A crutch or support device; also dialectal for a manger or animal feeding trough, particularly in British rural speech.
From Old English 'crycc' and Middle English 'criche,' related to Old Norse 'krykja.' The term evolved from a general support device to the modern crutch or regional feed container.
The word 'critch' is alive in rural British dialects even as 'crutch' took over in standard English—it's like watching language evolution happen in real time.
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