E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Doss.
A hassock stuffed with straw; a bed—properly, a straw bed; whence the cant word for a lodging-house is a dossingken. Dossel is an old word for a bundle of hay or straw, and dosser for a straw basket. These words were common in Elizabeth’s reign. The French dossier means a “bundle.”
