Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) dice or crooked dice.

1552		G. Walker Detection of Vyle and Detestable Use of Dice Play 23: ‘Lo, here,’ saith the cheater to this young novice, ‘a well-favoured die, that seemeth good and square; yet is the forehead longer on the cater and tray than any other way, and therefore holdeth the name of a langret. Such be also called bard cater-tres, because, commonly, the longer end will, of his own sway, draw downwards, and turn up to the eye sice, sinke, deuis or ace.
1589		Lyly Pappe with an Hatchet B2: The quarrel was about cater-tray.
1591		Greene Notable Discovery of Coosnage in Grosart (1881–3) X 12: I mean not Cros biters at dice, when the Chetor, with a langret, cut contrarie to the vantage, will cros-bite a Card cater tray.
1605		Shakespeare London Prodigal A4: Item, to my sonne Mat Flowerdale I bequeath two bale of false dyce, videllicet, high men, and loe men, fullomes, stop cater-traies, and other bones of function.
c.1625		Rowley Woman never Vext 18: iack: Two Quarters and a Tray. step: I hope we shall have good cheere, when two Caters, and a Tray goe toth’ market.
1678		J. Ray Proverbs (2nd edn) 348: If size cinque will not, and deuce ace cannot, then quatre trey must.
1678		Behn Sir Patient Fancy V i: Pray, how long is’t since you left Toping and Napping, for Quacking, good Brother Cater-tray?
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: The names of false dice: A bale of bard cinque deuces A bale of flat cinque deuces A bale of flat sice aces A bale of bard cater traes A bale of flat cater traes A bale of fulhams A bale of light graniers A bale of langrets contrary to the ventage A bale of gordes, with as many highmen as lowmen, for passage A bale of demies A bale of long dice for even and odd A bale of bristles A bale of direct contraries.
1801		‘Modern Dict.’ in Sporting Mag. May XVIII 100/1: [as cit. 1785].
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.