Obs. Also 7 cramb. [a. L. crambē, a. Gr. κράμβη a kind of cabbage.]
1. Cabbage: only fig., and usually in reference to the Latin phrase crambe repetīta cabbage repeated, renewed, or served up again, applied by Juvenal (VII. 154 Occidit miseros crambe repetita magistros) to any distasteful repetition. So in med.L. crambe bis cocta, bis posita, cabbage twice sodden, twice served up.
1565. Calfhill, Answ. Treat. Crosse (1846), 320 (D.). I marvel that you, so fine a feeder, will fall to your crambe.
1600. Abp. Abbot, Exp. Jonah, 301. This never cometh, but for want of other matter, being a crambe, oftentimes sodde.
1660. Gauden, Antisacrilegus, 17. That Boanerges … hath so oft … killed the world with the poysonous cramb of his Paradoxes.
1711. G. Cary, Phys. Phylactic, 329. It is nauseous to the strongest Stomach to have the Crambe bisconcocted so often drest up.
a. 1713. Ellwood, Life (1765), 289. It was indeed a Hash of ill-cooked Crambe.
2. Hence, (Distasteful) repetition.
1611. W. Sclater, Key (1629), 330. That Crambe, Zach. 9. 11, [etc.].
1638. Chillingw., Relig. Prot., I. vii. § 18. 397. You obtrude upon us this Crambe no fewer then seven times.
1641. Milton, Animadv., ii. Can we not understand an order … of praying, reading, expounding, and administring, unless our Prayers be still the same Crambe of words?
1721. Bailey, Crambe, a Repetition of Words, or saying the same Thing over again.
1757. J. Byrom, Poems, Rem. Pamphlet, 36. Forbid the Gallic Namby Pamby Here to repeat its crazy crambe.
3. = CRAMBO 1 b, 3.
1616. B. Jonson, Devil an Ass, V. v. F. Joule, owle, foule, troule, boule. P. Crambe, another of the Diuells games! Ibid. (1630), New Inn, I. iii. Where every Iouial Tinker, for his chinke, May cry, mine host, to crambe! giue vs drinke; And doe not slinke, but skinke, or else you stinke.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), Crambe or Crambo, a Term us’d among School-boys, when in Rhiming, he is to forfeit, who repeats a word that was said before.
1801. Strutt, Sports & Past., IV. iv. 298.
4. attrib. and Comb.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Gard. Cyrus, 72. Nauseating crambe verities, and questions over-queried.
1681. Hickeringill, Vind. Naked Truth, II. 21. A Crambee-Pun and Quibble.
Hence † Crambe v., to play crambo.
1633. B. Jonson, Tale Tub, IV. i. Change my name of Miles To Guile’s, Wile’s, Pile’s, Bile’s, or the foulest name You can devise, to crambe with for ale.
