Jack. - Horntip

Mussy. 393 Mutton.
1848. BURTON, Waggeries etc., p.
25. They soon raised a pretty muss, and
kept on tearin' at each other like a pack
o' wolves.
1848. DURIVAGE, Stray Subjects,
p. 138. You're eternally kicking up A
muss with somebody.
1848. JoNEs, Sketches of Travel,
p. 9. We're all in a muss now gettin'
ready for the journey.
1859. MATSELL, Vocabulum, s.v.
Muss. A quarrel ; a row.
1888. Texas Siftings, i 8 Aug.
Raw oysters for two, mister.' Yes,
sir-have 'em in the shell ? " Yes, John, if
you think you kin open 'em 'thout makin'
a muss.'
2. (old).-A term of endearment,
[Probably from mousE].
1596. JoNsoN, Every Man in His
Humour, ii. 3. What ails you, sweetheart
? Are you not well ? Speak, good
MUSS.
Verb. (American).-To confuse;
to disorder; to mess-up.
MUSSY, adj. (American).-Disordered.
Also MUSSED-UP.
1888. Detroit Free Press. Neither
of us got two winks of sleep during the
night on the car, and Mr. Bowser narrowly
escaped coming into deadly conflict
with conductor and porter. We
reached Chicago in a MUSSED-UP condition.
MUSTANG, subs. (American).-An
officer entering the U. S. navy
from the merchant service, after
serving through the Civil War.
MUSTARD-POT, subs. (venery).-The
female _pudendum. For synonyms
see MONOSYLLABLE.
m UTCH ER, subs. (thieves').-See
quot.
1862. H. MAYHEW, Lon. Lab., iv.
282. They loiter about the streets and
public-houses to steal from drunken persons,
and are called ' Bug-hunters ' and
MUTCHERS,
MUTE, subs. (old : now recognised).
-See quot.
1785. GROSE, Vulg. 7ongue, S.V.
MUTE. An undertaker's servant, who
stands at the door of a person lying in
state : so named from being supposed
mute with grief.
MUTTON (or LACED MUTTON).- I .
A loose woman. Generic for the
sex.
1569. BRACTON, De Legibus,
Courtisans. . . . oyes.
1578. WHETSTONE,PrOMOS and Cas.,
6, pl. i. p. 14. And I smealt he loved
LASE MUTTON well.
1594. GREENE, Frier Bacon, in
Wks.(GRosART), xiii. 94. The old lecher
bath gotton holy MUTTON to him, a Nunne
my lord.
1595. SHAKSPEARE, Two Gentlemen
of Verona, i. 1. Ay, sir : I, a lost
mutton, gave your letter to her, a LAC'D
MUTTON; and she, a LAC'D MUTTON, gave
me, a lost mutton, nothing for my labour.
1596. NASHE, Have 7,(11.1% You,
[GRosART (1885), iii. 61]. He that wold
not stick so to extoll stale rotten LAC'D
MUTTON, Will . . . . sucke figges out of
an asses fundament.
1599. BRETON, Wil of Wit [GRO-
SART (1879), ii. C. 62/1. 18]. If your
stomache stande to flesh, eate of a little
warme MUTTON, but take heede it be
not LACED.
1602. MIDDLETON, Blurt Master
Constable, sign. B. Laz. Pilcher, Cupid
bath got me a stomacke, and I long
for LAC'D MUTTON. Pil. Plaine MUTTON
without a lace would serve.
1602. DEKKER, Honest Whore
[DoDsLEv , Old Plays, iii. 365]. Baa,
lamb, there you lie, for I am MUTTON.
1604. MARLOW, Doctor Faustus
[NAREs].1 am one that loves an inch of raw
MUTTON, better than an ell of dride
stockfish ; and the first letter of my name
begins with letchery.
1606. Return from Parnassus
[DoDsLEv Old Plays (1874), ix. 18o].
But there's no pleasure always to be
tied to a piece of MUTTON. .. For mine
own part . . . I am well-provided of
three bouncing wenches.