1885. G. A. Sala, in Daily Telegraph, 26 Sept., 5-6. Who hangs for hours about the Piazza Colonna at Rome, chattering and scandal-magging.
2. (thieves').—To steal.
1818. Scott, Heart of Midlothian, xliii. And loot the carters magg the coals.
3. (American thieves').—See quot.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v. Magging. Getting money by cheating countrymen with balls, patent safes, etc.
Mag's diversion. See Meg.
Maga, subs. (literary).—Blackwood's
Magazine.
Magdalene, subs. (colloquial).—A
reformed prostitute.
1693. Congreve, Old Batchelor, iv. 6. You don't love mutton, you magdalen unconverted?
1818. Lady Morgan, Fl. Macarthy, 11. ii. 79 [1819]. I will not have my house made a magdalen Asylum to a parcel of canting methodistical thieves.
1873. Wilkie Collins, The New Magdalene [Title].
1883. Trollope, Autobiography, p. 239. Very little of the Magdalene about her—because though there may be many Magdalenes they are not often found.
Mag-flying, subs. (thieves').—See
quot. Cf. Mag = halfpenny.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 26 March, p. 2, col. 8. Of the twenty-nine 'night charges', by far the greater number were of . . . boys for mag flying, i.e., 'pitch and toss'.
MAGGIE, subs. (Scots').—A harlot.
Cf. Kitty.
1603. Philotus, S. P. R. [1792], iii. 50. Ye trowit to get ane burd of blisse, To have ane of thir maggies.
Maggie Rab (or Robb), subs. phr.
(Scots').—1. A bad half-penny.
2. (Scots').—A bad wife.
Magging, subs. (colloquial).—Talking.
1864. E. Yates, Broken to Harness, xxx. I can understand it all, you've been worked upon by the chatter and magging of these silly women until you've lost your own calm common sense.
Maggot, subs. (common).—1. A
whim; a crotchet; a fad (q.v.).
Cf. (Scots') 'bee in bonnet'; (Fr.)
des rats dans la tête.
1655. Massinger, Very Woman, v. 1. Now I dare swear Thou hast maggots in thy brains, thou wouldst not else, Talk of impossibilities.
1678. Butler, Hudibras, iii. 2, 1375. To reconcile our late dissenters, Our breth'ren though by other venters; Unite them and their different maggots, As long and short sticks are in faggots.
1685. Crowne, Sir Courtly Nice, ii. 1. The beef o' the nation breeds all the maggots in the people's heads.
1701. Farquhar, Sir Harry Wildair, iii. 1. Some time ago he had got the travelling maggot in his head, and was going to the Jubilee upon all occasions.
1706.Farquhar, Recruiting Officer, iii. 1. Pride possesses their hearts, a maggot fills their heads.
1712. Arbuthnot, History of John Bull, Pt. 1. ch. x. John heard all this while, with patience, till she pricked his maggot, and touched him in the tender point.
1719. Durfey, Pills to Purge, iv. 77. Not long ago as all alone I lay upon my Bed, 'Twixt sleeping and waking, this maggot came in my Head.
1822. Scott, The Fortunes of Nigel, iii. 'The King is a weel-natured and just man of his ain kindly nature, but he has a wee maggots that maun be cannily guided.'
1843. John Sterling, in Life by Carlyle, Pt. 111. ch. vi. The thing is not bad; but will require great labour. Only it is labour that I thoroughly like; and which keeps the maggots out of one's brain, until their time.
