coshery Ireland.
(ˈkɒʃərɪ)
Also 6 cosshirh, cossherie, cashery, 7 coshary.
[f. Irish coisir (kɔːʃər) feast, feasting.
The ending appears to be assimilated to Eng. ns. in -ery; the direct repr. of the Irish word would be cosher: cf. Houlston Tracts II. xxxviii. 10 A portion of the dough..is cleverly hid [by the servants], for what the Irish call a cosher, after the family are in bed.]
1. gen. Feasting. rare.
| 1583 Stanyhurst Aeneis i. (Arb.) 40 On palet of scarlet they were for cossherye setled. |
2. spec. Entertainment for themselves and their followers exacted by Irish chiefs from their dependants.
| 1586 J. Hooker Girald. Irel. in Holinshed II. 23/2 No lords..shall extort or take anie coine and liverie, cosheries, nor cuddies, nor anie other like custome..in or upon anie of the church lands and territories. 1596 Spenser State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 623/2 But now by this Statute the sayd Irish Lord is wronged, for that he is cutt of from his customarye services, as Cuddeehih, Cosshirh [v.r. Cossherie], Bonaught, Shragh, Sorehim, and such like. 1600 J. Dymmok Ireland (1843) 9 Cashery is certeine feastes which the lorde vseth to take of his tenants after Easter, Christmas, Whitsontyde, Michaelmas and all other tymes at his pleasure. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. ii. 141 This chiefe Lord had his Cosharies upon his tenants, that is he and his would lie upon them until they had eate up all their provisions. 1827 Hallam Const. Hist. (1876) III. xviii. 348 Coshery..is somewhat analogous to the royal prerogative of purveyance. 1870 Athenæum 22 Oct. 523 Among these exactions ‘coshery’ figures as the most oppressive and most hateful. |