Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Urine.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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But if the manure is poor, consisting largely of straw, it will be very desirable to make it richer by mixing with it bone-dust, blood, hen-droppings, woollen rags, chamber-lye, and animal matter of any kind that you can find.
Talks on Manures A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and other Neighbors, on the Whole Subject Joseph Harris 1860
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The ole cuss, he nuver can go to Eufauly 'thout gittin' full as a bee on chamber-lye, though Ham Rachel is allers 'zortin' him like a preacher not to fill his cussed guts so full.
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"You had scarce been gone an hour when our lad Wat, him that carries away the chamber-lye in the jordans, he comes a-running down the stairs.
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"One thing I do every morning is ter sprinkle chamber-lye [HW: (urine)] with salt and then throw it all around my door.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Georgia Narratives, Part 1 Work Projects Administration
Gammerstang commented on the word chamber-lye
(noun) - (1) Fermented urine, formerly used for laundry purposes, being a strong detergent. --Francis Taylor's Folk-Speech of South Lancashire, 1901 (2) Formerly preserved in tubs for washing, to soften the water and save soap. --Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1893
April 23, 2018