It could be no ordinary declension of nature that could bring some men,
after an ingenuous education, to place their "summum bonum" upon their
trenchers.
South.
Trencher cap, the cap worn by studens at Oxford and Cambridge
Universities, having a stiff, flat, square appendage at top. A similar
cap used in the United States is called Oxford cap, mortar board, etc.
— Trencher fly, a person who haunts the tables of others; a parasite.
[R.] L'Estrange. — Trencher friend, one who frequents the tables of
others; a sponger. — Trencher mate, a table companion; a parasite; a
trencher fly. Hooker.
Trench"er-man (?), n.; pl. Trencher-men (&?;).