▪ I. crupper, n.
(ˈkrʌpə(r))
Forms: 4 cropere, -ore, -our, -ier, 4–5 -ure, 4–6 croper, 5 croppere, croupere, cruppure, cruper, 5–8 crouper, crowper, 6 cropar, 6–7 cropper, crooper, 7 croaper, (crupyard), 6– crupper.
[a. OF. cropiere (Anglo-Fr. cropere), mod.F. croupière = Pr. cropiera, Sp. gropera, It. groppiera (Rom. type *groppāria, -eria), f. med.L. and It. groppa, Pr. cropa, OF. crope, crupe, mod. croupe: see croup.]
1. A leathern strap buckled to the back of the saddle and passing under the horse's tail, to prevent the saddle from slipping forwards.
| c 1300 K. Alis. 3421 Mony trappe, mony croper, Mony queyntise on armes clere. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vii. xvi, The paytrellys sursenglys and crowpers braste. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §105 Hurte with a saddle, or with a buckle of a croper. 1672 Marvell Reh. Transp. i. 14 The Preface might have past as well for a Postscript, or the Headstall for a Crooper. 1779 Sheridan Critic ii. ii, His accoutrements, from the bit to the crupper. 1876 World V. 14 Tight reins, tight cruppers, tight curbs..are the refuges of incompetence. |
2. transf. The hind-quarters or rump of a horse; the croup.
| [c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T 13 A Male twey⁓foold vpon his croper.] 1591 J. Harington Orl. Fur. xlvi. c. (R.), And both gaue strokes so sound, As made both horses cruppers kisse the ground. 1598 Florio, Langio, a disease in a horse about the crupper [1611 in a horses crupper]. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 29 They must have taken them up behind them on their horse croppers. 1797 Sporting Mag. X. 295 The Crupper, which is round, and reaches from the kidneys to the tail. 1852 Th. Ross Humboldt's Trav. I. viii. 283 The mules lowered their cruppers and slid down the steepest slopes. |
† b. The rear (of a horse).
on the crupper: in the rear, close behind (one's horse).
Obs.| 1627 Lisander & Cal. vi. 98 Cloridon..desirous to get the crupper of his enemie's horse, turned his own speedily. 1721 De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 65 The king follows them on the crupper with thirteen troops of horse. |
3. The buttocks (of a man). Usually
humorous.
| 1594 Nashe Unfort. Trav. 71 A close-bellied dublet comming downe..as farre as the crupper. 1630 B. Jonson New Inn iii. i, He cuts me a back caper with his heels, and takes me just o' the crupper. 1664 Cotton Scarron. 104 There as she sate upon her crupper. 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg., Ingol. Penance, The Knight on his crupper Received the first taste of the Father's flagellum. |
† b. A hind-quarter, haunch (as a joint of meat).
Obs.| 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Mutton, Take a Crupper of..Mutton. Ibid. s.v. Veal, A Quarter or Crupper of Veal. |
4. Naut. a. = crupper-chain: see 5.
b. (See
quot. 1867.)
| c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 74 The heel of the jib-boom has..a notch for the crupper. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Crupper, the train tackle ring-bolt in a gun⁓carriage. |
5. Comb., as
† crupper-bone,
crupper-compliment,
crupper-evil;
crupper-cramped,
crupper-galled adjs.;
crupper-chain,
Naut. (see
quot. 1882);
† crupper-clout, a clout or cloth to cover the posteriors;
crupper-dock,
-loop, that part of the crupper which passes under the horse's tail.
| a 1652 Brome Queen & Conc. iii. iv, My Back and *Crupper-bone is out of joynt. 1882 Syd. Soc. Lex., Crupper bone, the coccyx. |
| 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 13 *Crupper chain, a chain passed round the bowsprit and the heel of jib-boom to secure the latter down in its saddle. |
| 1647 Stapylton Juvenal xiv. 665 [He] puts about His naked middle a cold *crupper-clout. |
| 1630 B. Jonson New Inn iii. i, I love no *crupper-compliments. [He had just received a kick on the posteriors.] |
| 1641 Brome Jov. Crew iii. Wks. 1873 III. 395, I am..so *crupper-crampt with our hard lodging. |
| 1794 W. Felton Carriages (1801) II. 133 The *Crupper-dock is mostly stuffed with a tallow candle to make it easy for the horse's tail. |
| 1611 Cotgr., Le mal de cropion, the Rumpe-euill or *Crupper-euill. |
| 1689 Lond. Gaz. No. 2486/4 A dark-brown Horse..*Crupper-galled. |
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. s.v. Crupper, The rounded portion EB is the *crupper-loop. |
▪ II. ˈcrupper, v. [f. prec. n.] trans. To furnish with a crupper, put a crupper upon.
| 1787 ‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsemen (1809) 33 Sent on a Sunday into Hyde Park, crupper'd up as tight as need be. 1803 Sporting Mag. XXI. 219 So caparisoned, bitted..and cruppered. |