More on Ale-wife from Infoplease:

• Ale-wife - Ale-wife The landlady of an alehouse or ale-stand. Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. ...
• alewife: meaning and definitions - alewife: Definition and Pronunciation
• William Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew, Induction, Scene II - For God's sake, a pot of small ale.
• William Shakespeare: Henry IV (Pt 2), Act II, Scene II - Before God, I am exceeding weary.
• Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: A - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "A"