Obs. or ? dial. Forms: 6 chesloppe, cheeselypp, -lippe, 6–8 cheselip, 7 cheslop, chislep, 7–8 cheese-, chees-, cheslip. [Etymol. unknown.
Has been conjectured to be the same word as prec., the animal having possibly been in repute as a rennet. Against this is the consideration that this word belongs (now at least) to the southern dialects, while cheeselip, rennet, is more especially northern. Cf. also the equivalent CHESLOCK, and dialectal chesil-, chissel-bob, cheese-bug. (It seems hardly possible that the second part could be lop flea.)]
The common wood-louse; also (in 16–17th-c. authors more commonly) the allied Armadillo wood-louse, or the similar pill-millipede.
1530. Palsgr., 204/2. Chesloppe, a worme, cloporte.
1552. Huloet, Cheeselypp worme, otherwyse called Robyn-goodfelowe his lowse, tylus.
1573. Cooper, Thesaurus, Tylus, a vermin liyng vnder stones and tyles, somewhat blacke and scaled, which when it is touched turneth himselfe round like a pease. It is commonly called a Cheselip.
1601. Holland, Pliny, II. 138. It [barley-meal] is very good for the biting of the cheeslips or many-feet worms, called Multipedes.
1608. Topsell, Serpents, 786. Cheeselips, or those creeping vermin with many feet called of some ‘sowes.’
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. xviii. 152. Cheeslip Killimbobs, which being touched gather themselves round like a ball.
1611. Cotgr., Porcelet de S. Anthoine, the vermine called a Ches-lop, or Wood-louse.
1658. Rowland, trans. Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 1048. When the Chislep rols himself up into a round body.
1717. Dict. Rust., Cheeselip, an insect, the same as the sow or hog louse. Cheselip, a kind of small vermin that lie under stones and tiles.
1721. Bailey, Cheeslip, and Cheslip.
