cackle, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

cackle n.

1. empty chatter, foolish talk; esp. in phr. below [cackle v. (1)].

1676		‘A. Rivetus, Jun.’ Mr Smirke 18: Bedawb’d with Addle Eggs of the Animadverters own Cackle [F&H].
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 255: paris was list’ning to her cackle.
1830		A.L. Campbell Tom Bowling II v: If you don’t hold your cackle [...] I’ll find out if you’ve got as much pluck as you have jaw.
1878		‘’Arry on Himself’ in Punch 21 Dec. in P. Marks (2006) 5: That cackle o’ mine on the Play / Poked hup the Philistines a few.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 408: When he goes forward a step he puts his foot down, and all the blowing, and cackle, and yelping in the world won’t shift him.
1895		‘’Arry on the Season’ in Punch 22 June 298/1: But as to the cackle, Great Scott! — ‘The sun rolling bounteous from Aries,’ and reams o’ such molly slop muck.
1898		Star (Canterbury, NZ) 1 Oct. 7/8: In ‘Darkest England’ [...] religious counsel [is called] ‘cackle’.
1908		Worker (Brisbane) 19 Sept. 8/1: Shut up yer (blanky) cackle.
1914		‘Hugh McHugh’ You Should Worry cap. 1: Into the next room came Alice and Peaches and sat down for their usual cackle.
1914		Sport (Adelaide) 23 Oct. 5/7: [headline] Caltowie Cackle.
1915		M.G. Hayden ‘Terms Of Disparagement’ in DN IV:iii 203: cackle, idle talk. ‘Judging from the reports the meeting of the Ladies’ Aid is nothing but cackle.’.
1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 159: He was there with a line of glib Cackle about every Citizen having a real proprietory Interest in his own Country.
1933		E. Mordaunt Mrs. Van Kleek (1949) 24: A nice cackle there’d be.
1956		H. Gold Man Who Was Not With It (1965) 137: I mean my talk, my way with the crowd [...] who shuffled forward to my cackle.
1970		A. Sillitoe Start in Life (1979) 234: ‘All right,’ I said. ‘Stop the cackle. I can’t stand it so early in the morning’.
1986		J.B. Keane Bodhrán Makers 177: Long enough I’ve had to suffer your cackle day in day out.
2012		T.P. McCauley ‘Lady Madeline’s Dive’ in ThugLit Sept./Oct. [ebook] Her boozy cackle filling the small room.
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 290/1: cackle talk.

2. (US) an egg [SE cackle, the sound made by a hen].

1908		Commercial (Union City, TN) 22 May 5/1: ‘Two cackles slapped in the face and three squeals crisp,’ howled the waiter.
1923		El Paso Herald (TX) 31 Jan. 8/1: ‘Two cackles and a grunt’ calls for ham and eggs.
1930		DN VI 689: Two cackles with their eyes open, two fried eggs.
1946		F. Eikel Jr ‘An Aggie Vocab. of Sl.’ in AS XXI:1 31: Cackle(s) [...] Egg.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.

In compounds

cackleberry (n.)

(Aus./Can./US) an egg.

1897		Princeton Union (MN) 12 Aug. 5/4: His language inflamed some of the hot heads and [...] a gust of wind wafted a few specimens of antiquated cackleberries in the direction of the speaker’s head.
1900		Princeton Union (MN) 1 Mar. 2/3: The dairyman [...] guarantees his cackleberries to be strictly of the first quality.
1916		DN IV 272: Pass the cackleberries.
1918		Eve. Dispatch 15 Aug. 2/6: the Canadian soldier [...] explained with abroad smile that cackleberries were eggs — boiled or poached.
1925		J. Stevens ‘Logger Talk’ AS I:3 139/1: He goes forth to eat of ‘cackleberries and grunts (eggs and bacon)’ and a ‘string of flats,’ and ‘larup (pancakes and sirup)’.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 45: Cackleberries. – Eggs. From the 18th-century English thieves’ slang, ‘cacklers’ ken,’ a hen roost, and ‘cackling cheats,’ fowls.
1939		J. Archibald ‘Dumb is the Word for Willie’ in Popular Detective Aug. 🌐 Willie [...] ordered a ham-and-egg sandwich. ‘Stick a grunt and a cackleberry between the sheets, Mike!’ the counterman yodeled.
1941		N. Alley I Witness 321: Each member of a family was allowed one egg every two weeks, so that a family of six, for sad instance, could draw a dozen cackleberries each month.
1955		(con. 1939–45) J. Klaas Maybe I’m Dead 286: How long has it been since ye’ve seen a nice fresh white cackleberry like this one.
1968		D. O’Grady A Bottle of Sandwiches 101: Breakfast of bacon, cackleberries, Hogan’s ghost, and two quarts of tea.
1977		J. Ramsay Cop It Sweet! 20: Cackleberries: Eggs.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 194: In Alice’s view, it wasn’t breakfast without eggs (which she called ‘crackleberries’ [sic] when she was in a good humor).
1982		N. Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 123: Hen fruit/cackleberries are eggs.
1984		(con. WW2) T. Jones Heart of Oak [ebook] There I was to learn [...] cackleberries and kye, bangers and Spithead pheasant, underground pheasant and doctor’s chum, and keep my bobstay and shit-kickers clean [etc.].
1999		S. Dawson Aussie Sl. 22: cackleberry: an egg.

cackle fart (n.)

(Polari) an egg.

2019

P. Baker Fabulosa 290/1: cackle fart an egg.

cackle fruit (n.) (also cackle jelly)

an egg.

1941		P. Kendall Army and Navy Sl. 3: Cackle jelly . . . eggs.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS 84/1: cackle-jelly n. an egg.
1966		in DARE.
2006		at www.greylodge.com 8 May 🌐 Cacklefruit is slang for a hard boiled egg. We are told cacklefruit comes from the Three Stooges.

In phrases

cut the cackle (v.) (also cut the cackle and come to the horses, cut the tackle (and get to the horses))

to come to the point; usu. as an imper.

1884		Referee (London) 28 Dec. 2: In the words of a former proprietor of this Amphitheatre [see next] I will, if you please, cut the cackle and come to the ’osses.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant I 216/1: The great [Andrew] Ducrow, when manager of Astley’s [Music Hall] was wont to apostrophise the performers in his equestrian drama after this fashion: ‘Come, I say, you mummers, cut your cackle, and come to the ’osses!’.
1898		Pall Mall Gaz. 28 Feb. 9/1: It has been agreed that effective measures must be taken to dam the tide of Parliamentary rhetoric [...] to 'cut the cackle and come to the 'osses'.
1899		‘Pot’ & ‘Swears’ Scarlet City 63: Cut the cackle, Mrs B. [...] you’re going too many knots an hour.
1900		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 3 Oct. 1/3: As the circus man said to his clown, let us ‘cut the cackle and get to the horses’.
1904		Marvel 12 Nov. 7: Cut all such cackle [...] What’s the good of talking such rubbish.
1918		‘Sapper’ Human Touch 97: Cut the cackle about morning mists and such like. [Ibid.] 170: Cut the tackle, my lad, and get to the ‘osses.
1924		‘Sapper’ Third Round 631: The lady in particular [...] seemed only too ready to cut the cackle and get down to it again.
1937		J. Curtis There Ain’t No Justice 143: Cut your cackle and come to the hosses.
1942		A. Christie Body in the Library (1959) 41: I suggest you cut the cackle and come to the horses. Just what exactly do you know about the girl?
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 242: Cut the cackle.
1953		I. Hamilton Till Human Voices Wake Us 76: I told him [...] to cut the cackle and let me know what he came down [to the prison] for.
1963–74		B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 88: Cut the cackle and hop into the horsecollar.
1969		B. Mason Awatea (1978) 33: Cut the cackle.
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 139: ‘Cut the cackle,’ I interrupted.
2004		(con. 1990s) N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 428: Let’s cut the cackle and get on with it.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 270: ‘Cut the cackle, Alan,’ Quinlan elbowed him aside.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 17: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, omi-palones and palone-omis, cut the cackle, please’.