Verb. (common).—1. To lurk; to skulk; to hang about: also to do a mike
(or mouch). Also mich, miche, mooch, or mouch. For synonyms see Loaf.
149[?]. Towneley Mysteries (‘Judicium’), Surtees Soc. Pub. (1835),
p. 320. The negons thai mowchid, and hadde no wile.
1598. Florio, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Fare a chetichegli ... to
sneake or mich about lurkingly.
d. 1599. Spenser, View of the State of Ireland [Ency. Dict.].
‘Straggle up and down the country, or mich in corners amongst their
friends idlely.’
1612. Chapman, Widow’s Tears [Dodsley, Old Plays, vi. 212]. Not for
this miching base transgression Of truant negligence.
1613. Beaumont and Fletcher, Hon. Man’s F., v. 1. Say we should all
meach here, and stay the feast now, What can the worst be? we have
plaid the knaves, That’s without question.
1825. Egan, Life of an Actor, p. 28. Mike or Shammock. Technical or
cant phrases amongst printers. To have a mike is to loiter away the
time, when it might be more usefully or profitably employed.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab., i. p. 472. These hedge fellows are
slow and dull; they go mouching along as if they were croaking
themselves.
1876. Hindley, Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 59. When not employed
mouched about.
1887. W. E. Henley, Villon’s Good Night. You spongers miking round
the pubs.
1888. Cornhill Mag., Febr., p. 178. The poacher is a product of
sleepy village life, and usually mouches on the outskirts of
country towns.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xxii. Mooching about
cattle.