Middle-cut, subs. (Winchester College).—See quot. and Dispar.
1866. Mansfield, School Life, p. 84. There were ... eight
[portions] to a leg of mutton ... the thick slice out of the centre
of the leg was called a middle cut.
Middle-finger (or Leg), subs. (venery).—The penis. For synonyms see
Creamstick and Prick.
Middle-gate, subs. (venery).—1. The female pudendum. For synonyms see
Monosyllable.
1692. Gentlemen’s Journal, Aug., p. 8. You must as cautionary [an
earnest] give a gate—that middle gate which leads to th’ seat of
bliss.
Middle-kingdom, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms see
Monosyllable.
Middle-match. See Match.
Middle-mess, subs. (Winchester College).—See Mess.
Middle-piece, subs. (common).—The stomach. For synonyms see
Victualling-office. Also middle-pie and middle-storey.
1675. Crowne, Country Wit, iv. 1. I’ll lodge a cudgel in your
middle-storey backward.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Middling, adv. (colloquial).—Tolerably; moderately.
1869. H. B. Stowe, Oldtown, p. 31. Wal, I don’t jedge him nor
nobody.... Don’t none on us do more than middlin’ well?
Phr. (tailors’).—‘I don’t think so.’ ‘I don’t believe what you say.’
Middy. See Mid.
Midge, subs. (provincial).—A small one-horse carriage used in the Isle
of Wight.
Midge-net, subs. (common).—A lady’s veil.
Midget, subs. (colloquial).—Anything small of its kind; e.g., a
sprightly child.
1869. H. B. Stowe, Oldtown, p. 177. Now you know Parson Kendall’s a
little midget of a man.
Midlands, subs. phr. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms see
Monosyllable.
Midnight, subs. (American).—Sarsaparilla. Midnight without =
sarsaparilla without ice.
As white as midnight’s arse-hole, phr. (old).—As black as may be.
1557–8. Jacob & Esau [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), ii. 253]. As white
as midnight’s arse-hole or virgin pitch.
Midshipman’s-half-pay, subs. (nautical).—See quot. and Monkey’s
Allowance.
1856. C. Kingsley, Letters [3rd abridged ed. 1879], May. You
fellows worked like bricks, spent money, and got midshipman’s
half-pay (nothing a-day and find yourself) and monkey’s allowance
(more kicks than halfpence).
Midshipman’s-nuts, subs. (nautical).—Broken biscuit, eaten by way of
dessert.
Midshipman’s Watch and Chain, subs. phr. (old).—See quot.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. ... a sheep’s heart and pluck.
Midshipmite, subs. (colloquial).—A diminutive midshipman.
1833. Marryat, Peter Simple, i. p. 56. ‘Clap on here Peg,’ cried
the woman to another, ‘and let’s have this little midshipmite, I
wants a baby to dry nurse.’
1877. W. S. Gilbert, Bab Ballads, ‘Yarn of the Nancy Bell.’ A bosun
tight and a midshipmite.
Miff, subs. (old).—A petty quarrel; a tantrum.
1623. Butler, Feminine Monarchy, c. 5. Fol. l. 4. Your remedy is to
knocke out the bees upon the mantle between two single Rests, and
to set a fitter Hive over them; but this is not to be done before
the swarming hours be fast, lest some of the bees take a miff.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, Bk. iii. ch. vi. When a little quarrel,
or miff, as it is vulgarly called, arose between them.
1768. Goldsmith, Good-Natured Man, iv. It’s the worst luck in the
world, in anything but white. I knew one Bett Stubbs, of our town,
that was married in red; and, as sure as eggs is eggs, the
bridegroom and she had a miff before morning.
1816. Scott, Antiquary, v. In accomplishing an arrangement between
tendencies so opposite, little miffs would occasionally take place.
Verb. (old).—1. To offend; and (2) to fall out.
Adj. (old).—Angered; miffed.
1802. W. Taylor, in Robberds’s Memoir, i. 447. You are right about
Burnett, but being miff with him myself, I would not plead against
him in the least particular.
1825. Scott, Diary, in Life, viii. 133. This is not the way to make
her pluck a bawbee and Lord M—, a little miffed in turn sends the
whole correspondence to me.
Miff-maff, subs. (provincial).—Nonsense; rot (q.v.).
Miffy, subs. (common).—The devil; old scratch (q.v.).
Mifty, adv.. (old).—See quot. Cf. Miff.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Mifty, apt to take Pet, or be
out of Humour.
Mighty (or Mightily), adj. and adv.. (colloquial).—See quot. 1755. Also
mightily.
1596. Shakspeare, Merry Wives, iii. 3. 221. You do yourself mighty
wrong, Master Ford.
1609. Fletcher, Wild-Goose Chase, iv. 2. This is some mighty
dairy-maid in man’s clothes.
1668. Pepys, Diary, 26 Sept. To my house, where D. Gauden did talk
a little, and he do mightily acknowledge my kindness to him.
1693. Congreve, Old Bachelor, i. 1. Your son’s mighty like his
Grace, has just his smile and air of’s face.
1695. Congreve, Love for Love, iii. 4. Scan. Your lady says your
sleep has been unquiet of late.... Mrs. Fore. O mighty restless.
1712. Steele, Spectator, No. 438. This gentleman deals mightily in
what we call the irony.
d. 1721. Prior, in Wks. [quoted in Ency. Dict.]. He reigns: How
long? Till some usurper rise, And he too mighty thoughtful, mighty
wise: Studies new lines.
1738. Pope, Epilogue to Sat., ii. 133. But let me add, Sir Robert’s
mighty dull.
1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Mighty. In a great degree. Not to
be used but in very low language.
1775. Sheridan, The Rivals, iv. 3. There is a probability of
succeeding about that fellow that is mighty provoking.
1780. Chastellux, Travels in N. Am., ii. 14. On my asking him the
next morning how he found himself, he answered, mighty weak. Ibid.
[Note by translator]. Mighty little, mighty few, mighty weak, &c.,
are favorite expressions in America.
1793. Ld. H. Spencer, in Auckland Correspondence, III. 83 (1862).
Madame Bosset is arrived, and mighty plain.
1793. Burns, Impromptu on Mrs. ——’s Birthday. Now, Jove, for once
be mighty civil.
1802. C. K. Sharpe, in Correspondence (1882), i. 152. He is a
mighty neat, pretty little, fiddling fellow, and exceedingly finely
bred.
1844. Kendall, Santa Fé Expedition, i. 32. You’ll be mighty apt to
get wet, said a thorough-bred Texan, who stood watching our
movements.
1846–7. Dickens, Dombey and Son, xi. The Doctor’s was a mighty fine
house, fronting the sea.
1847. Halliwell, Archaic and Provincial Words, etc., s.v. Mighty,
fine, gay.
1848. Georgia Scenes, 84. His face is mighty little for his body.
1892. Gunter, Miss Dividends, iii. I am mighty glad.
High and mighty, phr. (common).—Consequential; full of ‘airs’.
1892. Henley and Stevenson, Deacon Brodie, Act. I Sc. 2, p. 10. Ye
needna be sae high and mighty, onyway.
Mike, subs. (common).—1. An Irishman.