Origin of "Crib"
George Ellis
Could anyone please tell me if the word crib (as in meal taken to work) is
part of the Cornish dialect.
In the later part of the 19th century the local newspaper of Bendigo,
Australia, reported that a visitor from Cornwall, commented that at Long
Gully he had heard more broad Cornish (dialect) spoken in one afternoon
than in a whole week at St Just Cornwall.
If the word crowst (croust) was used in those days it did not survive into
the early 20th century as did the dialect at Bendigo.
The word used to describe the miners meal was crib or crib time, indeed it
is still the word used around Australia today in the mining jargon.
Old timers at St Just have told me that as long as they can remember crib
was used there.
Guides at tourist mines suggest that the word originated from the fact that
miners played cribbage at their lunch break, however as the word was in use
before luncheon or for that matter before toilet facilities were provided,
and the miners worked long hours as contractors or tributors etc. for small
returns, it is hard to imagine miners playing cards under those conditions.
If the word had a Cornish origin, I would suggest it could have come from
time miners climed from the muck at the bottom of the mine, and sat on the
crest of material or rocks heaped in the mine and had their lunch, if that
was the case it would have originally been spelt cryb.
jkw...@cableinet.co.uk
I don't know but I have it on good authority that the word 'fossick' is
Cornish, as might be 'Pom' via Breton Pomme
yonderBoY
the word is still in use throughout cornwall, especially in the farming
communities. i've no idea as to its origin
jkw...@cableinet.co.uk
Isn't there a Cribba head [land] in cornwall?
Phillip Treweek
In article <01bd21ab$9f1c5400$0200...@lucas.bssc.edu.au>, "George Ellis"
<ell...@netcon.net.au> wrote:
> Could anyone please tell me if the word crib (as in meal taken to work) is
> part of the Cornish dialect.
> In the later part of the 19th century the local newspaper of Bendigo,
> Australia, reported that a visitor from Cornwall, commented that at Long
> Gully he had heard more broad Cornish (dialect) spoken in one afternoon
> than in a whole week at St Just Cornwall.
My father has always used 'crib' in this context. Our family has been in
New Zealand for a number of generaltions, and my father thought the term
originated in Cornwall.
Phil.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Treweek
Department of Computer Science ph ++64 7 838 4410
The University of Waikato fax ++64 7 838 4155
Private Bag 3105
Hamilton, New Zealand
'Kiwi Aircraft Images':
http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~treweek/aviation.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr T Kent
I had always thought that crib as a standard english word - hadn't
realised it wasn't used outside of Cornwall.
Crib and the word croust have both been used in places I have worked and
amongst our family. I still remember when I was 3 or 4 on my dads
allotment which was be hind Poltair Hospital (now threatened with
closure) my dad had us both sit down to croust.
So some dialect is still used as standard. But my gran has told me in the
past that when she was a girl cornish dialect was used extensively in the
village of Madron. She still knows some dialect words which have now been
forgotten.
Tim.
Leslie Sitek
Dhe Sat, 17 Jan 1998 18:46:32 +1300, tre...@cs.waikato.ac.nz (Phillip
Treweek) a skrifas:
>In article <01bd21ab$9f1c5400$0200...@lucas.bssc.edu.au>, "George Ellis"
><ell...@netcon.net.au> wrote:
>
>> Could anyone please tell me if the word crib (as in meal taken to work) is
>> part of the Cornish dialect.
>> In the later part of the 19th century the local newspaper of Bendigo,
>> Australia, reported that a visitor from Cornwall, commented that at Long
>> Gully he had heard more broad Cornish (dialect) spoken in one afternoon
>> than in a whole week at St Just Cornwall.
>
>My father has always used 'crib' in this context. Our family has been in
>New Zealand for a number of generaltions, and my father thought the term
>originated in Cornwall.
>
Kriba= to spit fragments; dialect "to crib"
krib=conb, crest, reef of rocks (krib chi=ridge of a house
Leslie Sitek
http://home.pi.net/~siteklj/kernow.htm
rmil...@easynet.co.uk
>I had always thought that crib as a standard english word - hadn't
>realised it wasn't used outside of Cornwall.
>Crib and the word croust have both been used in places I have worked and
>amongst our family. I still remember when I was 3 or 4 on my dads
>allotment which was be hind Poltair Hospital (now threatened with
>closure) my dad had us both sit down to croust.
Hey!
My dad also had an allotment there (my mum also worked at Poltair) and
when he was a farm worker (a farm between Drift and Newlyn) all the
farm workers stopped for 'croust', as did I when doing a spell of
spud bashing. I'll try out 'crib' on him to see if he recognises that.
Rob
Martyn Miller
Phillip Treweek wrote in message ...
+AD4-In article +ADw-01bd21ab+ACQ-9f1c5400+ACQ-0200a8c0+AEA-lucas.bssc.edu.au+AD4-, +ACI-George Ellis+ACI-
+AD4APA-ellisg+AEA-netcon.net.au+AD4- wrote:
+AD4-
+AD4APg- Could anyone please tell me if the word crib (as in meal taken to work)
is
+AD4APg- part of the Cornish dialect.
+AD4APg- In the later part of the 19th century the local newspaper of Bendigo,
+AD4APg- Australia, reported that a visitor from Cornwall, commented that at Long
+AD4APg- Gully he had heard more broad Cornish (dialect) spoken in one afternoon
+AD4APg- than in a whole week at St Just Cornwall.
+AD4-
+AD4-My father has always used 'crib' in this context. Our family has been in
+AD4-New Zealand for a number of generaltions, and my father thought the term
+AD4-originated in Cornwall.
+AD4-
+AD4- Phil.
+AD4-
+AD4----------------------------------------------------------------------
+AD4-Phillip Treweek
+AD4-Department of Computer Science ph ++64- 7 838 4410
+AD4-The University of Waikato fax ++64- 7 838 4155
+AD4-Private Bag 3105
+AD4-Hamilton, New Zealand
+AD4-
+AD4-'Kiwi Aircraft Images':
+AD4-http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/+AH4-treweek/aviation.html
+AD4----------------------------------------------------------------------
The word +ACI-Crib+ACI- is in common use in East Cornwall as a meal normally a mid
morning snack taken out of doors the equivilent word used in West Cornwall
being +ACI-Croust+ACI-
Martyn Miller
Liskeard
email cornishman+AEA-btinternet.com
Martyn
yes the word "crib" is a cornish dialect word specifically an east cornish
word the equivilent west Cornish word being "croust" meaning a meal or5
snack on the road or at the work place
Phillip Treweek wrote in message ...
Martyn
"Kernow yw bro vyghan gans kolon bras "
>In article <01bd21ab$9f1c5400$0200...@lucas.bssc.edu.au>, "George Ellis"
><ell...@netcon.net.au> wrote:
>
>> Could anyone please tell me if the word crib (as in meal taken to work)
is
>> part of the Cornish dialect.
>> In the later part of the 19th century the local newspaper of Bendigo,
>> Australia, reported that a visitor from Cornwall, commented that at Long
>> Gully he had heard more broad Cornish (dialect) spoken in one afternoon
>> than in a whole week at St Just Cornwall.
>
>My father has always used 'crib' in this context. Our family has been in
>New Zealand for a number of generaltions, and my father thought the term
