mystery word

[Alan H. Hartley]

Dépouille usually means 'backfat', e.g.

1800 A. HENRY (the Younger) Jrnl. (B. M. Gough ed. 1988) I. 31
"found those who we heard fire yesterday waiting for me, with the Flesh
of two very Fat Cow Buffaloes, whose depouilles were about two inches in
thickness."

1801 A. N. MCLEOD Diary in C. M. Gates Five Fur Traders (1965) 155
"the rest of their loads were made up with Bosses & Depouilles."

_A Dict. of Canadianisms_ has examples from 1793-1957.

Alan