or cratur, creature, subs. (old).—Formerly, any kind of liquor, but now, Irish whiskey. [Fuller speaks of water as ‘a CREATURE so common and needful,’ and Bacon describes light as ‘God’s first CREATURE.’ Transition is easy.] THE SKIN OF THE CREATURE = the bottle. For synonyms, see DRINKS.
1598. SHAKESPEARE, 2 Henry IV., ii. 2. My appetite was not princely got; for, by my troth, I do now remember the poor CREATURE, small beer:
1663. SIR R. HOWARD, The Committee, Act iv. Mrs. Day. Oh fie upon’t! who would have believ’d that we shou’d have liv’d to have seen Obadiah overcome with the CREATURE?
1683. S. B., Anacreon done into English out of the original Greek. Oxford. There goes a very pleasant Story of him, that once having took a Cup too much of CREATURE, he came staggering homewards through the Market Place, etc.
1772. R. GRAVES, The Spiritual Quixote, bk. VII. ch. ii. You will never be able to hold out as Mr. Whitfield does. He seems to like a bit of the good CRETUR as well as other folks.
1816. SCOTT, Old Mortality, I. I do most humbly request … that … thou wilt take off this measure, called by the profane a gill, of the comfortable CREATURE, which the carnal do denominate brandy.
1836. M. SCOTT, Tom Cringle’s Log, ch. xiv. He produced two bottles of brandy … so we passed the CREATURE round, and tried all we could to while away the tedious night.
1812. Punch, vol. II., p. 23. And reaching home refresh myself with a ‘kervartern of the CRATUR!’
1864. Good Words, v. p. 952/1. Well as an Irishman—who had already paid for one pot of porter, and a drop of the CRATER besides—I was not going to hear anything against ould Ireland.
