[ad. F. quatre four. See also QUATRE.]
† 1. Four. Obs. rare–1.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 86 b. The auditour … cometh in with sise sould, and cater denere, for vi.s. and iiii.d.
† 2. Four at dice or cards; also cater-point. Obs.
1519. Horman, Vulg., 280 b. Cater is a very good caste.
1708. Kersey, Caterpoint, the Number Four, at Dice.
1721–1820. Bailey, Cater-point. Ibid. (1730–6), Cater, four at cards or Dice. In Johnson; and in mod. Dicts.
b. Cater-trey: the four and the three; hence, apparently, a cant term for dice (or ? falsified dice).
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl., II. (1847), 56. Here is catter traye, Therfore goe thou thy waye.
1532. Dice Play (1850), 23. A well favoured die, that seemeth good and square, yet is the forehead longer on the cater and tray than any other way. Ibid., 24. Such be also called bard cater tres, because, commonly, the longer end will, of his own sway, draw downwards, and turn up to the eye sice, sinke, deuis or ace.
1589. Pappe w. Hatchet (1844), 15. The quarrel was about cater-tray, and euer since he hath quarrelled about cater-caps.
1608. Dekker, Belman Lond., Wks. 1884–5, III. 118. A Bale of bard Cater-Treas.
c. 1620. Fletcher & Mass., Trag. Barnavelt, V. ii. in Bullen, O. Pl., II. 304.
a. 1700. Songs Lond. Prentices, 152. If any gallant haue with cater-tray, Play’d the wise-acre, and made all way.
3. Change-ringing. (See quot. 1878.)
1872. Ellacombe, Bells of Ch., ii. 29. The very terms of the art are enough to frighten an amateur…. Hunting, dodging … caters, cinques, grandsires, &c.
1879. Grove, Dict. Music, s.v., The name given by change ringers to changes on nine bells. The word should probably be written quaters, as it is meant to denote the fact that four couples of bells change their places in the order of ringing.
