1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Mischief. A man loaded with
mischief, i.e., a man with his wife on his back.
Misery, subs. (common).—Gin. For synonyms see Drinks and White Satin.
Misfit, subs. (tailors’).—An awkward man.
Mish, subs. (old).—A shirt or chemise; cf. Camesa. [An abbreviation of
commission (q.v.)].
1665. R. Head, English Rogue, Pt. I. ch. v. p. 48 (1874), s.v.
1712. T. Shirley, Triumph of Wit, ‘The Maunder’s Praise of His
Strowling Mort.’ What though I no Togeman wear, Nor Commission,
mish or Slate.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4th ed.), p. 13, s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Mishmash, subs. (old).—See quots.
1598. Florio [Halliwell], p. 95. A chaos, a confused lump, a
formelesse mass, a mish-mash.
1609. Holland, Ammianus Marcellinus [Nares]. And these are so full
of their confused circumlocutions, that a man would thinke he heard
Thersites with a frapling and bawling clamor to come out with a
mishmash and hotchpotch of most distastfull and unsavorie stuffe.
1638. Sir T. Herbert, Travels in Africa, p. 27. Their language ...
[is] a mish-mash of Arabic and Portuguese.
1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Mishmash. A low word. A mingle or
hotch-potch.
Mish-topper, subs. (old).—A coat or petticoat.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Miss, subs. (old).—1. See quot. 1662.
1662. Evelyn, Diary, 9 Jan. She being taken to be the Earle of
Oxford’s misse, as at this time they began to call lewd women.
1675. Cotton, Scoffer Scofft, in Wks. (1725), p. 268. It is mettle
carries misses.
1675. The Character of a Town Miss, 3. ‘A miss is a new name which
the civility of this age bestows on one that our unmannerly
ancestors called whore and strumpet.’
1678. Butler, Hudibras [Johnson]. All women would be of one piece,
The virtuous matron and the miss.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Miss, a Whore of quality.
1691–2. Gentlemen’s Journal, Jan. p. 37. As subject to mistake an
affected sorrow for a real grief, as our cullies, the fawnings of
their misses for a true passion.
d. 1701. Dryden, in Wks. [Johnson]. This gentle cock, for solace of
his life, Six misses had besides his lawful wife.
1714. Lucas, Gamesters, 197. Not sufficient to support his
extravagancy in keeping several misses.
1719. Durfey, Pills to Purge, i. 174. Then bring the miss for
Morning Bliss.
1729. Gay, Polly, i. xix. Abroad after misses most husbands will
range.
1775. Ash, Eng. Dict., s.v. Miss ... a strumpet, a prostitute, a
concubine.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1786. Burns, The Inventory. I hae nae wife, an’ that my bliss is.
An’ ye hae laid nae tax on misses.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.