Jack. - Horntip

Mike. 309 Mike.
1802. C. K. SHARPE, in Correspondence
(1882), i. 152. He is a MIGHTY
neat, pretty little, fiddling fellow, and
exceedingly finely bred.
1844. KENDALL, Santa Fe' Expedition,
i. 32. You'll be MIGHTY apt to
get wet, said a thorough-bred Texan,
who stood watching our movements.
1846-7. DICKENS, Dombey and Son,
xi. The Doctor's was a MIGHTY fine
house, fronting the sea.
1847. HALLI WELL, Archaic and
Provincial Words, etc., s.v. MIGHTY,
fine, gay.
1848. Georgia Scenes, 84. His face
is MIGHTY little for his body.
1892. GUNTER, Miss Dividends,
iii. I am MIGHTY glad.
HIGH AND MIGHTY, phr. (common).-Consequential
; full of
airs '.
1892. HENLEY and STEVENSON,
Deacon Brodie, Act.Se. 2 , p . io.Ye needna
be sae HIGH AND MIGHTY, onyway.
MIKE, subs. (common).- T. An Irishman.
2. See MIKER.
3. See MICKY.
Verb. (common).- I . To lurk ;
to skulk ; to hang about : also TO
DO A MIKE (or moucH). Also
Mid, MICHE, MOOCH, or MOUCH.
For synonyms see LOAF.
149[?]. Towneley Mysteries (' Judiciurn'),
Surtees Soc. Pub. (1835), p.
320. The negons thai MOWCHID, and
hadde no wile.
1598. FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes,
s.v. Fare a chetichegli.... to sneake
or MICH about lurkingly.
d.1599. SPENSER, View of the State
of Ireland [Ency. Diet]. 'Straggle up
and down the country, or micx in corners
amongst their friends idlely.'
1612. CHAPMAN, Widow's Tears
[DonsLEv, Old Plays, vi. 212]. Not for
this M1CHING base transgression Of truant
negligence.
1613. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER,
lion. Man's F., v. 1. Say we should
all mEAcH here, and stay the feast now,
What can the worst be ? we have plaid
the knaves, That's without question.
1825. EGAN, Life of an Actor, p.
28. MIKE or Shammock. Technical or
cant phrases amongst printers. To have
a MIKE is to loiter away the time, when
it might be more usefully or profitably
employed.
1851-61. H. MAYHEW, London Lab.,
i. p. 472. These hedge fellows arc slow
and dull ; they go MOUCHING along as
if they were croaking themselves.
1876. HINDLEY, Adventures of a
Cheap. Yack, p. 59. When not employed
MOUCHED about.
1887. W. E. HENLEY, Villon's Good
Nig -ht. You spongers MIKING round the
pubs.
1888. cornhill Mag., Febr., p. 178.
The poacher is a product of sleepy village
life, and usually moucHEs on the outskirts
of country towns.
1888. ROLE BOLDREWOOD, Robbery
Under Arms, XXII. MOOCHING about
cattle.
2. (old).-To play truant ;
to CHARLEY-WAG (q.v.).
1581. LvLy, Euphues, 29. What
made the gods so often to trewant from
heaven, and micx here on earth.
1787. GROSE, Prov. Glossary, S.V.
MOOCH.
3. (tramps').-To hang about :
for alms, a job, or a chance
to pilfer. Also ON THE MOUCH.
1888. Daily Telegraph, 27 Nov.
Yet it might safely be wagered that,
while the poor street folk who pick up
a pt ecarious livelihood in this way would
not resent being called costermongers,
they would be bitterly offended at being
stigmatised as mouchers, and would hotly
assert that they never mg.)ucHED a penny
from anybody.
1888. Indoor Paufiers,i. Most of
these people knew how to MOUCH or beg
with skill and effect, while I could not
beg at all.
1888. Bulletin, Nov. 24. All the
dead-beats and suspected hen-snatchers
plead when before the Bench that they
were o n ly MOUCHING ROUND to find out
whether the family neglected its religious
dooties, yer washup.'