Monkey, the instrument which drives a rocket.--Army.

Monkey, 500l.-Sporting Slang.

Monkey, the vessel in which a mess receives its full allowance of grog.Sea.

Monkey-board, the place or step attached to an omnibus, on which the conductor stands.

Monkey-boat, a peculiar, long, narrow, canal boat.

Monkey with a long tail, a mortgage.-Legal.

Monkey's allowance, to get blows instead of alms, more kicks than halfpence.

Monkery, the country, or rural districts. Originally an old word for a quiet or monastic life.-Hall.

Monniker, a person's name or signature.

Month of Sundays, an indefinite period, a long time.

Mooch, to sponge; to obtrude oneself upon friends just when they are about to sit down to dinner, or other lucky time-of course quite accidentally. Compare HULK. To slink away, and allow your friend to pay for the entertainment. In Wiltshire, TO MOOCH is to shuffle. See the following.

Mooching, or ON THE MOOCH, on the look-out for any articles or circumstances which may be turned to a profitable account; watching in the streets for odd jobs, horses to hold, &c. ; also scraps of food, drinks, old clothes, &c.

Moon, a month; generally used to express the length of time a person has been sentenced by the magistrate; thus "one MOON" is one month of four weeks. A calendar month is known as a "callingder" or long MOON. A "lunar MOON," ridiculous as the phrase may seem, is of constant use among those who affect slang of this description.

Mooney, intoxicated, a name for a silly fellow.

Mooning, loitering, wandering about in a purposeless manner. Moonlight, or MOONSHINE, smuggled spirits. From the night-work of smugglers.

Moon-raker, a native of Wiltshire; because it is said that some men of that county, seeing the reflection of the moon in a pond, took it to be a cheese, and endeavoured to pull it out with a rake. Moonshee, a learned man, professor, or teacher.—Anglo-Indian. Moonshine, palaver, deception, humbug.

Mop, a hiring place (or fair) for servants. Steps are often "about to be taken" to put down these assemblies, which have been proved to be greatly detrimental to the morality of the poor. They are supposed to contribute largely to the bastardy percentages.

Mop, an habitual drunkard. Also a period of intoxication. "To be on

the MOP" is to be on the drink from day to day-to be perpetually "stale drunk."

Mop up, to drink, or empty a glass.-Old Sea term.

Mops and brooms, intoxicated. Supposed by an imaginative person to be the appearance presented by the world to a very drunkenman. Possibly the term was first used to express sea-sickness.

Mopusses, money; “MOPUSSES ran taper," money ran short.
Moral, a forthcoming result which appears certain-originally MORAL cer-
tainty. This is racing slang, as, "The race is a MORAL for Cremorne."
These MORALS are often, however, of very uncertain tenure.

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."

Morris, to decamp, be off. Probably from the ancient MORESCO, or MORRIS-DANCE. See Shakspeare.

Mortar-board, a square college cap..

Mortgage-deed, a pawnbroker's duplicate.

Moskeneer, to pawn with a view to obtaining more than the actual value of an article. There are, in various parts of the country, men who make MOSKENEERING a profession—that is, they buy jewellery which, though fairly good, is not so good as it seems, and pawn it as opportunity occurs. It is notorious that some men can obtain a much larger sum on a given article than others can; though the smallest of these professionals generally manage to get good livings, which does not say much for the judgment of those constant inspectors of personal property-pawnbrokers' assistants.

Mot, a girl of indifferent character. Formerly, Mort. Dutch, MOTTKAST, a harlotry. MOT-CART, see LOOSE-BOX.

Mouchey, a Jew.

Mouldy, grey-headed. Servants wearing hair-powder are usually termed MOULDY-PATES by street boys.

Mouldy-grubs, travelling showmen, mountebanks who perform in the open air without tent or covering. Doing this is called MOULDY

GRUBBING.

66

Mount, a saddle-horse. According to quality, “a good MOUNT," or a

bad MOUNT.

Mount, in theatrical parlance, to prepare for production on the stage. "The piece was excellently MOUNTED."

Mounter, a false swearer. Derived from the borrowed clothes men used to MOUNT, or dress in, when going to swear for a consideration. Mountain-dew, whisky, advertised as from the Highlands. Mountain-pecker, a sheep's head. Sce JEMMY.

Mourning, "a full suit of MOURNING," two black eyes; HALFMOURNING, one black eye.

Mouse, a black eye. By a façon de parler, any one with "a MOUSE" is supposed to have been to Blackwall.

Mouth-almighty, a noisy, talkative person.

Mouthpiece, a lawyer, or counsel. Thieves and their associates always speak of a counsel as a MOUTHPIECE.

Move, a "dodge," or cunning trick; "up to a MOVE or two," acquainted with tricks. Probably derived from the game of chess.

M.P., member of the police, one of the slang titles of the Force. Mrs. Grundy, the representative of the censorious world, "What will MRS. GRUNDY say?" Originally a character in the comedy of Speed the Plough. Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Gamp, nicknames of the Morning Herald and Standard newspapers, while united under the proprietorship of Mr. Baldwin. MRS. GAMP, a monthly nurse, was a character in Charles Dickens's popular novel of Martin Chuzzlewit, who continually quoted an imaginary MRS. HARRIS in attestation of the superiority of her qualifications, and the infallibility of her opinions; and thus afforded a parallel to the two newspapers, which appealed to each other as independent authorities, being all the while the production of the same editorial staff. See introductory article.

Mrs. Jones, the house of office, a water-closet.

M.T., railway slang used by porters and pointsmen for empties, or empty carriages. See MOLL THOMSON'S MARK.

Much of a muchness, alike, very much the same thing.
Muck, to beat, or excel.

"It's no use, his luck's dead in; he'd MUCK a thousand;' "he MUCKED me clean out," &c. To RUN A MUCK, or GO A MUCKER, to rush headlong into certain ruin. From a certain religious frenzy, or intoxication caused by bhang, which is common among the Malays, and which now and again causes an enthusiast, kreese in hand, to dash into a crowd and devote every one he meets to death until he is himself killed, or falls from exhaustion.-Maiay, AMOK, slaughter.

Muckender, or MUCKENGER, a pocket-handkerchief.-Old. Cf. SNOTTINGER. The original name of the "Neckinger" in Bermondsey was "the Devil's Neck-handkerchief." There is still a Neckinger

Road and Messrs. Bevington and Sons' tannery in Bermondsey bears the name of the Neckinger Mills.

Mucker, TO GO A, to go to grief, to ruin one's prospects.-Oxford Univ. Muck-out, to clean out; often applied to one utterly ruining an adver

sary in gambling.

Muck-snipe, one who has been "MUCKED OUT," or beggared, at gambling. See MUCK.

Mud-crusher, a word of contempt, used by the cavalry in reference to the infantry.

Mudfog, "The British Association for the Advancement of Science." Term first used by Charles Dickens in Bentley's Miscellany, about 1836.

Mud-lark, a man or woman who, with clothes tucked above the knee, grovels through the mud on the banks of the Thames, when the tide is low, for silver or pewter spoons, old bottles, pieces of iron, coal, or any articles of the least value, deposited by the retiring tide, either from passing ships or the sewers. Occasionally applied to those men who cleanse the sewers, and who wear great boots and sou'-wester hats. Those who are employed in banks and counting-houses, in collecting and other out-door duties, have also this appellation.

Mud-student, a farming pupil. The name given to the students at the Agricultural College, Cirencester.

Muff, a silly or weak-minded person, a duffer; MUFF has been defined to
be "a soft thing that holds a lady's hand without squeezing it."
Muffin-cap, a cap similar to that worn by a charity-boy.
Muffin-face, a white, soft, delicate, or whiskerless face.
Muffin-worry, an old lady's tea party.

Mufti, the civilian dress of a naval or military officer when off duty.—
Anglo-Indian. From an Eastern word signifying a clergyman or priest.
Mug, the mouth, or face.-Old.

"GOBLET AND MUG.'-Topers should bear in mind that what they quaff from the goblet afterwards appears in the MUG."

Mug, to strike in the face, or fight. Also, to rob or swindle. Gaelic, MUIG, to suffocate, oppress; Irish, MUGAIM, to kill, destroy.

Mug, "to MUG oneself," to get tipsy.

Mugging, a thrashing,-synonymous with " slogging," both terms of the ring," and frequently used by fighting men.

66

Muggy, drunk. Also, as applied to weather, stifling, oppressive. Mug-up, to paint one's face, or dress specially with a view to impersonation.-Theatrical. To "cram" for an examination.-Army. Mull, "to make a MULL of it," to spoil anything, or make a fool of oneself.

Mulligrubs. Vide MOLLYGRUBS.

Mullingar heifer, a girl with thick ankles.-Irish. The story goes that a traveller, passing through Mullingar, was so struck with this local peculiarity in the women, that he determined to accost the next one he met. May I ask,' ," said he, "if you wear hay in your shoes?" "Faith an' I do," said the girl; "and what then?" "Because," says the traveller, "that accounts for the calves of your legs coming down to feed on it." Multee kertever, very bad. Italian, MOLTO CATTIVO. used with the affix of bloke when referring to a man. used by circus riders.

Generally Phrase much

Mum, "to keep MUM," to hold one's peace. Hence "MUM's the word," a phrase which implies to all hearers that the matter to which it refers must remain secret.

Mummer, a performer at a travelling theatre.-Ancient. Rustic performers at Christmas in the West of England.

R

Mump, to beg. In Lincolnshire, Boxing-day is known as MUMPING

DAY.

Mumper, a beggar. A collector of holiday tribute.

Mumps, the miserables. To feel MUMPISH is to be heavy, dull, and stupid.

Mundungus, trashy, coarse tobacco. Sometimes used to represent the half-soddened, half-calcined residuum at the bottom of an all-butsmoked-out pipe, which, when knocked out, is vulgarly called the TOPPER, q. v. Spanish, MONDONGO, black pudding.

Mungarly, bread, food. MUNG is an old word for mixed food, but MUNGARLY is doubtless derived from the Lingua Franca, MANGIAR, to eat. See the following. Mungarly_casa, a baker's shop; evidently a corruption of a Lingua Franca phrase for an eating-house. The well-known "Nix Mangiare" stairs at Malta derive their name from the endless beggars who lie there and shout, "Nix mangiare," i.e., "Nothing to eat," to excite the compassion of the English who land there,-an expression which exhibits remarkably the mongrel composition of the Lingua Franca, MANGIARE being Italian, and Nix (German, NICHTS), an evident importation from Trieste, or other Austrian seaport. Munging, or MOUNGING, whining, begging, muttering.-North. Muns, the mouth. German, MUND.-Old Cant.

Murerk, the mistress of the house. See BURERK.

Murkarker, a monkey,-vulgar Cockney pronunciation of MACAUCO, a species of monkey. Jacko Macauco, or Maccacco, as he was mostly called, was the name of a famous fighting monkey, who used nearly fifty years ago to display his prowess at the Westminster pit, where, after having killed many dogs, he was at last "chawed up" by a bull terrier.

Murphy, a potato. Probably from the Irish national liking for potatoes, MURPHY being a surname common amongst the Irish. MURPHIES (edible) are sometimes called DONOVANS.

Murphy, "in the arms of MURPHY," i.e., fast asleep. Corruption of MORPHEUS.

Mush, an umbrella.

Contraction of MUSHROOM.

Mush (or MUSHROOM) faker, an itinerant mender of umbrellas. Mushroom, a hat, shaped like the fungus from which it takes its name, often worn by demure ladies.

Muslin, a woman or girl; "he picked up a bit of MUSLIN."

Musta, or MUSTER, a pattern, one of a sort. Anglo-Indian term used in describing the make or pattern of anything. A sample of any kind of merchandize. This word is very generally used in commercial transactions all over the world.

Mutton, a contemptuous term for a woman of bad character; sometimes varied to LACED MUTTON. The expression was used as a cant term for a "wild duck" in the reign of James I. As a slang term it was employed by Ben Jonson in his masque of Neptune's Triumph, whch