"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."
Showing posts with label Costermonger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Costermonger. Show all posts

Saturday, 18 April 2009

Costermonger



A costermonger is (or was- since the term is rarely used now) a hawker of fruit and vegetables from a barrow. A costard was the 14th century name for a type of large, ribbed apple and later came to be the name given to apples in general. A costard-monger was initially an apple-seller. The name gradually changed to costermonger.