March. See Dirty-shirt march.
Marching-regiment, subs. (military).—An infantry regiment of the line:
in disparagement.
Marchioness, subs. (common).—A slatternly maid-of-all-work; a slavey
(q.v.). [From the character in The Old Curiosity Shop, by C. Dickens].
1883. G. A. Sala, in Ill. L. News, 24 Nov., p. 499, col. 1. I light
upon the London papers, containing alarming statements about a
little bit of a maid-of-all-work.... This marchioness down in
Shrewsbury Vale has, it would appear, been the object of the most
astounding ‘manifestations.’
1885. J. S. Winter, Bootles’ Baby, ch. ii. p. 36. To develop into
the unnaturally widened and unkempt hand of a marchioness.
Mare, subs. (common).—A woman; a wife. The grey mare is the better
horse = the wife rules the husband.
To win the mare or lose the halter, verb. phr. (old).—To play double or
quits.
Money makes the mare go, phr. (common).—Money does anything you will.
1605. Breton, An Old Man’s Lesson [Grosart, ii. l, 7, 2, line 32].
Money is a matter of more moment than you make account of; why
money makes the medicine for the sick, pleads the client’s cause,
maintains the merchant’s trade, makes the soldier fight, and the
craftsman work, and the traveller tread lightly, and the old mare
trot, and the young tit amble.
1662. Rump Songs, i. 232. ‘The Power of Money.’ Furr’d Aldermen
too, and Mayors also; This makes the old wife trot, and makes the
mare to go.
1728. Bailey, Eng. Dict., s.v. Money.
1857. Kingsley, Two Year’s Ago, Introd. I’m making the mare go here
in Whitford, without the money too, sometimes.
1886. Grego, Parl. Elections, 9. The proverb still remains, a relic
of the days in which it had its origin, ‘Money makes the mayor to
go.’
Shanks’s mare. See Shanks.
To go before the mare to market, verb. phr. (old).—To do preposterous
things.—Ray (1767).
Mare’s-nest, subs. (common).—A supposed discovery; a hoax; a delusion.
Also to find a mare’s nest and laugh at the eggs.
1647. Beaumont and Fletcher, Bonduca, v. 2. Why dost thou laugh?
What mare’s nest hast thou found?
1764. O’Hare, Midas, i. 3. Heyday! What mare’s nest’s found?
1767. Ray, Proverbs [Bohn (1893), 56], s.v.
1785 and 1823. Grose, Vulg. Tongue (1st and 3rd eds.), s.v. Mare’s
nest. He has found a mare’s nest, and is laughing at the eggs; said
of one who laughs without any apparent cause.
1859. Lever, Davenport Dunn, i. 206. He’s always mare’s nesting.
1861. Cornhill Magazine, iv. 105. ‘A Cumberland mare’s nest.’ In
short you Lorton wiseacres, on coming to examine it, Have found a
regular mare’s nest, and ’stead of eggs, a lamb in it.
1864. The Spectator, p. 355. It would not do for Englishmen to be
ticketted as Englishmen all over the Continent, for they are
recognised easily enough by that dialect of French which Mr.
Kinglake once called Continental English—he has exchanged mots
since then for mare’s nests.
1870. Lowell, Among my Books, 1st Ser., p. 292. It [the average
German mind] finds its keenest pleasure in divining a profound
significance in the most trifling things, and the number of mare’s
nests that have been stared into ... passes calculation.
1873. Notes and Queries, 4 S. xii. 136. Each, in his endeavour to
correct me, actually justifies my doubt, and their united
criticisms prove that the stumbling-block which I have found, be it
what it may, is not a mare’s nest.
1883. James Payn, Thicker than Water, ch. xlvii. ‘Dr. Bilde and the
rest discovered something wrong and hoped for the worst, whereas
they’ve only found a mare’s nest,’
The mare with three legs, subs. phr. (old).—The gallows; the triple
tree (q.v.).
1834. Ainsworth, Rookwood, ‘The game of High toby.’ For the mare
with three legs, boys, I care not a rap.
Mare’s-tails, subs. (nautical).—Feather-like clouds indicative of wind.
Margery-prater, subs. (Old Cant).—See quot.; a cackling cheat (q.v.).
1573. Harman, Caveat (Repr. 1814), p. 65. A margeri prater, a hen.
1609. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight, in Wks. (Grosart), iii.
201. Margery prater, a Henne.
1652. R. Brome, A Jovial Crew. Here’s grunter and bleater, with
tib-of-the-buttry, And margery prater all dress’d without slutt’ry.
1665. R. Head, English Rogue, Pt. 1. ch. v. p. 50 (1874), s.v.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1712. T. Shirley, Triumph of Wit, ‘The Maunder’s Praise of His
Strowling Mort.’ When the Lightman up does call, margery prater
from her nest.
1724. E. Coles, Eng. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Maria. See Black Maria.
Marigold (or Marygold), subs. (common).—1. One million sterling.