Cataian —
“A,”
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, ii. 1.
129
; TWELFTH NIGHT, ii. 3.
73. Meaning properly a native of Cataia or Cathay, that is, China, is supposed to
have become a cant term for a thief or sharper, because the Chinese were notorious for their
skilful thieving; but in the second of the above passages it is certainly used playfully by
Sir Toby as a term of reproach or contempt.
A General Glossary to Shakespeare's Works. Alexander Dyce. Boston. Dana Estes and Company. 1904.
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