There was a chunk of meat among other things, a gristly piece, seeing which Mr. Damon had objected to its being brought along, but the guide had said it would do for fish bait.
"Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders or, The Underground Search for the Idol of Gold"
Victor Appleton
You know the sister you thought was a beauty and dear, until you met her sister, who was gristly and a jade.
"Somehow Good"
William de Morgan
All the animals below the fishes, such as worms, sea-anemones, oysters, clams, and insects, get along very well without any bones at all; and when we are born, our bones, which haven't fully "set" yet, are still gristly and soft.
"A Handbook of Health"
Woods Hutchinson