Forms: 1 fóðer, 3–4 south. voðer, 4–6 fother, -yr, futher, -ir, (6 fouther, fowther), 5–7 fuder, -yr, fudder, Sc. -ir, 5–9 fodder, (5–6 foder, -yr, 6 fodar, 7 fooder), 6–7 Sc. fidder, 4– fother. [OE. fóðer str. neut = OS. fôthar (MDu. voeder, Du. voer), OHG. fuodar (MHG. vuoder, Ger. fuder):—WGer. *fôþr(o); the continental words mean ‘cartload,’ ‘a certain weight supposed to represent a cartload,’ ‘a certain measure of wine’ (see FOODER, FUDDER). The root is usually believed to be an ablaut variant of faþ- to stretch out: see FATHOM sb.]
1. A load; a cart-load (of hay, turf, wood, etc.). Obs. exc. dial.
O. E. Chron., an. 852 (Laud MS.). He scolde gife ilca ȝear in to þe minstre sixtiȝa foðra wuda & twælf foður græfan & sex foður ȝearda.
c. 1205. Lay., 25762.
| Ban vnimete, | |
| bi atlinge heom þuhte þritti uoðere. |
1375. Barbour, Bruce, X. 198.
| Veill soyn ane fudyr he suld bring | |
| Farer [and] greter and weill mor | |
| Þan eny he broucht þat ȝer befor. |
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 529.
| With him ther was a Plowman, was his brother | |
| That hadde y-lad of dong ful many a fother. |
c. 1450. Life of St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 6007.
| Þe sledd it bare so grete fothir, | |
| Þat nere ilk pynn birst fra othir. |
1469. Plumpton Corr., 21. Your tenant Nichole Bristow hath not gotten but xii foder of hay, and it is nought good.
1490. Acta Dom. Conc., 181. Withhaldin … fourtj fuder of pettis [= peats] of ane yere bipast.
1568. Wowing Jok & Jynny, vii. Fyve fidder of raggis to stuff ane jak.
1569. in Wills & Inv. N. C. (Surtees, 1835), 307. Lxxx fudders of barke xx l.
1774–5. Act 14 Geo. III., in Brand, Newcastle (1789), I. 652. Four fothers of clod lime and fifteen fothers of good manure on each acre thereof the sixth year.
1813. Misc., in Ann. Reg., 507/2. 20 fothers of additional thickness in clay were thrown into the William Pit, in order to insure its being air tight.
1892. Northumbld. Gloss., s.v. ‘A fother of muck, or of lime, &c.’
fig. a. 1225. Ancr. R., 140. Þu hauest imaked uoðer to heui uorte ueðren mide þe soule.
b. transf. A mass; a quantity, ‘lot.’
13[?]. K. Alis., 1809. Darie … makith thretyng ful a fothir. Ibid., 6467. Heore nether lippe is a foul fother.
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, xiii. 490. Vnder hem bothe was there fair fothir.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, X. Prol. 159. I compt not of thir pagane Goddis ane futhir.
1515. Scot. Field, 44.
| There they fell, at the first shotte, | |
| Many a fell fothir. |
1567. Satir. Poems Reform., vi. 52. King, Quene, and Lord, they pas into ane fidder.
c. Used for an enormous quantity, a ‘cart-load’ of gold or money.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1050.
| He hath ymaked such another, | |
| That coste largely of gold a fother. |
14[?]. Partonope, App. 3147.
| Ffor though a man wolde gyfe a fother | |
| Of golde he myght not sell to another. |
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xxvi. 62.
| Out of thair throttis thay schot on vdder | |
| Hett moltin gold, me thocht a fodder. |
1863. Robson, Bards of Tyne, 287, The New Markets.
| Where the brass hez a’ cum frae nebody can tell, | |
| Some says yen things and some says another— | |
| But wheiver lent Grainger’t aw knaw varry well, | |
| That they mun have at least had a fother. |
2. spec. A definite weight of some specified substance. a. Of lead: Now usually 191/2 cwt.
1375–6. [see FOTMAL].
1463. Mann. & Househ. Exp., 154. My mastyre sent to my lorde a fodyr and di. off leede.
1541. Ld. Treas. Acc. Scotl., in Pitcairn, Crim. Trials, I. 310. For þe francht of thre fidder of leid.
1622. Malynes, Anc. Law-Merch., 269. Foure of these Loads will make a Fother of Lead of twentie hundreth.
1747. Hooson, Miner’s Dict., J iv. In both the Peaks the Merchants deal and sell the Lead by Fodders.
1866. Rogers, Agric. & Prices, I. x. 168–9. The charrus contains nearly 191/2 hundreds, that is, it corresponds to the fodder, or fother, of modern times.
b. ellipt. in phr. to fall as a fother (of lead); hence, a crushing blow.
13[?]. Coer de L., 1731.
| For many men weeneth to grieve other, | |
| And on his head falleth the fother. |
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 641. Euery strok þat þou me rauȝt falleþ doun as a foþer.
c. Of coals: (see quot. 1851).
1607. Cowell, Interpr., Fother is a weight of twenty hundred, which is a waine or cartloade.
1765. Lond. Chron., 17 Dec., 582. Several fothers of coals this week have been found short of the standard measure.
1851. Greenwell, Coal-trade Terms Northumb. & Durh., 26. Fother, a measure of coals, being one-third of a chaldron, of 172/3 cwt.; a good single horse cart load.
