chou

n. [ F. ] One of the royalist insurgents in western France (Brittany, etc.), during and after the French revolution. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. choughe, kowe (and cf. OE. ca), fr. AS. ceó; cf. also D. kauw, OHG. chāha; perh. akin to E. caw. √22. Cf. Caddow. ] (Zool.) A bird of the Crow family (Fregilus graculus) of Europe. It is of a black color, with a long, slender, curved bill and red legs; -- also called chauk, chauk-daw, chocard, Cornish chough, red-legged crow. The name is also applied to several allied birds, as the Alpine chough. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cornish chough (Her.), a bird represented black, with red feet, and beak; -- called also aylet and sea swallow. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Native name ] (Zool.) The salmon of the Columbia River or California. See Quinnat. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Native name ] (Zool.) The Indian four-horned antelope; the chikara. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Obs. ] See Jowl. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. See Choltry. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who is easily cheated; a tool; a simpleton; a gull. Hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A trick; sham; imposition. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A swindler. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Choused p. pr. & vb. n. Chousing. ] [ From Turk. chāūsh a messenger or interpreter, one of whom, attached to the Turkish embassy, in 1609 cheated the Turkish merchants resident in England out of £4, 000. ] To cheat, trick, defraud; -- followed by of, or out of; as, to chouse one out of his money. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The undertaker of the afore-cited poesy hath choused your highness. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]