E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Cos’termonger.
A seller of eatables about the streets, properly an appleseller (from costard, a sort of apple, and monger, “a trader;” Saxon, mangian, “to trade”), a word still retained in ironmonger, cheese-monger, fish-monger, news-monger, fell-monger, etc.
