Seldom-used words - M to A

[ControllingKink]

Moll Peatly's Gig: A rogering bout.

Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811).

 

[oggbashan]

Moll Peatly's Gig: A rogering bout.

Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811).

Aha! Someone else with the 1811 dictionary. The phrase immediately after Moll Peatly is:

Moll Thompson's Mark - MT i.e. empty, as "Take away this bottle. It has Moll Thompson's mark on it." (And you thought MT was a modern usage?)

 

[NaokoSmith]

Ogg, I am hoping to catch you and ask:

Why is crumpet the euphemism for naughty things?

So sorry that it's completely out of order! I know I should wait till 'c', but I'm longing to know.

 

[oggbashan]

Ogg, I am hoping to catch you and ask:

Why is crumpet the euphemism for naughty things?

So sorry that it's completely out of order! I know I should wait till 'c', but I'm longing to know.

Dictionary of Historical Slang:

Crumpet - 1. The head: late C19 - 20; 2. Woman as sex; women viewed collectively as instruments of sexual pleasure: low from circa 1880 compare with buttered bun and crackling - terms of endearment; lower classes from late 1890s.

[Og's note: Crumpet meaning 2 is always singular, a term for one or a group of attractive women. Crumpets are the bakery product. 'My buttered bun' and 'My crackling' suggest that the woman addressed is sexually desirable. ]

 

[NaokoSmith]

Dictionary of Historical Slang:

Crumpet - 1. The head: late C19 - 20; 2. Woman as sex; women viewed collectively as instruments of sexual pleasure: low from circa 1880 compare with buttered bun and crackling - terms of endearment; lower classes from late 1890s.

[Og's note: Crumpet meaning 2 is always singular, a term for one or a group of attractive women. Crumpets are the bakery product. 'My buttered bun' and 'My crackling' suggest that the woman addressed is sexually desirable. ]

But why not, my little Bath bun? I mean, I realise that might only be applicable to Wives of Bath (I lived in Bath for a bit, btw ). Or my pikelet.

Bother, I missed the 'p's. Pikelets are a sort of form of crumpet, I believe. I think I may have made them. I'll look for the recipe.

Back soon!

 

[Handley_Page]

crumpet
[Origin uncertain: perh. conn. w. crumb CRUM v.2]
1 A thin griddle-cake. L17-M19.
2 A soft cake made with flour and yeast and cooked on a griddle or other hot surface, now usu. of a type intended for toasting and eating with butter etc. M18.
3 The head. Esp. in barmy in the crumpet, barmy on the crumpet, wrong in the head, mad. slang. L19.
4 old crumpet: used as a familiar form of address. slang. E20.
5 A sexually attractive woman; women collectively; sexual intercourse with a woman. slang.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Oxford Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

[AllardChardon]

Well, I certainly missed a lively day, yesterday.

Carlus, I never did understand "pig in a poke, thanks for explaining it so nicely.

Og, from the information on pockets to crumpets, you are invaluable, as always.

ControllingKink, excellent entry, which led to more informative posts from the wonderful Og.

Naoko, this thread to open to all entries, at all times, forward or back. I only use the format to post each day, but my excellent contributors, like you, have no such rules.

Handley, so crumpets were like pancakes and are now more like an English muffin, good to know, thanks for adding the actual definition for the ignorant Americans, like me.

mome - noun archaic BLOCKHEAD, FOOL

 

[NaokoSmith]

Do you suppose it's because crumpets are eaten warm and toasted? And they have crunchy bits and soft bits? I mean, if I say: How about a bit of muffin, hur hur, you will all say: "Yes please, and plenty of butter on mine." But How about some crumpet, and we all snigger.

HP, I am so sorry I didn't define matutinal properly. I just alluded to the early morningness of it by blethering on about pancakes.

Matutinal - adj. of or occurring in the morning.

I'll bring in multiculturalism, although it's a well-used word, in order to tell you about Piglet's dramatic production this afternoon, which was on religions of the world. In an inspired (not) moment of multiculturalism, they decided to bring the children in to talk about Judaism to the tune of Desmond Dekker's Israelites (one of the hit songs of Rastafarianism) . I really didn't dare look at the Rabbi who was one of the guests of honour.

rose: Allard.)

 

[NaokoSmith]

Manse - dwelling inhabited by member of the clergy, usually Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.

The Old Manse in Concord Massachusetts:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/The_Old_Manse_%28view_from_Concord_River%29%2C_Concord%2C_Massachusetts.JPG/220px-The_Old_Manse_%28view_from_Concord_River%29%2C_Concord%2C_Massachusetts.JPG

From which, the phrase: son/daughter of the manse, child of a Minister brought up in such a home. This tends to be used of Scots, e.g. Gordon Brown, John Buchan, Eric Liddell (remember in Chariots of Fire how he refused to run on a Sunday).

 

[oggbashan]

Manse - dwelling inhabited by member of the clergy, usually Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.

From which, the phrase: son/daughter of the manse, child of a Minister brought up in such a home. This tends to be used of Scots, e.g. Gordon Brown, John Buchan, Eric Liddell (remember in Chariots of Fire how he refused to run on a Sunday).

Daughters of the manse; vicars' daughters etc. used to be assumed to be raving sex-maniacs in revolt from their strict upbringing.

My personal experience with a couple of ministers' daughters didn't fit that profile.

 

[AllardChardon]

Og and Naoko, here they are called "preachers' daughters" and have the same reputation, which they do live up to, especially in the South. Mormon women from Utah also have the same reputation, according to men I have met, who would know. It is funny how the extremely religious types are labeled as sex-driven maniacs. I suppose it is for good reason.

moly - noun a mythical herb with a black root and milk-white blossoms and magical powers

Makes me wonder if this word is the reason the latest rave drug for teenagers is called molly?

 

[Handley_Page]

moly - noun a mythical herb with a black root and milk-white blossoms and magical powers

Makes me wonder if this word is the reason the latest rave drug for teenagers is called molly?

From Wiki:
Homer also describes Moly by saying "The root was black, while the flower was as white as milk; the gods call it Moly, Dangerous for a mortal man to pluck from the soil, but not for the deathless gods. All lies within their power".

It might even be a simple snowdrop.

 

[AllardChardon]

A Happy Fourth of July wish for the Americans on board.

Handley, I had never encountered moly before, so I have no idea which plant it might be, but thanks for the suggestion. You could be right.

Here is a gruesome name I have never heard before;

Moloch - noun a Semitic deity worshiped through the sacrifice of children

 

[CarlusMagnus]

A Happy Fourth of July wish for the Americans on board.

Handley, I had never encountered moly before, so I have no idea which plant it might be, but thanks for the suggestion. You could be right.

Here is a gruesome name I have never heard before;

Moloch - noun a Semitic deity worshiped through the sacrifice of children

Now, like many pagan deities, considered by the Christian world to be one of Lucifer's demons.

 

[AllardChardon]

Carlus, I can see why Christians feel like that. I am amazed at how many cultures actually did sacrifice children to their gods. The last ones I researched were from Carthage.

Here is a great sounding word with two separate definitions;

mollycoddle(1) - noun 1. a pampered weakling; specif: an effeminate man 2. GOODY-GOODY

mollycoddle(2) - vt CODDLE, PAMPER

 

[NaokoSmith]

What a horrid beast Moloch sounds! Instead of sacrificing Piglet I am sacrificing my eyesight composing a letter from the Tooth Fairy. Owing to the wretched incompetent winged being's failing a while back to remember to sort out Piglet's tooth, a correspondence was entered into. I'm bitterly regretting giving Apple Blossom the trainee tooth fairy such curly handwriting.

I've come in fresh from an interesting production of a play about Mametz Woods (WW1 battlefield) which was presented in fields and woods and sheds in Monmouthshire. It was very good, much better than I'd feared.

I did have a word to bring in here! but in the stress of composing the Tooth Fairy's missive, I've forgotten it, LOL.

 

[AllardChardon]

Naoko, I had four children and you can be sure the tooth fairy was absent on several occasions. We told them that so many kids must have lost their teeth on the very same day the world over that she just couldn't reach our remote mountain home by daybreak. "Just give the tooth fairy one more day, and I am sure she will arrive," we told them. It did not take long before they knew the truth and just handed over the tooth with an open hand. LOL It is no wonder our children do not trust us after Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy all turn out to be conspiratorial lies.

moline - noun of a heraldic cross: having the end of each arm forked and recurved

 

[Handley_Page]

Naoko, I had four children and you can be sure the tooth fairy was absent on several occasions. We told them that so many kids must have lost their teeth on the very same day the world over that she just couldn't reach our remote mountain home by daybreak. "Just give the tooth fairy one more day, and I am sure she will arrive," we told them. It did not take long before they knew the truth and just handed over the tooth with an open hand. LOL It is no wonder our children do not trust us after Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy all turn out to be conspiratorial lies.

moline - noun of a heraldic cross: having the end of each arm forked and recurved

It originates in the 'curved extremities of a mill-rind'

 

[AllardChardon]

Thank you, Handley, for that nice explanation.

Another fabric word for Naoko;

moleskin - noun 1. the skin of the mole used as fur 2.a. a heavy durable cotton fabric with a short thick velvety nap on one side b. a garment made of moleskin - usually in plural

I have plenty of moles in both my front and back yards, which my outdoor cats enjoy immensely. There must be enough of them to make a nice moleskin coat, if I can convince the cats to round them all up, that is. LOL

 

[Handley_Page]

Thank you, Handley, for that nice explanation.

Another fabric word for Naoko;

moleskin - noun 1. the skin of the mole used as fur 2.a. a heavy durable cotton fabric with a short thick velvety nap on one side b. a garment made of moleskin - usually in plural

I have plenty of moles in both my front and back yards, which my outdoor cats enjoy immensely. There must be enough of them to make a nice moleskin coat, if I can convince the cats to round them all up, that is. LOL

I think you might need a lot of salt to cure the pelts

 

[oggbashan]

Thank you, Handley, for that nice explanation.

Another fabric word for Naoko;

moleskin - noun 1. the skin of the mole used as fur 2.a. a heavy durable cotton fabric with a short thick velvety nap on one side b. a garment made of moleskin - usually in plural

I have plenty of moles in both my front and back yards, which my outdoor cats enjoy immensely. There must be enough of them to make a nice moleskin coat, if I can convince the cats to round them all up, that is. LOL

Yesterday's paper included a tailor's advertising catalogue. It included Moleskin trousers and jeans in 100% cotton. Moleskin was an alternative to corduroy for work trousers. Moleskin is now more fashionable than corduroy, which, particularly in brown is associated with aging Hippies who were never actually Hippies but pretended that they had been.

Wearing brown corduroy is taken as a sign that you want to be seen as Hip, but your choice of corduroy shows you aren't, and weren't.

And yes, the tailor's catalogue includes corduroy, but not 'Brown'.

 

[AllardChardon]

Og, yes moleskin fabric is very fashionable these days, thanks for pointing that out.

Handley, I am sure I will let our little poodle eat the moles the cats catch, since they don't seem to want them for nutrition at all.

moke - noun 1. slang Brit: DONKEY 2. slang Austrl: NAG

 

[AllardChardon]

Good day, everyone, it is overcast here, which is lovely, after yesterday's 107 degree heat.

moil(1) - vt, chiefly dial to make wet or dirty vi: to work hard: DRUDGE

moil(2) - noun 1. hard work: DRUDGERY 2. CONFUSION, TURMOIL

moiling - adj 1.a. requiring hard work b. INDUSTRIOUS 2. violently agitated: TURBULENT

 

[oggbashan]

Good day, everyone, it is overcast here, which is lovely, after yesterday's 107 degree heat.

moil(1) - vt, chiefly dial to make wet or dirty vi: to work hard: DRUDGE

moil(2) - noun 1. hard work: DRUDGERY 2. CONFUSION, TURMOIL

moiling - adj 1.a. requiring hard work b. INDUSTRIOUS 2. violently agitated: TURBULENT

I remember my elderly relations using the expression 'moil and toil' for a particularly physical task such as being a Railway Porter or a Dock Labourer before mechanisation.

moil comes from the Old English for moisten and therefore work that makes one very sweaty.

 

[AllardChardon]

Og, as soon as I read the word, I wondered if it had been rhymed with toil and maybe even boil, since they seemed to go together. Boil, boil, toil and trouble also came immediately to mind. Seems like the author missed adding moil to the mix.

moiety - noun 1.a. one of two equal parts: HALF b. one of two approximately equal parts 2. one of two basic complementary tribal subdivisions