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Webster 1913 Edition

Noun.

A hook at the end of a pole to pull down boughs for gathering the nuts.

A thief who steals by means of a hook; also, a bailiff who hooks or seizes malefactors.

Shak.

nuthook ‎(plural nuthooks)

A hook on a pole to pull down boughs for gathering nuts.
(obsolete) A thief who steals by means of a hook, or a bailiff who hooks or seizes malefactors.
(Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)