choke-children
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom choke + children. The fish is noted for its boniness, which could prove a choking-hazard to children. May be related to folklore surrounding the Cornish saint St. Leven.
Noun
edit- (obsolete) A fish, the allis shad (Alosa alosa) or rock herring.
- (obsolete) A fish, the common bream (Abramis brama).
References
edit- Wright, Joseph (1898) The English Dialect Dictionary[1], volume 1, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 593: "Choke-children, the fish Alosa vulgaris, allis-shad, so called from its bony nature;"
- Jago, Frederick William Pearce (1882) The Ancient Language and the Dialect of Cornwall[2], page 132
- Hunt, Robert, editor (1865), “Legends of St Leven”, in Popular Romances of the West of England[3], volume 2, page 12