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depouille
[< Cdn F < F "skin" or "hide"]
Hist.
DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)
This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.
n.
a layer of choice fat found between the skin and muscles of a well-fed animal, especially along the back.
See: backfat
Quotations
1793
I have seen one of this tribe employ a 1/2 hour in bartering a Dozen Wolves and twice as many Depouilles . . . .
1800
The racoons were very fat, having depouilles two or three inches thick, and are excellent eating.
1892
By the middle of September this back-fat, or depouille as it is called in Northern patois, has reached a length of a foot or more forward from the tail, and, as it is sometimes a couple of inches thick and extends right across the neck, it is a great prize for the lucky hunter.
1956
Indians were fond of the depouille, or back fat, which they melted to make pemmican . . . .