subs. (anglers’).—A fishing-line with hooks and shot at regular intervals. [As beads on a rosary.]
1849. C. KINGSLEY, Yeast, iii. Here’s that PATERNOSTER as you gave me to rig up.
DEVIL’S PATERNOSTER, subs. phr. (old).—A muttering or grumbling; a profane expletive.
1383. CHAUCER, The Canterbury Tales (1856), 540, ‘The Persones Tale.’ Grutche and murmure prively for veray despit; which wordes they call THE DIVELS PATER NOSTER, though so be that the divel had never Pater noster but that lewed folke yeven it swiche a name.
1614. Terence in English [NARES]. What DEVILLS PATERNOSTER is this he is saying?
APE’S PATERNOSTER. See APE.
IN A PATERNOSTER WHILE, phr. (old).—Quickly; in a JIFFEY (q.v.). [While one could say a paternoster.]
1362. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman, 3169. He pissed a potel · IN A PATER-NOSTER WHILE.
1422–1509. Paston Letters, i. 74. All … don … in a PATERNOSTER WYLE.
1597. W. LANGHAM, The Garden of Health [SMYTHE-PALMER]. [A direction to boil onions] WHILE one may say three PATERNOSTERS.
16[?]. A. FARINDON, Sermons [JACKSON, iv. 241]. Indeed, there is nothing sooner said, we may do it in a PATER-NOSTER-WHILE.
