chute n also shoot, shute. Cp OED ~ 1 [1725-1, DAE n 1 (1806-), DC 1 (1793) [shoot obs (Nfld: 1772-)] for sense 1; EDD shoot sb 11 for sense 2; OED shute³ 1 dial for sense 3.
   1 A narrow declivity in a river.
   [1770] 1792 CARTWRIGHT i, 12 The rest of the bed of the river runs more on a level, but is incommoded by many rocky obstructions, which form falls, shoots, and rapids. 1792 ibid Gloss i, xiv Shoot in a river. A place where the stream, being confined by rocks which appear above water, is shot through the aperture with great force. 1842 JUKES ii, 93 A narrow foaming channel and up a 'shute,' or small fall of a foot or two. 1868 HOWLEY MS Reminiscences 29 There are two long smooth reaches on the river above, called 'Steadies... Between the latter and the steady the river is very rugged and broken by falls, chutes and rapids. 1879 HARVEY 20 When the stream is collected into a narrow channel, and rushes along one bank with great rapidity, it forms a 'chute,' and it is often hard work to pole a boat against such a current. [1900 OLIVER & BURKE] 42 The west end had Carroll's well, Apple-Tree well ... with Mullins' river and Waterford river to fall back on when the wells ran dry. The east end had Bell Shute, Garrett's well, Garrison hill well, Bray's well, and Rennie's river to depend on. 1969 HORWOOD 2 The river forked above, and there was a whisper of a rapids below—a 'chute' leading to a 'rattle,' as our woodsmen describe it.
   2 Hence, a St John's place-name for a steep path by a stream.
   1931 BYRNES 93 How many can recall the old streets and lanes of our youth? ... Bell Shoot. . The Barking Kettle. 1937 DEVINE 13, 43 Chute, shoot, shute—a declivity. A narrow, inclined street or lane, e.g. Bell Shoot, Sheen Shoot, hill-streets in old St John's. 1944 LAWTON & DEVINE 70 When [the mailman] came to the 'Chute' (the rising ground at which you catch the first sight of the town) he blew a tin horn about two feet long.
   3 Eaves-gutter of a house (1966 PADDOCK 126).

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