Poach /(pōch)/

imp. & p. p. Poached; p. pr. & vb. n. Poaching

1. To cook, as eggs, by breaking them into boiling water; also, to cook with butter after breaking in a vessel.
2. To rob of game; to pocket and convey away by stealth, as game; hence, to plunder.

1. To steal or pocket game, or to carry it away privately, as in a bag; to kill or destroy game contrary to law, especially by night; to hunt or fish unlawfully; as, to poach for rabbits or for salmon.

1. To stab; to pierce; to spear, as fish. [Obs.]
2. To force, drive, or plunge into anything. [Obs.]

   His horse poching one of his legs into some hollow ground.

3. To make soft or muddy by trampling.
4. To begin and not complete. [Obs.]

1. To become soft or muddy.

   Chalky and clay lands . . . chap in summer, and poach in winter.