† puzzle-pegn.
Obsolete.
1. A piece of wood, pointed at one end and flattened towards the other, fastened to the lower jaw of a dog so that the pointed end projects in front, in order to prevent the dog from putting its nose close to the ground.Puzzle-pegs were fitted esp. to hunting dogs so that they would use the scent in the air rather than that on the ground to follow the quarry (cf. rake v.1 3b). The device also prevented a dog from tearing the game.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping dogs or cats > [noun] > keeping or affinity with dogs > place to exercise hounds > collars, leads, etc.
linea1000
collar1377
torretc1386
dog collar1485
doghook1528
terret1530
slip1564
dogwhip1583
trash1611
shangan1787
puzzle-peg1789
puzzle1792
shangy1825
leading-strap1856
nosepiece1865
dog tag1882
lead1893
harness1895
silent whistle1923
standing iron1934
1789 tr. G. F. Magné De Marolles Ess. Shooting 228 The best method to be used with a dog of that description, is, to put the puzzle peg upon him.
1819 Sporting Mag. 4 xvi. 264 The principal use of the puzzle-peg, appears to be that of worrying and fretting the animal to no purpose.
1870 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports i. i. iii. §7. 56 By the constant use of this puzzle-peg..the dog loses, by habit, the tendency to stoop.
2. figurative. A puzzling subject, a puzzle.
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1845 Zoologist 3 947 This last insect, to use the term of its late..describer, has always been a ‘puzzle-peg’.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2020).
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n.1789