[f. FORK v. + -ER1.]

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  † 1.  = FORK sb. 2; perh. mispr. for FORKET. Obs.

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a. 1603.  T. Cartwright, Confut. Rhem. N. T. (1618), 416. It appeareth that in times past, men would not take the sacrament with their bare hands, but with an instrument of siluer or gould, as the Italians now take their meate with a forker.

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  2.  One who forks: a. One who throws up (hay, etc.) with a fork. b. slang. (See quot. 1867).

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1641.  H. Best, Rural Economy in Yorkshire in 1641 (Surtees), 35. One of the men is a loader, the other a forker, and the woman to rake after the waine.

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1867.  Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Forkers, those who reside in seaports for the sake of stealing dockyard stores, or buying them, knowing them to be stolen.

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  † 3.  Something forked: a. A forked tongue, a ‘sting.’ b. A forked arrow, a fork-head. Obs.

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1589.  Nashe, Martins Months Minde, To the Reader, Wks. (Grosart), I. 155. His arrowes all are forkers, and made for mischiefe.

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1616.  J. Lane, Cont. Sqr’s. T., ix. 387.

          Wheare seemd a longe speckd snake, his postern drewe
and wrigled, her to slinge with forker blewe.

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c. 1640.  J. Smyth, Lives Berkeleys (1883), I. 205. James Harvey an vnderkeeper in new parke, who with a forker out of his Crosbowe slewe one Oliffe.

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  † 4.  slang. To wear a forker: to be ‘cornuted.’

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1606.  Marston, Parasitaster, II. i. Her. Why? my lord, tis nothing to weare a forker.

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  6.  (‘In Suffolk, an unpaired patridge.’ F. Hall.)

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1657.  R. Ligon, Barbadoes (1673), 4. They know they are in Chase of the flying fish; and being near them, they rise like Coveys of Partridges by 12 and 16 in a Covey, and flye as far as young Partridges, that are forkers, and in their flight these birds make them their quarry.

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