1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Mubblefubbles, subs. (Old Cant).—Low spirits. Cf. Mulligrubs.
1592. Lyly, Mydas, v. 2. Melancholy is the creast of courtiers
armes, and now every base companion, being in his mublefubles, says
he is melancholy.
1654. Gayton, Festiv. Notes, 46. Whether Jupiter was not joviall,
nor Sol in his mubblefubbles, that is long clouded, or in a total
eclipse. Ibid. 145. Our Mary Gutierez, when she was in the
mubblefubles, do you think I was mad for it?
[?] Misc. Antiq. Angl. in X. Prince, 55. And when your brayne
feeles any payne, With cares of state and troubles, We’ll come in
kindnesse to put your highnesse Out of your mumble-fubbles.
1847. Halliwell, Archaic ... Words, s.v. Mubble-fubbles ...
depressed in spirits without any serious cause. A cant term.
Much, subs. (colloquial).—An expression of quality, e.g., ‘Not much of
a lawyer’ = not a very good lawyer.
Much of a muchness, phr. (colloquial).—Very much the same thing.
1837. S. Warren, Diary of a Late Physician, xxi. ‘The people I want
are very, very poor!’ ‘Oh! oh! oh! I’m thinking they’re all much of
a muchness for the matter of that, about here,’ he replied.
1840. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 3. S. ii. It is much of a muchness,
sir,—six of one, and half a dozen of the other.
1860. Punch, v. 28, p. 135. The two are much of a muchness.
1870. Dickens, Mystery Ed. Drood, iv. p. 27. ‘Surely this key is
the heaviest of the three,’ ‘You’ll find ’em much of a muchness, I
expect,’ says Durdles. ‘They all belong to monuments.’
1876. G. Eliot, Daniel Deronda, xxxi. Gentle or simple, they’re
much of a muchness.
1891. Sportsman, 2 April. The sport was much of a muchness with
that usually seen there of recent years.
Not much! (or not muchly!), adv. (colloquial).—Not likely; certainly
not! in derision.
1598. Shakspeare, 2 Hen. IV, ii. 4. What with two points on your
shoulder? Much!
1599. Jonson, Ev. Man Out of His Humour, i. 3. To charge me bring
my grain into the markets, Aye, much! when I have neither barn nor
garner.
Much cry and little wool. See Cry.
Muchly, adv.. (common).—A great deal.
[?]. M. S. Bibl. Reg., 17 B, 15 [Halliwell]. Went gravelie dight to
entertaine the dame, They muchlie lov’d, and honour’d in her name.
Muck, subs. (old: now colloquial).—1. A dripping, or oozing, mass of
filth. Hence, muck-cheap = very cheap; muck-heap, or muck-scutcheon = a
foul sloven: cf. Midden; muck-grubber = a miser; muck-hill = a
dunghill; muck-spout = a foul-mouthed talker; muck-suckle = a filthy
woman; mucky-white = sallow in complexion; muck of sweat = a violent
perspiration, etc.
1766. Goldsmith, Vicar of Wakefield, ix. She was all of a muck of
sweat.