3. (Old Scots’).—A wench. Meg Dorts = a pert girl. Meg-Harry (Lanc.) =
a hoyden.
1538. Lindsay, Syde Taillis [Chalmers, ii. 201]. Ane muirland meg,
that milkes the yowis, Claggit with clay abone the howis.
1725. Ramsay, The Gentle Shepherd. She scour’d away, and
said——‘What’s that to you?’ ‘Then fare ye weel meg dorts, and
e’en’s ye like.’
Roaring Meg, subs. phr. (old).—A monster piece of ordnance; hence, an
unfailing antidote.
1624. Burton, Anat. Melan., Pt. II. ii. 6. 3. Musica est mentis
medecina mæstæ, a roaring meg against melancholy.
Megrim, subs. (old colloquial).—1. A crotchet; and (2) a headache. Fr.
une migraine.
d. 1520(?). Dunbar, My Heid did Yak, in Poems (Scottish Text
Society Edition, 1888–9), p. 254. So sair the megrym dois me
menzie.
1609. Dekker, Almanacke [Grosart, iv. 185]. But shall be strucke
with such megrims and turnings of the braine, that insteed of going
to church, they will (if my Arte faile me not) stumble into a
Tauerne.
1639. Beaumont & Fletcher, Wit without Money, i. 1. He had never
Left me the misery of so much means eke, Which, till I sold, was a
mere megrim to me.
1673. Dryden, The Assignation, iii. 3. Now will I have the headach,
or the megrim, or some excuse.
1795. R. Cumberland, The Jew, ii. 2. Dorcas. How you ramble,
Sirrah! What megrims you have in your head!
1866. G. Eliot, Felix Holt, xi. ‘Can’t one work for sober truth as
hard as for megrims?’
Meg’s diversions, subs. phr. (common).—1. Whimsical pleasantry; and (2)
old Harry (q.v.).
1834. M. G. Dowling, Othello Travestie, i. 3. The galley slaves Are
playing meg’s diversion on the waves.
1850. Craven, Meg’s Diversions [Title].
Megsman. See Magsman.
Mejoge, subs. (old).—A shilling; a bob (q.v.).—Discoveries of John
Poulter (1754).
Mell, subs. (Old Cant).—The nose. For synonyms see Conk.
Verb. (venery).—To copulate. For synonyms see Greens and Ride. Also
Meddle.
d. 1450. Lydgate (Halliwell). Like certeyn birdes called vultures,
Withouten mellyng conceyven by nature.
b. 1468. Ludus Coventriæ [Shaks. Soc. 1841], p. 215. And a talle
man with her dothe melle.... We xul take them both togedyr Whylle
that thei do that synful dede.
1541. Schole House of Women [Hazlitt, Early Pop. Poetry (1866), iv.
133]. Made him drunk, and so at last medled with him.
1598. Shakspeare, All’s Well etc., iv. 3. Men are to mell with,
boys are not to kiss.
Mellow, adj. (common).—See quot. 1690.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Mellow, a’most Drunk; also
smooth, soft Drink.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1774. Garrick, Epitaph on Goldsmith, ‘Here Hermes,’ says Jove, who
with nectar was mellow.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1821. Byron, Don Juan, Cant. iii. St. 82. Had been the favourite of
full many a mess Of men and made them speeches when half-mellow.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Melon, subs. (Royal Military Academy).—A new cadet. For synonyms see
Snooker.
Melt, verb. (old).—1. See quots.; to blew (q.v.).
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Melt.... Will you melt a Bord?
Will you spend your Shilling? The Cull melted a couple of Decuses
upon us, the Gentleman spent ten Shillings upon us.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4th ed.), p. 19. And if any of their
Acquaintances gives them l’argent, then they jump into their Cellar
to melt it.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1748. Dyche, Dictionary (5th ed.). Melt (vi) ... also a cant word
for extravagantly spending any considerable sum of money.
1765. Foote, Commissary, i. 1. Give him the sixpence, then, there
lay it out as you will. Coachm. It will be to your health,
mistress; it shall melt at the Mews, before I go home.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1843. Moncrieff, The Scamps of London, i. 1. What did you do with
the tin? Bob. Melted it, of course, in less than a month.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
1869. C. Reade, Foul Play, lii. I had him arrested before he had
time to melt the notes.
1880. Jamieson, Dict. Scott. Lang., s.v. Melt, to spend money on
drink; a low term, but much used; as, ‘I’ve jist ae saxpence left,
let’s melt it.’
1887. W. E. Henley, Villon’s Straight Tip, How do you melt the
multy-swag?—Booze and the blowens cop the lot.