merrythought

[ mer-ee-thawt ]

nounChiefly British.

the wishbone or furcula of a fowl.

Origin of merrythought

First recorded in 1600–10; so called from the custom of pulling the bone apart until it breaks, the person holding the longer (sometimes shorter) piece supposedly marrying first or being granted a wish at the time

Words Nearby merrythought

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use merrythought in a sentence

Take off the merrythought, the neck-bones, and separate the leg-bones from the legs, and the pinions from the wings.
The American Frugal Housewife | Lydia M. Child
Again, all birds that can fly possess a “merrythought,” or furculum; and such is not found in the Pterodactyl.
Extinct Monsters | H. N. Hutchinson
Bless my drumsticks and merrythought, I shant be so cold and hungry, please God, this time to–morrow night.
Cradock Nowell, Vol. 2 (of 3) | Richard Doddridge Blackmore
I see I am wrong again, the drumstick is in the dish, and the merrythought is in my head, with numerous companions.
Adrift in a Boat | W.H.G. Kingston
Oh dear me, there is but a drumstick and a merrythought left.
Adrift in a Boat | W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for merrythought

merrythought

/ (ˈmɛrɪˌθɔːt) /

noun

British a less common word for wishbone

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

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