1655. History of Francion [Nares]. The eagle more mindfull of prey
than honour, did one day mootch from the thunder which lame Vulcan
had made, as crooked as himself, for almighty Jupiter.
1862. H. Mayhew, Lon. Lab., iv. 418. I don’t mean to say that if I
see anything laying about handy that I don’t mouch it (i.e., steal
it).
Miker (Moucher, or Moocher), subs. (common).—A skulker; a petty thief;
a beggar. Also, a truant. Also mich and micher. See quots. passim. For
synonyms see Loafer.
1360. Chaucer, Rom. of Rose [Skeat (1894), i. 241. 6541]. Unne the
that he nis a micher.
1450–1500. Gesta Roman. I. ch. 28, 94. The first [duty] is to wake
in goode werkes, when othere men slepithe in synne, and for to
slepe, when othere men wakithe, dothe thevis and mychers.
149[?]. Towneley Mysteries [Surtees Soc.’s Pub. (1835), p. 216].
Thefes and mychers keyn.
15[?]. Babees Book [E. E. T. S.], 401. Chyld, be thou lyer nother
no theffe: Be thou no mecher for myscheffe.
c. 1520. Hycke Scorner [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), i. 164]. Wanton
wenches, and also michers.
1590. Greene, Mourning Garment [Grosart (1881–6), ix. 133]. If
Aristotle had still, like a micher been stewed up in Stagyra.
1592. Nashe, Summer’s Last Will [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), viii.
57]. I know thou art but a micher, and dar’st not stand me.
1598. Florio, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Pillucone, a sot, a
coxcombe, a dodger, a wrangler, a micher.
1598. Shakspeare, 1 Henry IV, ii. 4. Shall the blessed sun of
heaven prove a micher and eat blackberries?
1611. Cotgrave, Dict., s.v. Caqueraffe, a base micher, scurvie
hagler, lowsie dodger, etc.
1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Micher. A lazy loiterer, who skulks
about in corners and by-places, and keeps out of sight; a
hedge-creeper. Mich or mick is still retained in the cant language
for an indolent, lazy fellow. It is used in the western counties
for a truant boy.
1775. Ash, Eng. Dict., s.v. Mich (a local word). An indolent lazy
fellow.
1847. Halliwell, Archaic and Provincial Words, s.v. Mich. Micher
... may be explained, a sly thief, one who steals things of small
value, or more usually, a truant or skulking fellow.... It was
often used as a term of contempt; Hollyband gives it as the
translation of Caignard, and Cotgrave has, ‘Chicke-face, a
chichi-face, micher, sneake-bill, wretched fellow.’
1867. London Herald, 23 Mar., p. 221. If ... asked ... what he was
doing, he would have said he was on the mouch, which being
interpreted—French, mouchard, a spy; English moucher, to be on the
look-out for something.
1888. Indoor Paupers, 33. Another and about as numerous a class of
Ins and Outs, whose members come and go and come again even more
frequently than the tiptop-spree fellows, are the mouchers or
cadgers.
1888. Cornhill Mag., Feb., p. 182. It has been already remarked
that the poacher is nothing if not a specialist. As yet we have
spoken only of the moucher, who directs his attention to fur.
1888. Daily Telegraph, 27 Nov. [A micher is] one who lives a
semi-vagabond life, selling watercresses, wild flowers,
blackberries, and other things that may be obtained in country
places for the gathering. He is a vendor, too, of dandelion leaves,
parsley, sow-thistle, clover, and so forth, as food for the myriads
of tame rabbits kept in towns.
Miking (Mooching or Mouching), subs. (common).—1. Prowling; (2)
pilfering; and (3) playing-truant. Also michery and mikery.
1393. Gower, Conf. Amant., v. Nowe thou shalt fall sore able That
like stelthe of micherie. Ibid. For no man of his counsaile knoweth
What he maie gette of his michynge.
c. 1420–80. Henryson, Fables, ‘The Fox and the Wolf’ l. 5. That
durst no more with miching intermell.
1596. Shakspeare, Hamlet, iii. 2, 147. Marry, this is miching
mallecho; it means mischief.
1603. Dekker, Wonderful Yeare, [Grosart (1886), i. 113]. Yet went
they (most bitterly) miching and muffled vp and downe.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, p. 115. Sandy Macintosh
looked fit for anything, from mouching up to murder, so long as not
too much courage was required.
Adj. (common).—1. Skulking; (2) lurking; (3) mean.
15[?]. Songs & Poems on Costume [Percy Soc.], 687. Nothinge so
fearde we are of theves Which ofte are layde in jayles, As now we
are of myching knaves, That cut off horses tayles.
1616. Beaumont & Fletcher, Scornful Lady, v. 1. Some meeching
rascal in her house.
1648. Herrick, Hesp., ii. 67. A cat I keep That plays about my
house, Grown fat With eating many a miching mouse.
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, xxiii. To mingle the soul of
martial honour with thy thieving, miching, petty-larceny blood.
1862. Lowell, Biglow Papers, 2nd Ser. p. 13. But I ain’t o’ the
meechin’ kind, thet sets an’ thinks fer weeks The bottom’s out o’
th’univarse coz their own gill-pot leaks.
1890. S. O. Jewett, Deephaven, p. 159. ‘How came the ship to run up
a tailor’s bill?’ ‘Why, them’s mine,’ said the captain, very
meeching.
Milch-cow, subs. (colloquial).—See quot. 1785. Hence any living source
of alms or revenue.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Milch-kine.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Milch-cow. One who is easily
tricked out of his property: a term used by gaolers, for prisoners
who have money, and bleed freely.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Mild, adj. (common).—Second-rate; feeble; inefficient.
1885. Sat. Review, 7 Feb., p. 166. Most of us have no wish to cheat
railway companies by travelling first class at third-class prices,
but there are ingenious adventurers who practise this mild swindle.
Draw it mild! See Draw.
Mild-bloater. See Bloater.
Miler (or Myla), subs. (vagrants’).—An ass. See Moke.
Miles’s boy. See Ralph.
Milestone, subs. (old).—A country booby.—Vaux (1823).
Milestone-monger, subs. (common).—A tramp.
Milk, subs. (venery).—Spendings (q.v.).
1669. John Aubrey, MS. Aubr., 21. Her breath is sweet as the rose
in June Her skin is as soft as silk And if you tickle her in the
flank She’ll freely give down her milk.
Verb. (venery).—1. To cause ejaculation. Cf. Milkman.
1610. Jonson, Alchymist, iii. 2. For she must milk his epididimis.
1719. Durfey, Pills to Purge, iii. 108. May teach her how to sleep
all Night, And take a great deal more Delight, To milk the cows
than thee.