1. a. = LARKSPUR. b. Indian cress or garden nasturtium (Tropæolum).
1597. Gerarde, Herbal, II. ccccxxvi. 923. Flos Regius … in English Larkes spur, Larkes heele, Larkes toes, Larkes clawe and Munkes hoode.
1612. Two Noble K., I. i. Song, Marygolds, on death beds blowing, Larkes-heeles trymme.
1669. Worlidge, Syst. Agric. (1681), 280. Now sow Larks-heels, Canditufts, Columbines, &c.
1695. Tate, trans. Cowley’s Plants, IV. C.’s Wks. 1721, III. 360. The Indian-Cress our Climate now does bear, Call’d Larks-heel, ’cause he wears a Horsemans Spur.
1706. J. Gardiner, trans. Rapin’s Of Gardens (1728), 18.
| Bottles, rich Marygolds, the Larkheel Train, | |
| And Lychnis famous for her scarlet Stain. |
1760. J. Lee, Introd. Bot., App. (1765), 316. Lark’s Heel, Delphinium.
1827. Clare, Sheph. Cal., 58. The tall topp’d larkheels, feather’d thick with flowers.
2. The elongated heel, common among negroes.
1865. Livingstone, Zambesi, 501. Nor do we meet what is termed the lark-heel any oftener here than among the civilized races of Europe. Ibid. (1872), in Daily News, 29 July, 5/5. But the low retreating foreheads, prognathous jaws, lark heels, and other physical peculiarities common among slaves and West Coast negroes, always awaken the same feelings of aversion [etc.].
Hence Lark-heeled a. (See quots.)
1837. Gould, Birds Europe, III. 169. Lark-heeled Bunting, Plectrophanes Lapponica, Selby.
1855. Robinson, Whitby Gloss., Lairock-heel’d, having an uncommon projection of heel.
1862. Wood, Nat. Hist., II. 567. The Coccyginæ, or Lark-heeled Cuckoos, so called from their long hind toe.
