Shrove Tuesday
Also 5 chrofte-, 5–6 shrof-, 6 shroff-, shroft-, shraf-.
[See prec.]
The Tuesday immediately preceding Ash Wednesday; often called pancake day.
| a 1500 Gough Chron. in Six Town Chron. (1911) 159 On Chroftetewesday the Erle of Warwikk come from Caleis w{supt} a faire felloshipp. 1599 Nashe Lenten Stuffe E 4 They would..stand crosse-gag'd with knives in their mouthes from one Shroft-tuisday to another. 1620 J. Taylor (Water P.) Wks. (1630) i. 115/2 By the vnmanerly maners of Shroue-Tuesday Constables are baffled, Bawds are bang'd, Punckes are pillag'd. c 1640 [Shirley] Capt. Underwit iv. ii. in Bullen O. Pl. (1883) II. 381 Tis Shrovetuesday and the prentices are pulling downe Covent Garden. 1764 Oxf. Sausage 22 Let glad Shrove-Tuesday bring the Pancake thin. 1817 Byron Beppo i, Some weeks before Shrove Tuesday comes about, The people take their fill of recreation. 1911 MacCulloch Relig. Anc. Celts xiv, A cock or hen was ceremonially killed and eaten on Shrove Tuesday. |
b. allusively. A time of merriment.
| 1609 B. Jonson Silent Wom. iii. i, Neuer a time, that the..collegiates come to the house, but you make it a shroue⁓tuesday! 1621 J. Taylor (Water P.) Praise Beggery D 2, May euery day of the yeare be a Shrouetuesday. |
c. attrib., as Shrove Tuesday night, Shrove Tuesday pancake; † Shrove Tuesday cock = Shrovetide cock.
| 1615 T. Herbert News Islington (Halliw. 1848) 21 As flat as a Shrove-Tuesday pancake. a 1625 Fletcher Nice Valour iii. iii, Never was Shrove-tuesday Bird So cudgell'd. 1634 T. Carew (title) Coelum Britannicum. A masque..on Shrove-Tuesday night. 1697 R. Pierce Bath Mem. Pref. 6 [He] does..set up a Shrove-Tuesday Cock, for every one to throw at. 1848 Whately Let. in Life (1866) II. 135, I should reply, I will not set up any proposal like a Shroue-Tuesday cock for you to pelt at. |