choke-children

English
An illustration of a fish.
Choke-children

Alternative forms
  • chuck-children

Etymology

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

choke-children

  1. (obsolete) A fish, the allis shad (Alosa alosa) or rock herring.
  2. (obsolete) A fish, the common bream (Abramis brama).

References
  • Wright, Joseph (1898) The English Dialect Dictionary‎, 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, page 132
  • Hunt, Robert, editor (1865), “Legends of St Leven”, in Popular Romances of the West of England‎, volume 2, page 12
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