Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In archery, one of a pair of archers who shoot together at a target: as, when the leader has shot his first arrow his butty takes his place.
- noun A comrade, chum, or partner.
- noun Specifically, in English coal-mining, one who takes a contract, or is a partner in a contract, for working out a certain area of coal.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mining) One who mines by contract, at so much per ton of coal or ore.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun mining A
miner who works undercontract , receiving a fixed amount perton ofcoal orore . - noun UK, New Zealand A
sandwich , usually with a hot savoury filling in abreadcake . The most common arechips ,bacon ,sausage andegg .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a sandwich
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Sometimes you want something complicated like the ones in previous posts, sometimes a chip butty is the only thing you want.
Dear Clusterflock: What’s the best sandwich you ever had? | clusterflock 2009
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The butty was a contractor who engaged with the proprietor or lessee of the mine to deliver the coal or iron-stone at so much per ton, himself hiring the labourers, using his own horses, and supplying the tools requisite for the working of the mine.
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Their advantage over the horse drawns, however, was their ability to tow several unpowered boats, known as butty boats.
Express & Star 2009
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TJttarcul begins at Gowa* butty, which is the boundary of his Majefty*s territorial pofleffions, and terminates in moun - tains inhabited by a tribe called Meeri Mecbmi.
Dissertations and Miscellaneous Pieces Relating to the History and Antiquities, the Arts ... William Jones, William Chambers, Warren Hastings 1792
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Staffordshire miner knew by the same word the 'butty's charter' which was the symbol of his oppression, and the 'people's charter' which was the goal of his desire.
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The "butty" is the head man over all the works, and indeed everything about the pit; the "doggy" has charge of the underground works, and looks after all the men and boys in the pit.
Taking Tales Instructive and Entertaining Reading William Henry Giles Kingston 1847
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'butty' (_Anglicè_, chartermaster) may have tried a bottle; but the working collier's beverage is 'pit beer.'
The Making Of A Novelist An Experiment In Autobiography David Christie Murray
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A sandwich (or "butty") is the name given to a popular lunchtime food consisting of a filling (such as
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I nearly choked on my butty as I read that we should be putting more people before the courts to ensure they receive the “tough” penalties they deserve.
Remote Inspector Gadget « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2009
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Munching of the aforementioned butty is optimal with a background sound of Radio 3 and the mere essence of a Christmas joss stick.
john commented on the word butty
"Researchers at Leeds University spent more than 1,000 hours testing 700 variants on the traditional bacon sandwich, which many Britons refer to as a bacon butty (eschewing the term sandwich, said to have been coined to honor the fourth Earl of Sandwich’s habit of eating meat between slices of bread around 1762)."
- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/world/europe/11bacon.html
April 11, 2007
reesetee commented on the word butty
Great find, John! My favorite line from the article:
"And so the formula evolved to establish the amount of force in the bite, expressed in newtons, and the level of noise, expressed in decibels, to make the perfect crunch."
What a world. :-)
April 11, 2007
uselessness commented on the word butty
And yet for all that science, bacon sandwiches still taste rather like butt.
April 11, 2007
trivet commented on the word butty
mmmmm... bacon...
I thought they were bacon sarnies, and still prefer the name, nyt notwithstanding.
April 11, 2007
yarb commented on the word butty
In Wales, pal or mate. A term of endearment. Like buddy in the US, but I wouldn't presume to state a connection.
May 1, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word butty
See also an excellent conversation on teeth.
August 1, 2008
madmouth commented on the word butty
an example of its Welsh meaning:
'What was that you was telling my butty of Cath Pendry yesterday?'
'What about her?'
-Powell's "Valley of Bones"
May 14, 2009
GHibbs commented on the word butty
A butty is also a narrow boat with no engine. They may attach several butties behind a working narrow boat. They used them in the UK, for carrying such things as coal, stones, newsprint (paper for the newspaper industry).
January 3, 2013
MaryW commented on the word butty
Marie Browne, Narrow Margins (Mid-Glamorgan: Accent Press Ltd., 2009)November 3, 2015