crowchmas, the day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, May 3. Tusser, § 50. 36; Crowchemesse Day; Paston Letters, no. 472, end (ii. 132, 1872). ‘At Crowchmesse, a la saincte Croyx’, Palsgrave. ME. cruche, the cross of Christ; ‘Crepe to cruche on lange fridai’, Trin. Coll. Hem. 95 (NED.); ‘And meny crouche on hus cloke’, P. Plowman, C. viii. 167; cruche, id., B. v. 529; cros, id., A. vi. 13. We may perhaps compare OF. croche, the Picard form of OF. croce, a crosier; Ch. Rol. 1670; Med. L. crocia, crochia, ‘baculus pastoralis’ (Ducange).
crown of the sun, a French gold coin. Massinger, Unnat. Combat, i. 1 (Mont.); ‘Escu sol, a crown of the sun; the best kind of crown that is now made’, Cotgrave.
crowner, a coroner. Hamlet, v. 1. 4. In gen. prov. use (EDD.).
crow-trodden, abused, humiliated. Beaumont and Fl., Custom of the Country, iv. 4 (Rutilio). See NED. (s.v. Crow-tread).
cruddes, curds; ‘A messe of cruddes’, Gosson, School of Abuse, p. 18; ‘Cruddes, coagulum’, Levins, Manip.; Baret, Alvearie. In prov. use in Scotland, Ireland, and in various parts of England, see EDD. (s.v. Crud). Crud is related to crowd, to press close, see EDD. (s.v. Crowd, vb.1 3).
crudded, reduced to a curd-like mass, Heywood, Silver Age (Cerberus). ME. cruddyd, ‘coagulatus’ (Prompt.).
cruddle, crudle, to curdle; ‘Cruddled me like cheese’, Bible, Job x. 10 (1611); Beaumont and Fl., The False One, iii. 2. 2; King and No King, i. 1; Marston, Antonia, Pt. I, i. 1 (Antonio). In prov. use in Scotland, Ireland, and in various parts of England (EDD.).
crumenall; ‘The fat oxe that wont ligge in the stall, Is now fast stalled in her (=their) crumenall’, Spenser, Shep. Kal., Sept., 119. Apparently in sense ‘purse’ or ‘pouch’ (NED.).
crusoile, a crucible. Marston, Insatiate Countess, i. 1 (Rogers). OF. croisuel. See Hatzfeld (s.v. Creuset).
cruzado, crusado, the name of a Portuguese gold coin, of variable value. Othello, iii. 4. 26; White Devil (Vittoria), ed. Dyce, p. 23. So called from the cross on one side of it.