or tyke, subs. (old).—1. A dog: spec. a cur (a dog with a docked tail: see CURTAIL); a mongrel. Hence (2) = a clodhopper, a churl, a mean snarling rascal: spec. a YORKSHIREMAN (q.v.).—(GROSE).
1363. LANGLAND, Piers Plowman, 13,026.
| The Iuwes, þat weren gentel-men · now aren þei lowe cheorles … | |
| But vnder tribut and taillage · as TYKES and cherles. |
1440. MS. Morte Arthure, f. 91. ȝone heythene TYKES.
1548. W. PATTEN, The Expedition into Scotland [ARBER, English Garner, iii. 114]. [Loon and] TYKE [are favourite words of abuse].
[?]. Gyre-Carling [LAING, Early Popular Poetry of Scotland ii. 20]. Wt all the TYKIS of Tervey come to thame that tyd.
1586–1606. WARNER, Albion’s England, II. x.
| Battus Medea like, | |
| Did worke no lesse a cuer vpon this vaine vnwieldie TYKE. |
1593. PEELE, Edward the First. Sacrifice this TYKE in her sight … dip his foul shirt in his blood.
1599. SHAKESPEARE, Henry V., ii. 1. Base TIKE, calls thou me host? Ibid. (1605), King Lear, iii. 6. Bob-tail TIKE or trundle-tail.
1625. JONSON, The Staple of News, v. 2.
| You are a dissembling TYKE, | |
| To your hole again. |
1676. COTTON, Scarronides, or, Virgil Travestie (1770), 81.
| TYKES too they had of all sorts, bandogs, | |
| Curs, spaniels, water-dogs, and land-dogs. |
d. 1697. AUBREY, MS. Royal Soc., 11. The indigenes of Yorkshire are strong, tall, and long legg’d; them call’em opprobriously long-legd TYKES.
1772. BRIDGES, A Burlesque Translation of Homer, 2.
| At first approach he made a bow, | |
| Such as your Yorkshire TIKES make now. | |
| Ibid., 151. | |
| A queer old TIKE, and full of jaw. |
1795. BURNS, The Dumfries Volunteers.
| Oh, let us not, like snarling TYKES, | |
| In wrangling be divided. |
1821. P. EGAN, Life in London, I. ii. Hundreds of individuals … feel as much interest in matching their TYKES at Jem Rolfe’s amphitheatre for a QUID or two.
1823. Song [BEE, Dictionary of the Turf, etc., s.v. HEN].
| A TYKE and fighting cock; | |
| A saucy, tip-slang, moon-eyed, hen. |
1887. J. W. HORSLEY, Jottings from Jail, i. When I opened a door there was a great TYKE lying in front of the door, so I pulled out a piece of pudding (liver prepared to silence dogs) and threw it to him, but he did not move.
1897. MARSHALL, Pomes, 60. And yet you seem out on the mike…. For a wonder you’re minus your TYKE.
1901. W. S. WALKER, In the Blood, 113. An just tip a bait to the blooming TYKES.
