oyster 
Ovtturt in Ceuy, outturn In graiicy, your hclthc t" rcm-wc. 
v(l'.. K. T. S.), |i. 1T1. 
But tllilke text hceld he nat worth an ourtre. 
ClMucer, Prol. to 0. T., 1. 182. 
It la unseasonable and unwholesome in all months that 
li:tv>- nut an K in thi-ir mime to eat an oygter. 
Hull,-,-, liyi 1 * Dry Dinner (1699). (llartlett.) 
The toiiK'ie of a 1'nrple [a murex or some such shell] is 
about tin- li-ni,'ili of :i linger, so sharp and hard that he can 
open therewith the shell of an outer. 
Sandys, Travailes, p. 168. 
2. One of many other bivalves of the same or- 
ilcr. but of a different family. Thug, the pearl- 
oyster belong! to the Arifitliila: 3. The oys- 
ter-shaped bit of dark meat in the front hollow 
of the side-bone of a turkey or similar bird. 4. 
Figuratively, some profit or advantage winch 
one may seize and hold. [Slang.] A choking 
or stopping oyster*, a reply that leaves one nothing to 
say, as If choked with an oyster too large to swallow. 
At an other season, to a feloe laiyng to his rebuke that 
he was ouer delntie of his mouthe and dlete, he did with 
this reason glue o flapping outre. 
Udatt, tr. of Apophthegms of Erasmus, p. 61. 
Herewithall his wife, to make up my mouth, 
Not onely her hushand's taunting tale avouth, 
But thereto deviscth to cast in my teeth 
Checks and chokiny oysters. 
J. Heyvood'f Proverbt, xl. 
Bench oyster, an oyster sold at a lunch-counter as a fancy 
or extra grade. Blue Point oyster, originally, an oyster 
obtained olf Blue Point, near Great South Bay, Long Island; 
now, any oyster from the south shore of Long Island, whe- 
ther native or transplanted. They are commonly called IJltie 
Point*, and the name is popularly but wrongly supjiosed 
to refer to the large dork-bluish "eye " on the Inside of the 
shell. These oysters are of small size, but very delicate 
and well-flavored. BOX Oyster, an oyster from seven to 
ten years old, of handsome round shape, not less than three 
Inches wide and five inches long. It is the second grade 
in the New York market, inferior to Saddlerock, and supe- 
rior to culllngs and bushel oysters. The name is due to 
the fact that they used to be shipped in boxes instead of 
barrels. [Connecticut and New York.] Bushel oysters, 
oysters of inferior quality, sold by the bushel. They form 
the fourth grade in the New York market, rated below 
Saddlerock, box. and cullings. California oyster, Os- 
trea luridaot the Pacific coast of North America. Cana- 
dian oyster, a northern oyster which has been distin- 
guished by the name Ostrea canadensis. Cape oyster, 
an oyster obtained from Cape Cod or vicinity ; a kind of 
northern native or hard oyster. Also called Capet. [Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts. ] Cat's-tongue oyster, a very nar- 
row and elongated oyster. The habit of growing in the 
erect position, where the banks are prolific and undisturbed, 
crowds the oysters together, so that under such conditions 
they do not have a chance to expand laterally. Cocks- 
comb oyster. Same as cockscomb, 3. Cove oyster, (a) 
A name of oysters growing singly in or scattered over 
coves, creeks, bays, old planting-grounds, etc., too sparsely 
to be taken by the ordinary method of tonging, but cap- 
tured singly in from four to eight feet of water with nip- 
pers. Such oysters are usually large and fat, and are com- 
monly called coves, (b) Among packers, steamed oysters 
packed in hermetically sealed cans : a trade-name. Drag- 
on oyster, a small but delicate oyster from New Haven 
harbor (named from Dragon, nickname of the oystcring 
village of Fair Haven). (New Eng.]- English oyster, 
the common European oyster, Ostrea ed-ttli*. Hard oys- 
ter, the native northern oyster of the United States. 
Mangrove oyster, an oyster growing on the submerged 
trunks or roots of mangrove-trees, as in Florida. Moun- 
tain-oyster, a lamb's testicle. Northern oyster, Os- 
trea borealis, growing in northerly parts of the United 
States, sometimes supposed to be a distinct species from 
the southern Oxtrea nroinica. Racoon oyster, an oyster 
growing in shallow water and dally exposed to the air dur- 
ing ebb-tide, whence they become small and poor. They 
have many fanciful local names. Reef-oyster, an oyster 
growing naturally on reefs ; a reefer. [Alabama to Texas.] 
Saddlerock oyster, the first or largest grade of oys- 
ters in the New York market. The oysters that first 
bore that name were taken from a rock so called In 
Little Neck Bay, Long Island, the supply from which 
was soon exhausted. Band-oysters, oysters which have 
been scattered and exposed or damaged on sand-shoals ; 
sanded oysters. Shrewsbury Oysters, oysters from 
Shrewsbury river, New Jersey. Single oyster, an oys- 
ter which becomes detached from the bunches after two 
years' growth ; hence, a grown or merchantable oyster. 
Soft Oyster, the oyster obtained from the Chesapeake 
and southward: distinguished from the hard or native 
northern oyster. Thorny oysters, bivalves of the LT- 
nus Spondylus. Tonged oysters, oysters taken with the 
tongs: they are preferred to those which are divdncd. 
Vegetable oyster. Same as oyster-plant, 2. - Wild oys- 
ter, an oyster of natural growth, neither artificially prop- 
agated nor transplanted. Window Oysters, the J'la- 
cunidce. See cut under Placuna. (See alao coon-oyster, 
pearl-oyster, rock-oyster.) 
oyster (ois'ter), t'. i. [< oyster, n.] To engage 
m oyster-fishing; take oysters in any way. 
Many more are oyttering now than before the war. 
E. IngenoU. 
oyster-bank (ois'ter-bangk), n. A bank on 
which oysters grow; an oyster-bed, 
oyster-bar (ois'ter-bar), n. An oyster-bank. 
[Southern United States.] 
oyster-bay (ois'ter-ba), n. An oyster-shop. 
[Local, U. 8.] 
oyster-bed (ois'ter-bed), n. 1. An oyster- 
Dauk , a place where oysters breed or are bred ; 
a place prepared and sown or planted with spat. 
In the northern United States, oyster.beds are also called 
4219 
oytter-oanJri; In the southern United State*, oyilrr.bari 
and oyster-rocks; In the Uulf State*, oytter-ree/s. 
2. A bed, layer, or stratum containing fossil 
oysters. 
oyster-bird ( ois'ter-berd), n. An oyster-catcher. 
oyster-boat (ois'ter-bot), . 1. A small boat 
used in the oyster-fishery. 2. A large estab- 
lishment or floating house, constructed on a 
raft, generally one story and sometimes two 
high* These house* are usually moored together, and 
kept in ciin&tantciiniiiiiinicatioli with the wharf by means 
of a swinging bridge, which rises and falls with the tide. 
They are usually about 15 yards long by 10 wide, and are 
divided into several compartment*. 
oyster-bottom (ois'ter-bot'um), n. Any kind 
of bottom whereon oysters grow, or a bottom 
suitable to the growth of oysters; an oyster- 
bed, -rock, -reef, et. 
oyster-brood (ois't6r-brod), n. A young or 
small oyster, about half an inch in diameter. 
oyster-catcher (ois'ter-kach/er), . A mari- 
time wading bird of the family Hcematopodidce : 
so called from the habit of feeding upon small 
oysters and other mollusks. There are several spe- 
cies, found on the sea-coast of most countries, all of the 
single genus llcnnaloptu, about 18 Inches long and SO 
Inches In extent of wings, with stout red or bright-colored 
bill and feet, and the plumage either party-colored with 
black and white or entirely blackish. The common Euro- 
pean oyster-catcher, //. ostrUeyug, has the head, neck, and 
most of the upper part* glossy-black, the under part*, 
rump, and parts of the wings and tail white. It Is very 
widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Amer- 
ican oyster-catcher la a similar but distinct species, //. 
paUiatus, having the back smoky-brown In contrast to 
the black head. It is common along the Atlantic coast. 
H. niffer, the black oyster-catcher, Inhabit* the Pacific 
coast. See cut under Hcematopus. 
oyster-crab (ois'ter-krab), n. One of the little 
crabs which live with oysters in the shells of 
the latter; a pea-crab. The kind which lives 
in the common oyster is a grapsoid crustacean, 
Pinnotheres ostreum. See Pinnotheres. 
oyster-cracker (ois'ter-krak'er), n. A small 
kind of cracker or biscuit served with oysters. 
[U. S.] 
oyster-culture (ois'ter-kul'tur), n. The culti- 
vation of oysters ; the artificial breeding and 
rearing of oysters; oyster-farming; ostreicul- 
ture. 
oyster-culturist (ois'ter-kul'tur-ist), n. One 
who is engaged in oyster-culture. 
oyster-dredge (ois'ter-drej), . A small dredge 
or drag-net for bringing up oysters from the 
oyster-bed. 
oysterer (ois'ter-er), n. One who deals in oys- 
ters. 
Not scorning Scullions, Cobblers, Colliers, 
Jakes-farmers, Fidlers, Ostlers, Oysterers. 
Sylvester, Tobacco Battered. 
oyster-farm (ois'ter-farm), n. A place where 
oyster-farming is conducted. 
oyster-farming (ois'ter-far'ming), n. Oyster- 
culture. 
oyster-field (ois'ter-feld), n. An oyster-bed; 
an oyster-bank. 
If a barrel of oysters were planted in an estuary of the 
sea and their progeny preserved in successive generations 
for ten years, the oyster-field thus produced would supply a 
bounteous repast for every man, woman, and child on the 
face of the earth. Amer. Anthropologist, I. 297. 
oyster-fish (ois'ter-fish), . If. An oyster. 
Florio. 2. A batrachoid fish, Batrachus taw, 
generally called toad-fish. 3. A labroid fish, 
Tautoga oniiis; the tautog. 
oyster-fishery (ois'ter-fish/er-i), . The prac- 
tice or business of taking oysters. 
oyster-fishing (ois'ter-fish'mg), n. The act or 
business of fishing for oysters. 
oyster-fork (ois'ter-f 6rk), n. A small and light 
fork designed for use in eating oysters, espe- 
cially raw oysters served on the half-shell. 
oyster-gage (ois'ter-gaj), n. A model of an oys- 
ter in metal or other permanent material, used 
as a standard of marketable size. 
oyster-grass (pis'ter-gras), n. Kelp and other 
seaweed growing upon oysters and mussels or 
upon beds in which they occur. [New Jersey 
coast.] 
oyster-green (ois'ter-gren), . A plant, Viva 
liitixxiiiut : same as larer-bread. 
oyster-hammer (ois'ter-ham'er), . A ham- 
mer used for breaking the shells of oysters to 
open them. 
oystering (ois'ter-ing), n. The act or business 
of dredging for or otherwise taking oysters. 
The capital which carries on the oyttering in the Dela- 
ware waters is almost wholly derived from Philadelphia, 
and most of the men employed belong there. 
Fifheriet of U. S., V. IL 629. 
oyster-keg (ois'ter-keg), . A small wooden 
keg for transporting raw oysters, formerly used 
oyther 
in the United States, especially in Connecti- 
cut. 
oyster-knife (ois'ter-mi), . A knife designed 
for use in opening oyster-., having ordin:ml\ a 
strong handle and a rather long and Blender 
blade. 
oysterllng (ois'ter-ling), n. [< oyster + -liny 1 .] 
A. young oyster; an oyster not fully grown. 
Not one of the young oysteriings of the previous sum- 
mer's spat was known to have been killed by the cold 
weather or frost. Time* (London), Oct. 16, 1887. 
oyster man (ois'ter -man), n. ; pi. oystermen 
(-men). A man engaged in rearing, taking, or 
selling oysters; an oysterer. 
It wa* a tall young oyttrnnan lived by the river-tide. 
0. W. Uijimn, Ballad of the Oystermaii. 
Oyster* may be bred from egg*, arrangement* for pro- 
ducing and nvlng which, together with the preservation 
of the embryos, form a part of the oytlerman'i plan and 
process. Fitheriet qf U. S., V. U. 620. 
oyster-mushroom (ois'ter-mush'rOm), n. Aga- 
ricw ostreatitg, an esculent fungus with a large, 
thick, fleshy pileus. 
oyster-park (ois'ter-park), n. [< F.parc <f *(- 
(res.] An oyster-bed. 
oyster-plant (ois'ter-plant), n. 1. The sea- 
lungwort, Mertentria iiiaritinia, whose leaves 
have an oyster flavor. [Eng.] 2. The goafs- 
beard or salsify, Tragopoaon porrifolius. See 
salsify. Also called vegetable oyster Black oys- 
ter-plant, black salsify. Spanish oyster-plant, Senly- 
musHispanica, a plant with large prickly leaves and yel- 
low thistle-like heads, whose root is used like salsify. 
oyster-plover (ois'ter-pluv'er), n. An oyster- 
catcher, Ha-matopus ostrilegns. 
oyster-rake (ois ter-rak), n. A rake for lifting 
oysters from their bed. It is shaped like a farmers' 
rake, is made of iron except the handle, and the tine* are 
from 6 to 12 inches long, straight or curved nearly in a 
semicircle. It I* used chiefly along the coast of Massa- 
chusetts. 
oyster-reef (ois'ter-ref), . See oyster-bed. 
oyster-rock (ois'ter-rok), n. A rocky oyster- 
bed. These beds are often conglomerate masse* of shell 
and marine deposit rising from a depth of sixty feet to 
within a few feet of the surface of the water. [Southern 
United States.] 
oyster-shell (ois'ter-shel), n. The shell of an 
oyster Oyster-shell bark-louse, a scale-insect, Mytf- 
laspis pomorurn, which Infests the apple. See JHytilaspis. 
Oyster-shell stains, In photography by the wet or 
collodion process, stains on the plate formed by a deposit 
of reduced or metallic silver, resulting from a partial dry- 
Ing of the film before development, from the presence of 
impurities in the baths, etc. 
"Oyster-shell " stains of reduced silver (also called "matt 
silver stain* "), with a gray metallic surface and In curious 
curved and arabesque patterns, occasionally make their 
appearance. Lea, Photography, p. 327. 
Prepared oyster-shell (testa preparata), oyster-shell 
cleaned and reduced to a tine powder like prepared chalk : 
used as an antacid. 
oyster-shop (ois'ter-shop), n. A shop for the 
sale of oysters. 
And now they keep an ouster-shop lor mermaids down be- 
low. 0. W. 'Holmes, Ballad of the Oystermaii. 
oyster-sign (ois'ter-sin), n. A large letter O 
painted on a board affixed to a stake, to mark 
the boundaries of marshland claimed for pur- 
poses of oyster-culture. 
oyster-tongs (ois'ter-tdngz), . sing, and pi. A 
tool used to dredge up oysters in deep water. 
It consists of a pair of hinged* rakes with teeth bent In- 
ward, and in use Is lowered from a boat until the rake* 
Oyster-tongs. 
bury themselves In the mud : on raising the Implement 
and simultaneously drawing together the end* of the han- 
dle*, the tongs close and drag up the oysters caught be- 
tween the Interlocking teeth. 
oyster-wencht (ois'ter-wench), . A woman 
whose occupation is the sale of oysters. 
Off goes hi* bonnet to an oytter- trench. 
Shale., Kich. II., i. 4. SL 
oyster-wife ( ois'ter- wif), n. Same as oyster- 
woman. 
So soon a* thy eyelids be unglued. thy flnt exercise 
must be, either sitting upright on thy pillow, or rarely 
lolling at thy body's whole length, to yawn, to stretch, and 
to gape wider than any oyster-w\fe. 
DeMrer, Gull's Hornbook, p. 65. 
oyster-woman (ois'ter-wum'an), . A woman 
who sells oysters, 
oythert, a. and pron. A Middle English variant 
of other^. 
