con(e)y

views updated Jun 08 2018

con(e)y rabbit (fur). XIII. Earliest forms cunin(g), conyng — AN. coning, OF. conin, parallel form to OF. conil — L. cunīculus, prob. of Iberian orig. The form cony (XIV) is a back-formation from pl. conyes — AN. con(i)ys, pl. of conil. In the cant sense of ‘dupe’ familiar XVI–XVII in cony-catcher cheat, swindler, cony-catching.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

coney

views updated May 23 2018

coney a rabbit; originally the preferred term (now superseded by rabbit) and still in use in heraldry, and for the animal's fur. In the 16th and 17th centuries, coney-catching was a term for duping or deceiving a gullible victim.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

coney

views updated May 11 2018

coney See CONY.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

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