croker sack n Also croker bag, coker sack, croaker ~, crocker ~, croger ~, crokie ~, kroger ~ [Pronc-spp for crocus sack n] chiefly Gulf States, S Atl See Map
= crocus sack n.
1882 Atlanta Constitution (GA) 13 Dec 2/4, Our gallant young friend . . brought down to the Journal office as a present on last Saturday, a croker sack full of the nicest sweet pot-toes [sic] we have seen this season. 1895 DN 1.386 wFL, Coker-sack: a sack of heavy stuff for corn, bran, etc. 1908 DN 3.302 eAL, wGA, Crôker sack. . . A bag made of burlap or coarse brown hemp. Universal. 1913 Columbus Ledger (GA) 28 Dec 7/3, He was found walking along the street Friday night with a large crocker sack over his shoulder. 1916 Huntsville Daily Times (AL) 26 Nov 1/4, The clothes were put in a croker bag. 1932 Dargan Call Home 2 wNC, A thick layer of “coker” sacks, rescued from the mud around the barn and washed clean in the branch, made her mattress. 1935 Gaffney Ledger (SC) 25 May 5/2, [Advt:] Wanted to buy a few croker bags such as hulls, meal and guano sacks, etc. 1942 (1960) Robertson Red Hills 226 SC, Whole families would appear with crocker sacks slung over one shoulder—old and young would take to the cotton patch. 1953 Brewer Word Brazos 75 eTX [Black], He hangs his ole frock-tail coat an’ preachin’ breeches on a nail in de wall an’ th’ows his ol croakersack full of bed clothes in one of de room corners. 1955 Durant Daily Democrat (OK) 3 July 2/2, Joe Finley and Tom Odea of Hugo fished . . beneath the Frisco Bridge on Texoma to bring in a croaker sack full of big sandies. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. F23, A container made of rough, loosely woven, brown cloth) 70 Infs, chiefly Gulf States, Croker sack; AL14, FL36, GA3, 79, SC29, 51, Croker bag; (Qu. F19, A cloth container for grain) Infs AL21, AR52, MS1, 13, 63, 73, 85, TN44, Croker sack; (Qu. F20, A cloth container for feed) Infs AL1, FL11, GA23, MS22, 37, 63, 73, 85, Croker sack; FL31, Croker bag; MO9, Crokie sack. 1966–69 DARE Tape FL26A, Pile on burlap or croker sacks [ˈkrokə sæks] sewed together; GA50A, I’ve seen his cousin come out one evenin’ with a whole croker sack [ˈkrokɚ sæk] full of ducks. 1968 Fox Southern Fried Plus 6 20 SC, GA (as of c1940), Look at it [a woman wearing a tight sweater], will you. I say, look at it. It’s like two bobcats in a croker sack. 1972 GA Dept. Ag. Farmers Market Bulletin 8 Mar 8/2, You should try wrapping the trunks of the trees with croker sacks. 2013 in 2022 DARE File—Internet MS, I always heard them [=gunny sacks] called Kroger sacks. 2017 Ibid MS [Black], “We’d put them in old croger sacks.” “What’s a croger sack?” I asked. “It was a brown fine mesh sack they used for cotton and flour. It came up to our hip.” 2020 Greenwood Commonwealth (MS) 22 Feb sec A 2/5, Stories abound of his bringing defanged and poison-milked rattlesnakes to town in a croaker sack.
