vittle

English

Noun

vittle (plural vittles)

1. Alternative spelling of victual
   • 1580, Thomas Tusser, “Septembers Husbandrie”, in Fiue Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie: […], London: […] Henrie Denham [beeing the assigne of William Seres] […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam] Payne and Sidney J[ohn Hervon] Herrtage, editors, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], 1878, →OCLC, stanza 23, page 41:

     Shift bore (for il aire) as best ye do thinke, / and twise a day giue him fresh vittle and drinke: […]

   • 1662, [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, →OCLC; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, canto II, page 35:

     For as the Teeth in Beasts of Prey / Are Swords, with which they fight in Fray. / So Swords in Men of War, are Teeth, / Which they do eat their Vittle with.

   • 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 267:

     Friday told me, ſuch a Boat would do very well, and would carry much enough Vittle, Drink, Bread, that was his Way of Talking.

   • 1723, Jonathan Swift, “Stella at Wood Park, […]”, in Thomas Sheridan and John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume VII, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 255:

     I must confess your wine and vittle / I was too hard upon a little: / Your table neat, your linen fine; / And though in miniature, you shine: […]

   • a. 1797, Robert Burns, “[No. 543] Robin Shure in Hairst. […]”, in James Johnson, compiler, The Scots Musical Museum: […], volume V, Edinburgh: […] James Johnson […], published 1796, →OCLC, page 562:

     Robin promis'd me / A' my winter vittle; / Fient haet he had but three / Goos feathers and whittle.

   • 1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXI, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 213:

     [H]is motto was, "Meat first, and spoon vittles to top off on."

Verb

vittle (third-person singular simple present vittles, present participle vittling, simple past and past participle vittled)

1. Alternative spelling of victual
   • 1860, William Carleton, Tales & Stories of the Irish Peasantry‎^[1]:

     ...Balgruntie was bent on makin' the attempt, especially after he heard that the castle was well vittled, an' indeed he was meritoriously joined by his men, who piously licked their lips on hearin' of such glad tidin's.

Anagrams

• Levitt