Cribhouse

Posted by Woodchuck on August 23, 2002

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse w h o r e. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary." - James D. Nicoll

It's a great quote, but what precisely is a cribhouse? Crib could refer to a bed, or it could refer to cheating. Does it mean a "ranch" or is this a term from the era of house detectives and illicit "no-tell motels"?