1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. Mopusses Money.
1824. Egan, Boxiana, iv. 443. Ned not having the mopusses to spare.
1834. Ainsworth, Rookwood, I. ix. p. 55. Then whose inclinations
are so uncontrolled as the highwayman’s, so long as the mopuses
last?
1842. Punch, ‘Prolusiones Etymoligiere,’ p. 16. He that has the
mopusses May buy diamonds and topazes.
1844. Charles Selby, London by Night, ii. 1. Ned. I see an
improvement in the financial position—lucky, like myself. Jack.
(Aside.) Lots of mopusses.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
1883. Punch, 3 Nov., p. 210, col. 1. But what’s that to us, so’s we
pull in the mopusses.
Moral, subs. (colloquial).—1. An exact counterpart.
1590. H. Constable, Sonnets, Decade 4. Fooles be they that inveigh
’gainst Mahomet who’s but a morral of loves monarchie.
1726. Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, v. ‘I have seen the moral of my
own behaviour very frequent in England.’
1771. Smollett, Humphry Clinker, 385. The long chin is the very
moral of the governor’s.
1789. G. Parker, Life’s Painter, ‘The Bunter’s Christening.’ A
chopping boy; Which was, as one might say, The moral of his dad,
Sir.
1851. Douglas Jerrold, St. Giles and St. James, 110. She’s the very
pictur—yes, the very moral of Dick Turpin’s Bess.
1882. Graphic, 9 Dec, p. 643, col. 2. They are, for the most part,
very dungeon-like rooms; and the ventilation of the ordinary prison
cell—yes, we have tried it—is a moral by comparison.
2. (racing).—See quot. 1869. [Abbreviation of ‘moral certainty:’ see
Cert].
1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of London, 397. Everything that is
highly promising becomes, in the slang of the advertising tipster,
a moral.
1877. Belgravia, xxxii. 241. To invest a sovereign or two for her
on what they may consider a moral.
1879. Jas. Payn, High Spirits (Number Forty-seven). ‘Come, Bob,’
said my master, ‘that disposes of your friend Adamson’s having had
anything to do with it, which you thought such a moral.’
1880. A. Trollope, The Duke’s Children, lxxiv. ‘I think that we
shall beat Cambridge this year to a moral,’ said Gerald.
1883. Referee, 25 March, p. 1, col. 1. She landed the stake with
much ease, and thereby upset what at first appeared one of the
biggest coursing morals upon record.
1888. N. Gould, Double Event, p. 178. Lord Mayfield went into
ecstasies over him, and said the double looked a moral.
1889. Ally Sloper’s Half-Holiday, 6 July. Cucumber was, to use the
words of a sporting friend of Pottle’s, a moral.
1891. Lic. Vict. Gaz., 3 April. An idea of the strength of the
moral may be gathered when it is stated that in a field of fifteen
6 to 4 was freely taken about the Danebury horse.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 62. Hangling isn’t my mark,
that’s a moral, and fishermen mostly is fools.
Moral-shocker, subs. (Fleet St.).—A novel dealing with sex. Also
hill-topper.
Moray-coach, subs. (Scots’).—See quot.
1808–25. Jamieson, Dict., s.v. Moray-coach, a cart. A cant term,
used in ridicule...; like the phrase, a Tyburn coach.
More. See Elbow, Power, Sacks, Seven, Twelve.
More so, adv.. (common).—A general intensitive: see quots.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bushranger’s Sweetheart, viii. But that distant
production of Australia, the larikin, is still very much to the
fore, as spry, active, and wicked as he ever was, perhaps rather
more so.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 38. Pink Dominos style, only more
so, but blowed if ’twas up to that mark.
Moreish, adj. (colloquial).—See quots. 1847 and 1864.
1738. Swift, Polite Conversation (Conv. 1). Lady S. How do you like
this tea, Colonel! Col. Well enough, madam, but methinks it is a
little morish. Lady S. Oh Colonel, I understand you; Betty, bring
the canister.
1847. Halliwell, Arch. & Provin. Words, s.v. Moorish ... wishing
for more.
1864. Hotten, Slang Dict., s.v. More-ish. When there is scarcely
enough of an eatable or drinkable, it is said to taste more-ish;
as, ‘This wine is very good, but it has a slight more-ish flavour.’
Morgan, subs. (American).—A bare-faced imposture.
1826. Weed [in Auto., i. 319]. [In 1826 American masons were
accused of murdering Morgan, a renegade. Popular feeling ran high,
and a violent anti-masonry crusade resulted, national politics
being considerably influenced. Mr. Thurlow Weed, one of the chief
figures of the episode, says:—] The election of 1827 elicited an
accusation against me, which assumed proportions not dreamed of by
those with whom it originated.... Ebenezer Griffin, Esq., one of
the council of the ‘kidnappers,’ who was going to Batavia to
conduct the examination, observed laughingly to me, ‘After we have
proven that the body found at Oak orchard is that of Timothy
Monroe, what will you do for a Morgan?’ I replied in the same
spirit, ‘That is a good enough Morgan for us until you bring back
the one you carried off.’
Mork, subs. (thieves’).—A policeman. For synonyms see Blue.
1889. Clarkson and Richardson, Police, 346. To hear if there are
any morks or any one in the way.
Morning, subs. (common).—An early dram; an eye-opener (q.v.). Also
morning-rouser.
1814. Scott, Waverley, xviii. Of this he took a copious dram,
observing he had already taken his morning with Donald Bean Lean.
1854. R. W. Van der Kiste, The Dens of London, p. 268. On rising to
attend his work, according to his custom, he first went to a
certain gin-shop in T—street for his morning.
1872. Globe, 12 Mar. That species of ‘refresher’ which in some
parts of our country is known as a morning is also a German
institution.
The top of the morning, phr. (Irish).—A cheery greeting.
Morning-drop, subs. (old).—1. The gallows. For synonyms see
Nubbing-cheat.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. Morning drop. He napped the king’s pardon and
escaped the morning drop; he was pardoned, and was not hanged.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Morning-hills, subs. (Winchester College).—See quot.
1866. Mansfield, School Life, 52. On holidays and Remedies we were
turned out for a couple of hours on to St. Catherine’s Hill ...
once before breakfast, (Morning Hills), and again in the afternoon,
(Middle Hills).
Morning-rouser. See Morning.
Morning-sneak, subs. (old).—See quot.
1819. Vaux, Memoirs, ‘Glossary,’ s.v. Morning-sneak, going out
early to rob private houses or shops by slipping in at the door
unperceived, while the servant or shopman is employed in cleaning
the steps, windows, etc.
Morning-star, subs. (old).—A weapon used as late as by the London
train-bands, temp. Henry VIII. It consisted in a spiked ball chained to
a staff. Called also Holy-water Sprinkler.
Morocco-man, subs. (old).—See quot.
1868. Brewer, Phrase & Fable, s.v. Morocco men, agents of lottery
assurances. In 1796, the great State lottery employed 7500 morocco
men. Their business was to go from house to house among the
customers of the assurances, or to attend in the back parlours of
public-houses, where the customers came to meet them.
Morpheus. In the arms of Morpheus, phr. (colloquial).—Asleep. See
Murphy.
Morris (or Morrice), verb. (old).—To decamp. See quot. 1785.
1773. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, iii. Tony, I don’t value
her resentment the bounce of a cracker; zounds, here they are!
Morrice! Prance! (Exit Hastings).
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Morris. Come, morris off; dance off
or get you gone; allusion to morris, i.e., morisco, or Moorish
dancing.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
1835. Comic Almanack, 34. Being naturally desirous of recovering
his footing, a messenger was morrissed off for a supply.
1838. Dickens, Oliver Twist, p. 37 (ed. 1850). Up with you on your
pins. There! Now then! Morrice.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
1883. Grenville Murray, People I Have Met, p. 69. The fellows dine
with them, flirt with them, and morris off to town in spring for
better amusement.
Morsel, subs. (old).—1. A person; (2) hence, a harlot, a bit (q.v.), a
piece (q.v.).
d. 1529. Dunbar, Woving of the King, in Wks. (Scot. Text Soc.,
Edinburgh, 1883–4). Scho was ane morsale of delight.
1609. Shakspeare, Tempest, ii. 1. 286. To the perpetual wink for
aye might put This ancient morsel, this Sir Prudence. Ibid. (1603)
Measure for Measure, iii. 2. 57. How doth my dear morsel, thy
mistress.
1641. Marmion, Antiquary, iv. ’Tis your own leman, your own dear
morsel.
Dearest morsel (or bodily part), subs. phr. (old).—The female pudendum.
For synonyms see Monosyllable.
1605. Shakspeare, Cymbeline, i. 5. I have enjoyed the dearest
bodily part of your mistress.
Mort, subs. (Old Cant).—1. A woman, chaste or not. See quots. passim.
And (2) a yeoman’s daughter. Also Mot. Hence, autem-mort = a married
woman; walking (or strolling) mort = a female tramp; kinchin-mort = a
little girl; dimber-mort = a pretty wench.
1567. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 49. These autem mortes be maried
wemen, as there be but a fewe: For Autem in their language is a
church, so shee is a wyfe maried at the church, and they be as
chaste as a cowe I have, that goeth to bull eury moone, with what
bull she careth not. Ibid. ‘Glossary.’ Mortes, harlots.
1597–8. Munday, Downfall of Robert, etc. [Dodsley, Old Plays
(1874), viii. 156]. If I can get the girl to go with me Disguis’d
in habit like a pedlar’s mort.
1607. Dekker, Jests to Make You Merie, in Wks. (Grosart), ii. 308.
He is not worthy of the name of notable theefe among theeues, which
is without his mort or punck.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, ‘The Maunder’s Wooing.’ O Ben Coue
that may not be, For thou hast an Autum-mort who euer that is she.
1611. Middleton, Roaring Girl [Dodsley, Old Plays, vi. 110]. Marry,
this, my lord, says he: Ben mort (good wench), shall you and I
heave a bough, etc.
1611. Cotgrave, Dictionarie, s.v. Belistresse ... a doxie, morte.
1621. B. Jonson, Maske of Gipsies. Male gypsies all, not a mort
among them.
1622. Beaumont and Fletcher, Beggar’s Bush, ii. 1. Each man shall
eat his own stol’n eggs and butter In his own shade, or sun-shine,
and enjoy His own dear dell, doxy, or mort at night.
1640. Wit’s Recr. [Hotten], 441. And for the Rome-morts ... They
are of the sorts That love the true sports.
1656. Muses Recr. [Hotten], 48. A Lord of this land that lov’d a
Bum well, Did lie with this Mort one night in the Strummel.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Morts.... Yeoman’s daughters;
also a Wife, Woman, or Wench.
1712. T. Shirley, The Triumph of Wit, ‘The Maunder’s Praise of His
Strowling Mort.’ Doxy oh! thy glaziers shine, As Glimmar by the
Salomon, No gentry-mort hath parts like thine, No Cove e’er wap’d
with such a one.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Mort. A woman or wench; also a
yeoman’s daughter.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xvii. ‘Tour out,’ said the one
ruffian to the other; ‘tour the bien mort twiring at the gentry
cove.’
1834. H. Ainsworth, Rookwood, bk. III. ch. v. Morts, autem-morts,
walking morts, dells, doxies, with all the shades and grades of the
canting crew, were assembled.
1837. Disraeli, Venetia, ch. xiv. Tip me the clank like a dimber
mort, as you are.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
1885. Burton, Arabian Nights, iii. 302. Nor mott nor maid from thee
my heart shall spell.