choke-children

English

Choke-children

Alternative forms

• chuck-children

Etymology

From choke +‎ children. The fish is noted for its boniness, which could prove a choking-hazard to children. May be related to folklore surrounding the Cornish saint St. Leven.

Noun

choke-children

1. (obsolete) A fish, the allis shad (Alosa alosa) or rock herring.
2. (obsolete) A fish, the common bream (Abramis brama).

References

• Wright, Joseph (1898) The English Dialect Dictionary‎^[1], volume 1, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 593: "Choke-children, the fish Alosa vulgaris, allis-shad, so called from its bony nature;"
• Jago, Frederick William Pearce (1882) The Ancient Language and the Dialect of Cornwall‎^[2], page 132
• Hunt, Robert, editor (1865), “Legends of St Leven”, in Popular Romances of the West of England‎^[3], volume 2, page 12