whelpie

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From whelp +‎ -ie.

Noun[edit]

whelpie (plural whelpies)

  1. A small whelp, especially a little cub or puppy; a cur.
    • 1802, William Meston, The Poetical Works of the Ingenious and Learned William Meston, page 37:
      Familiars, brownies, water-kelpies,
      And all the other hellish whelpies; []
    • 1888, Wide Awake, volume 26, page 42:
      I begged the sailors, at least, not to tease the whelpies any more for that day.
    • 1910, Walter Seymour, Ups and Downs of a Wandering Life, page 180:
      Not that I mean any disrespect to Almighty God, but just to cheat the whelpies!