A box formerly used by shepherds to hold tar as a salve for sheep.
c. 1420. ? Lydg., Assembly of Gods, 326. The rewde god Pan … Clad in russet frese, & breched lyke a bere, with a gret tar box hangyng by hys syde.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 41. And a shepeherde shoulde not go without his dogge, his shepe hoke, a payre of sheres, and his terre boxe.
1602. 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass., V. ii. 2088. A shepards hooke, a tarbox, and a scrippe.
1658. Osborn, Jas. I., Wks. (1673), 514. (Spight of his Tarbox) he died of the Scab.
† b. Applied contemptuously to a person: = ‘stinking fellow.’ Obs.
a. 1592. Greene, Jas. IV., III. i. Such as rub horses do good service in the commonweal, ergo, tarbox, master courtier, a horse-keeper is a gentleman.
1687. Settle, Refl. Dryden, 12. Tarbox Muly Labas is not the Fool this bout.
