the town..to fish, oyster or clam anywhere within the bounds of the premises. 1840 18 Apr. 112/3 The large oyster taken by Xavier Francois, while oystering on Monday last, was brought up from the wharf. 1896 13 Feb. 3/3 Being near the Gulf some would oyster and fish. 1938 (Amer. Guide Ser.) 168 In many instances..boats are oystering at one season and shrimping at another. 1990 T. C. Boyle i. 39 He raised hogs, fished and crabbed and shrimped and oystered. 2. to oyster up. the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating specific substances or food > eat specific substances or food [verb (intransitive)] > eat oysters 1861 T. Winthrop xiv. 156 Boys, I've got a sick man to oyster up. the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > be silent/refrain from speaking [verb (intransitive)] > stop speaking 1973 R. Parkes xii. 225 Once they got him down the station he oystered up proper. Not another word. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  n.adj.eOE v.1767 |
