Cold muffin, phr. (common).—Poor; of no account.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 36. I thought the theayter cold
muffin.
Muffin-baker, subs. (rhyming).—A quaker (q.v.).
Muffin- (or Muff-)cap, subs. (common).—The flat woollen cap worn by
charity-boys.
1837. R. Barham, The Ingoldsby Legends (ed. 1862), p. 9. Mr.
Peters, though now a wealthy man, had received a liberal education
at a charity-school and was apt to recur to the days of his
muffin-cap and leathers.
1838. Dickens, Oliver Twist, vi. His jealousy was roused by seeing
the new boy promoted to the black stick and hatband, while he, the
old one, remained stationary in the muffin-cap and leathers.
1872. Daily Telegraph, 4 July. The Americans, indeed, appear to
have a peculiar fondness for the ‘busby’ and the muff-cap as items
of military head-gear, distinctly preferring them to the helmet.
Muffin-face, adj. and subs. (common).—A hairless countenance. See quot.
1823.
1777. Isaac Jackman, All the World’s a Stage, i. 2. Master Charles,
who is that gentleman? He’s acting, isn’t he? Has he a muffin-face?
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. Muffin-faced—one who has large
protruding muscles on his phiz, which is pale withal, is ‘a
muffin-faced son of a ——;’ mostly cooks, idle gourmands, &c. who
delight in fat, soups, and slip-slops, evolve mutton-faces.
Muffing, adj. (common).—Bungling; clumsy.
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab., iii. 62. ‘You can pick out a good
many Punch performers, without getting one so well versed as I am
in it; they in general makes such a muffing concern of it.’
Muffin-worry, subs. (common).—A tea-party.
1864. Derby Day, p. 16. There are men who do not disdain
muffin-worries and crumpet-scrambles.
Muffle, subs. (pugilistic).—1. A boxing-glove. Also muffler.
1755. Connoisseur, No. 52. He has the shape and constitution of a
porter, and is sturdy enough to encounter Broughton without
mufflers.
1811. Moore, Tom Crib, xix. Chap. 7. ... shows that the Greeks, for
mere exercise of sparring, made use of muffles or gloves.
1819. Byron, Don Juan, ii. 92. For sometimes we must box without
the muffle.
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. Mufflers—gloves with wool stuffed upon
the knuckles, for boxers to spar withal, and not hurt each other
too much; claret comes sometimes.
1827. Reynolds, The Fancy, ‘Stanzas to Kate.’ Forgive me—and
mufflers I’ll carefully pull O’er my knuckles hereafter.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
1891. Licensed Victuallers’ Mirror, 30 Jan. p. 7, c. There were
few, if any, men of about his height and weight who could stand
before him with the mufflers.