Forms: 1, 4– crib; also 1, 5–6 cryb, 3–7 cribbe, 4 kribbe, 4–5 crybe, 4–6 crybbe, 5 crebe, 7 cribb, krib(b, (crub). [A common WGer. sb.: OE. crib(b) fem. = OFris. cribbe, OS. kribbja (MDu. cribbe, Du. krib, kribbe), OHG. chrippa (MHG. and mod.G. krippe). Supposed to be etymologically related to MHG. krebe masc. basket, which may again stand in ablaut relation to korb, CORF: see Kluge, Franck.]
1. A barred receptacle for fodder used in cow-sheds and fold-yards; also in fields, for beasts lying out during the winter; a CRATCH. (In nearly all early quots. applied to the manger in which the infant Christ was laid; cf. CRATCH sb.)
a. 1000. Crist, 1426 (Gr.). Ic læʓ cildʓeong on crybbe.
c. 1200. Ormin, 3711. Te Laferrd Jesu Crist Wass leȝȝd inn asse cribbe.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 11253 (Cott.). In a crib he sal be funden.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 5200. Born … and layd … In a cribbe, bytwen an ox and an asse.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 97. Þe oxe knowiþ his weldar, and þe as þe crib of his lord.
1535. Coverdale, Job xxxix. 9. Wyll the vnicorne be so tame as … to abyde still by thy cribbe?
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., III. (1586), 142 b. Serpents, that many tymes lie hid under their [sheep’s] Cribbes.
1602. Shaks., Ham., V. ii. 87. Let a Beast be Lord of Beasts, and his Crib shall stand at the Kings Messe.
1712. Pope, Messiah, 79. The steer and lion at one crib shall meet.
1847. Marryat, Childr. N. Forest, v. The animal could move about a little and eat out of her crib.
1884. West Sussex Gaz., 25 Sept. Advt., Circular iron and oak bullock cribs.
b. R. C. Ch. A representation of the manger in which the infant Christ was laid, erected in churches.
1885. Catholic Dict., s.v., The present custom of erecting a crib in the churches at Christmas time … began during the thirteenth century.
c. Astron. The star-cluster Præsepe in Cancer.
1551. Recorde, Cast. Knowl. (1556), 266. Cancer containing 8 stars, beside a cloudy tract which is named ye Manger or Crybbe.
a. 1718. R. Cumberland, Orig. Gentium Antiq. (1724), 93. The constellation Cancer, in which the Aselli and their crib is plac’d.
2. ‘The stall or cabin of an ox’ (J.).
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter 512. Nete sall noght be in kribbis.
1611. Bible, Prov. xiv. 4. Where no Oxen are, the crib is cleane: but much increase is by the strength of the Oxe.
1841. Lane, Arab. Nts., I. 13. The merchant and his wife went to the bull’s crib, and sat down there; and the driver came, and took out the bull.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 416/2. The calf-house … should be … divided into separate sparred cribs or hutches.
1884. Cheshire Gloss., Crib, a small cote to put young calves in.
3. A small habitation, cabin, hovel; a narrow room; fig. a confined space.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., III. i. 9. Why rather [Sleepe] lyest thou in smoakie Cribs … Then in the perfurm’d Chambers of the Great?
1840. Clough, Amours de Voy., I. 6. The world … Whithersoever we turn, still is the same narrow crib.
1886. Besant, Childr. Gibeon, II. vi. There were no confessional cribs and no candles.
1887. Hall Caine, Deemster, xxviii. 185. Shutting himself in this dusty crib, the Bishop drew from under the bed a glass-covered case.
b. Thieves’ slang. A dwelling-house, shop, public-house, etc. To crack a crib: see CRACK v. 11.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., Crib, a house, sometimes applied to shops.
1838. Dickens, O. Twist, xix. Now, my dear, about that crib at Chertsey.
1844. J. T. Hewlett, Parsons & W., xxii. The grocer’s crib, as he called it.
c. A lock-up; a bridewell. local.
1847–78. in Halliwell.
1879. in Shropshire Word-bk.
4. fig. A ‘berth,’ ‘place,’ situation. slang.
1865. Hatton, Bitter Sweets, vii. It’s a snug crib this.
5. A small rectangular bed for a child, with barred or latticed sides. (Sometimes loosely = cradle.)
1649. Bury Wills (1850), 220. One trundle bedstead and an halfe trundle bedstead, a cribb.
1828. Webster, Crib … 6. A small frame for a child to sleep in.
1832. Ht. Martineau, Weal & Woe, vii. 86. Fergus was kneeling at the foot of the child’s crib.
1857. W. Collins, Dead Secret (1861), 77. Having a nurse to engage and a crib to buy.
† b. transf. Child, baby. Obs. Cf. CRIBBER 1.
1702. Lady Mary Coke, in Cowper MSS. II. 447 (Hist. MSS. Comm.). Your Crib is well, and all are yours. Ibid., 453. Inquire me out a nursery maid, because your crib is weaning.
6. fig. † a. A close-fisted person, one who keeps a tight hold of what he has. Obs.
1622. Mabbe, trans. Aleman’s Guzman d’Alf., I. 251. That his wife be close-fisted, a very Crib.
b. † ? Provender, supply of food. Thieves’ cant. Obs. Cf. CRIBBING 5. Also a miner’s ‘bait’ or provisions.
1641. Brome, Joviall Crew, II. Wks. 1873, III. 388. Here’s Pannum and Lap, and good Poplars of Yarrum To fill up the Crib, and to comfort the Quarron.
1881. Raymond, Mining Gloss., Crib … 3. A miner’s luncheon.
1889. Daily News, 4 April, 4/8. In the pocket of each of the garments was a pasty and a ‘crib’ (apparently a small loaf).
II. † 7. A wickerwork basket, pannier, or the like. In quot. 1648 a bag. Obs.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), IV. 353. Þey putte hym in a litel cribbe i-schape as a litel bote. Ibid. (1398), Barth. De P. R., XIX. cxxviii. (1495), 934. Fiscella is a lytyll euenlonge crybbe or a panyer woue wyth smale roddes of wylow.
1648. Davenant, Long Vac. in Lond., Wks. (1673), 290.
| Between knees rod, with Canvas Crib, | |
| To girdle Tide, close under Rib; | |
| Where Worms are put, which must small Fish | |
| Betray at Night to Earthern Dish. |
1676. Worlidge, Cyder (1691), 112. You may have a Basket or Crib … and put Straw round it in the inside.
b. The BIN used in hop-picking.
c. 1830. Mrs. Sherwood, in Houlston Tracts, III. lxxii. 10. Come along this way to the crib (that is, the sheet or cloth into which the hop blossoms are cut).
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 385/1. A Load of Glass is two Kribbs; a Krib is 100 or 150 Foot of cut Glass.
9. Salt-making. An apparatus like a hay-rack in which the salt is placed to drain after boiling. ? Obs.
c. 1682. J. Collins, Making of Salt, 54. The Liquor that Dreynes from the Salt in the Cribs is a sort of Bittern.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., Crib in the English Salt Works…. These cribs are like hay-racks, wide at the top, and tapering to a narrow bottom, with wooden ribs … placed so close, that the salt cannot easily fall through them.
10. A wickerwork contrivance for catching salmon; a CRUIVE.
1873. Act 36–7 Vict., c. 71 Sched. III. License Duties … For each … weir … box, crib, or cruive. Ibid., § 17. Any legal fishing mill dam not having a crib, box, or cruive.
11. A framework of bars or spars for strengthening, support, etc.; see quots. Cf. CRADLE sb. 6.
1693. Phil. Trans., XVII. 895. Preserving the Banks of Rivers, by building Wings or Cribs to break the force of the Water.
1708. S. Molyneux, Ibid. XXVI. 38. A large Tub … of Wood inclosed with a Crib made of Brick and Lime.
1883. F. M. Crawford, Mr. Isaacs, iii. 49. As the crib holds the ship in her place while she is building.
12. Mining. A framework of timber, etc., lining a shaft, to prevent the earth from caving in, or water from trickling through.
1839. Ann. Reg., 41. It was necessary to construct what is termed a crib; that is a cylinder corresponding to the dimensions of the shaft.
1851. Greenwell, Coal-trade Terms Northumb. & Durh., 19. Common cribs are circles of wood, usually oak, from 4 to 6 inches square, and are used to support the sides of a pit when the stone is bad.
1881. Pop. Sc. Monthly, XIX. 28. A shaft or crib is sunk … to prevent the sides from caving in.
13. A rectangular frame of logs or beams strongly fastened together and secured under water to form a pier, dam, etc.; sometimes including the superstructure raised upon it. (Canada & U.S.)
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Crib.… 6. A structure of logs to be anchored with stones. Cribs are used for bridge-piers, ice-breakers, dams, etc.
1881. Proc. Inst. Civ. Engineers, LXIII. 268. (Cribwork in Canada) Cribs are merely open or close boxes, made of timbers strongly framed together.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 10 Oct., 7/2. Fourteen men were employed at a crib in the lake at the outer end of the tunnel.
14. A small raft of boards or staves to be floated down a small stream, a number of which are made up into a large raft. (Canada & U.S.)
1813. W. Johnson, Reports, X. Light cribs of boards would float over the dam in safety.
1880. Lumberman’s Gaz., 28 Jan. When the streams get wide enough the ‘sticks’ are made into ‘cribs,’ and these, again, are made up into ‘rafts.’… Cribs are formed of about 20 sticks of timber fastened between two logs called ‘floats.’
15. A bin or place with sparred or slatted sides for storing Indian corn (= CORN-CRIB b); also for salt and other commodities. U.S.
1823. J. D. Hunter, Mem. Captivity N. Amer., 258. The corn [is preserved] in cribs, constructed of small poles and bark of trees.
1828. Webster, Crib … 5. A small building, raised on posts, for storing Indian corn. Ibid. (1864). 4. A box or bin for storing grain, salt, etc.
III. 16. Cards. The set of cards made up of two (or one) thrown out from each player’s hand, and given to the dealer, in the game of cribbage.
b. Also, short for CRIBBAGE. (colloq.)
1680. Cotton, Compl. Gamester (ed. 2), viii. 78. Sometimes it so happens that he is both bilkt in hand and crib.
1870. Hardy & Ware, Mod. Hoyle, 79. (Cribbage) The players … each throw out two [cards] for the crib, face downwards…. The four cards constituting ‘crib’ belong to the dealer. Ibid., 80. Having counted his hand, the dealer proceeds in like manner to count his crib.
1885. Standard, 3 April, 2/6. He had played … at ‘whist’ and ‘crib,’ but not for ‘dry money.’
IV. Senses from CRIB v.
17. The act of ‘cribbing’; a petty theft. (See CRIB v. 7.) rare.
1855. Browning, Fra Lippo Lippi, 148. To confess Their cribs of barrel-droppings, candle-ends.
18. Something ‘cribbed’ or taken without acknowledgement, as a passage from an author; a plagiarism. (colloq.)
1834. Medwin, Angler in Wales, I. 207. That’s a crib from Waller, I declare.
1876. A. M. Fairbairn, in Contemp. Rev., June, 130. It was a crib from himself.
19. A translation of a classic or other work in a foreign language, for the illegitimate use of students. (colloq.)
1828. Lytton, Pelham, I. ii. 11. I could read Greek fluently, and even translate it through the medium of the Latin version technically called a crib.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxf., xxxix. (1889), 375. Schoolboys caught by their master using a crib.
V. 20. attrib. and Comb., as crib timber-work (see sense 13); crib-biter, a horse addicted to crib-biting; also fig.; crib-biting, the vice or morbid habit of seizing the manger (or other object) with the teeth and at the same time noisily drawing in the breath (wind-sucking); crib-strap (see quot.); cribwork, work consisting or formed of cribs (sense 13); also attrib.
1809. Sporting Mag., XXXIV. 190. A bay horse … found to be a *crib-biter.
1832. Marryat, N. Forster, III. iii. 39. I have lately used iron pens, for I ’m a devil of a crib-biter.
1831. Ann. Reg., 25. Horses had the habit of *crib-biting in very different degrees.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Crib-strap (Menage.) A neck-throttler for crib-biting and wind-sucking horses.
1884. J. G. Pyle, in Harper’s Mag., Sept., 621/2. Sluices … are constructed through a mass of *crib timber-work.
1873. Robertson, Engin. Notes, 56. *Cribwork … consists of logs notched on to each other in layers at right angles.
1881. Proc. Inst. Civ. Engineers, LXIII. 271. A cribwork pier is easily ripped up and removed by an ordinary spoon dredge.
