E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Crib (A).
Slang for a house or dwelling, as a “Stocking Crib” (i.e. a hosiery), a “Thimble Crib” (i.e. a silversmith’s). Crib is an ox-stall. (Anglo-Saxon, crib, a stall, a bed, etc.)
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“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean.”—Prov. xiv. 4.
A child’s crib is a child’s bed. (See preceding column.)
