To stun an animal by sending a shot through the cartilage at the back of the neck.
1807. We fired at a black horse, with an idea of creasing him, but did not succeed; they flourished round and returned again to see us, when we returned to camp.—Z. M. Pike, ‘Sources of the Mississippi,’ ii. 159. (N.E.D.)
1823. [We hoped] to have an opportunity to prove our skill in the operation of creasing, as soon as the light should be sufficient. A method sometimes adopted by hunters for taking the wild horse is to shoot the animal through the neck using the requisite care not to injure the spine.—E. James, ‘Rocky Mountain Expedition,’ ii. 138 (Phila.). (Italics in the original.)
1835. In attempting to ‘crease’ the animal, that is, to touch it with a ball on the back of the neck, which stuns it without materially injuring it, he did what many a hunter does in attempting that delicate operation—he shot it dead.—C. J. Latrobe, ‘The Rambler in North America,’ i. 175 (N.Y.).
1851. In hunters’ parlance, I had only ‘creased him’ [the stag].—John S. Springer, ‘Forest Life,’ p. 127 (N.Y.).
1853. The “creasing” of a horse is a feat, which, though common enough among them [backwoodsmen], would electrify a northern jockey, and play the deuce with the nerves of a northern marksman. [Process described.]—S. A. Hammett (‘Philip Paxton’), ‘A Stray Yankee in Texas,’ p. 38.
