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definitions

hough

[hok; Scot. hokh]
noun
  1. Scot. hock1(defs 1, 2).
verb (used with object)
  1. Scot. to hamstring.
verb (used without object)
  1. British Dialect Obsolete. to clear the throat; hack.

Origin of hough

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at hock1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for houghed

Historical Examples of houghed

  • These were smugglers' horses, clipped to the skin, with houghed manes, and tails and bodies sleek with soft soap.

    The Adventures of Harry Revel

    Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

  • Wasn't my grandfather a Tory hunter, who houghed and hanged more bloody Papishes—'

  • Joshua had houghed the horses of the Canaanites, and burned their chariots at Misrephoth-maim.

  • At one signal the horses were to be houghed with these instruments, and the infantry attacked with poniards.

    Letters from Spain

    Joseph Blanco White

  • The Etonians, in order to secure the ram, houghed him in the Irish fashion, and then attacked him with great clubs.

    The Parent's Assistant

    Maria Edgeworth

British Dictionary definitions for houghed

hough

noun
  1. another word for hock 1
  2. (hɒx) in Scotland, a cut of meat corresponding to shin
verb (tr)
  1. to hamstring (cattle, horses, etc)

Word Origin for hough

C14: from Old English hōh heel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012