margery-prater, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

margery-prater n.

[‘Here’s Grunter and Bleater, / with Tib of the Buttry, / And Margery Prater, / all drest without sluttry’ (Richard Brome, The Joviall Crew, 1641). Prater comes from her constant clucking or ‘prating’, while margery echoes dial. margery daw, jackdaw and margery howlet, an owl]

a hen.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 83: a margery prater a hen.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching n.p.: [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1 n.p.: The Canters Dictionary Margery prater, a Henne.
1612		Dekker Canting Song O per se O O2: When the Lightmans up does call Margery Prater from the nest.
1622		Beaumont & Fletcher Beggar’s Bush V i: fer.: Or surprising a boor’s ken, for grunting-cheats? / prig.: Or cackling-cheats? / hig.: Or Margery-Praters, Rogers, / And Tibs o’ th’ buttery.
1641		R. Brome Jovial Crew II i: Here’s Grunter and Bleater, with Tib-of-the-Buttry, / And Margery Prater, all dress’d without sluttry.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 50: Margery Prater, An Hen.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 4: Some are sent [...] to filch Tybs of the Buttery, Cackling cheats, Margery Praters, Red-shanks, and Grunting cheats.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Margery Prater, a Hen.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1707		Maunder’s Praise of His Strowling Mort in Dodsley (1826) 34: When the lightman up does call, / Margery prater from her nest, / And her Cackling cheats withal, / In a boozing ken we’ll feast.
1724		Coles Eng. Dict.
1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c. 105: Thou art entered onto our Fraternity, thou must not scruple to act any Villainies, which thou shalt be able to perform, whether it be to nip a Bung, bite the Peter Cloy, the Lurries Crash, either a Bleating Cheat, Cackling Cheat, Grunting Cheat, Quacking Cheat, Tib-oth-buttery, Margery Prater, or to cloy a Mish from the Crackman’s; that is to cut a Purse, steal a Cloak-Bag, or Portmanteau, convey all Manner of Things, whether a Chicken, Sucking Pig, Duck, Goose, Hen, or steal a Shirt from the Hedge.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Lastly, I will cleave to my doxy wap stiffly, and will bring her duds, margery praters, goblers, grunting cheats, or tibs of the buttery, or any thing else I can come at, as winnings for her wapping.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.