Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An allowance of ale claimed as a perquisite by a blacksmith on the first shoeing of a horse.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word colt-ale.
Examples
-
I might have ridden him from the day on which the blacksmith drank his colt-ale, for we understood each other exactly, and I was as comfortable on his back as in my bed at the
The Yeoman Adventurer George W. Gough
missanthropist commented on the word colt-ale
Ale claimed as a perquisite by the blacksmith on shoeing a horse for the first time. To shoe the colt is also a quaint expression of demanding a contribution on his first introduction to any office or employment.
William Carr, Dialect of Craven, 1828
February 4, 2009