[a. OF. corn, later cor, horn, also corn on the foot:—L. cornū horn.]
1. A horny induration of the cuticle, with a hard center, and a root sometimes penetrating deep into the subjacent tissue, caused by undue pressure, chiefly on the toes or feet from tight or hard boots. The earlier native name was angnail, AGNAIL (where see other quots.).
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 93. Coorne or harde knott in þe flesche, cornicallus.
1547. Boorde, Brev. Health, ii. (1552), 3. Clauus … In englyshe it is named cornes or agnelles in a mannes fete or toes.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., I. v. 22. She that makes dainty, She Ile sweare hath Cornes.
1655. Gurnall, Chr. in Arm., Introd. i. (1669), 6/2. When he is pinch’d on that Toe where his Corn is.
1710. Swift, Tatler, No. 238, ¶ 3. A coming Show’r your shooting Corns presage.
1839. Todd, Cycl. Anat., II. 524/1. Corns are sometimes developed at the roots of the fingers.
1846. Wellington, in Nonconformist, VI. 13. The Duke begs to say he has no corns and never means to have any. It is his opinion that if there were no boots there would be no corns.
b. In horses’ feet: A bruise of the sensitive parts of the heel, in the angle between the bars and the wall of the hoof, caused by the pressure of the shoe, or by the violent contact of stones or other hard substances.
[It is doubtful whether the first quot. belongs here. Bosw.-Toller has it under CORN sb.1 Quot. 1616 may mean ‘hoof’: Cotgr. 1611 has as senses of F. corne ‘…also the hoofe of a beasts foot; also, the sit-fast (a hard or hornie swelling in the backe-part of a horse).’]
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., III. 62. Þis mæʓ horse wið þon þe him bið corn on þa fet.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Country Farme, 145. The disease of the hoofe or the corne.
1663. Butler, Hud., I. i. 434.
| That Cæsar’s Horse, who, as Fame goes, | |
| Had Corns upon his feet and toes. |
1787–91. ‘G. Gambado,’ Acad. Horsem. (1809), 25. Spavins, splints, corns … being all curable.
2. To tread on any one’s corns: fig. to wound his susceptibilities. To acknowledge the corn: to confess or acknowledge a a charge, imputation, failure, etc. (Orig. U.S.)
1846. New York Herald, 27 June (Bartlett). The Evening Mirror very naively comes out and acknowledges the corn.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, II. 239. Insulted the doctor, and trampled on the inmost corns of the nurse.
1883. Sala, Living London, 97 (Farmer). Mr. Porter ‘acknowledges the corn’ as regards his fourteen days’ imprisonment, and is forgiven by his loving consort.
1886. Miss Tytler, Buried Diamonds, iv. We cannot avoid treading on each other’s corns as we go on our various ways.
3. Comb., relating to the treatment or cure of corns, as corn-doctor, -extractor, -knife, -operator, -plaster, -rubber, -salve; corn-sick adj.; corn-leaf (dial.), the Navel-wort (Cotyledon Umbilicus). Also CORN-CUTTER2.
1767. S. Paterson, Another Trav., I. 301. The noted corn-doctor.
1771. Contemplative Man, I. 76. The Coach now overtaking them, to the great Joy of Mr. Crab, who was Corn-sick.
1818. Byron, Lett., in J. Murray’s Mem. & Corr. (1891), I. 398. He brought nothing but his papers, some corn-rubbers, and a kaleidoscope.
1819. P. O. Lond. Directory, 379. Wolff & Son, Corn-operators.
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, I. 27/2. The vendors of corn-salve.
1854. Pharmac. Jrnl., XIII. 459. They are used for corns and warts … hence … called corn-leaves.
1868. Morning Star, 16 Jan. His client was not a corn-cutter, but a corn-extractor.
