fitchew

British  

/ ˈfɪtʃuː /

noun

1. an archaic name for polecat

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Etymology

Origin of fitchew

C14 ficheux , from Old French ficheau , from Middle Dutch vitsau , of obscure origin

Example Sentences

The fitchew nor the soiled horse goes to't With a more riotous appetite.

From Project Gutenberg

The polecat survives as Fitch, Fitchett, and Fitchew— "Fissau, a filch, or fulmart."

From Project Gutenberg

Behold yon simpering dame, Whose face between her forks presageth snow; That minceth virtue, and does shake the head To hear of pleasure's name; The fitchew, nor the soiled horse, goes to it With more riotous appetite.

From Project Gutenberg

Often, of course, and especially in the talk of Edgar as the Bedlam, they have no symbolical meaning; but not seldom, even in his talk, they are expressly referred to for their typical qualities—'hog in sloth, fox in stealth, wolf in greediness, dog in madness, lion in prey,' 'The fitchew nor the soiled horse goes to't With a more riotous appetite.'

From Project Gutenberg

An old parson always maintained that the name was originally Fitz-Hugh, but this particular representative of the family was certainly not a Fitz-Hugh but a Fitchew, save that he was as independent as a baron, and, notwithstanding his poverty, cared little or nothing what people thought about him.

From Project Gutenberg