vittle

plural vittles

1. alternativeAlternative spelling of victual.

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

   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

   5 more examples

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

   1878, Thomas Tusser, “Septembers Husbandrie”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam] Payne, 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

   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.

   1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]. Canto II.”, 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, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, page 35

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

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

   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: […]

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

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

   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

present singular third person vittles · participle present vittling · participle past vittled · past vittled

1. alternativeAlternative spelling of victual.

   ...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.

   1860, William Carleton, Tales & Stories of the Irish Peasantry