d.1796. Burns, Epistle to a Tailor. An' whatfor no Your dearest member.
3. (common).—A person: almost exclusively with qualifying terms, as hot (q.v.); rum (q.v.); warm (q.v.) and the like.
1891. Sporting Life, 28 Mar. Accordingly Jem was put to work, but, warm a member as our hero was, standing in front of a blazing furnace for hours and pushing in and pulling out huge bars of iron was too hot even for Jem's sanguinary temperament.
Member-mug, subs. (common).—1.
A chamber-pot. For synonyms see
It.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
2. (Westminster School).—An out-of-door boy.
Men. See Man for all senses.
Menagerie, subs. (theatrical).—The
orchestra.
Menavelings, subs. (railway clerks').—Odd
money in the daily accounts;
FLUFF (q.v.); overs and
shorts. Cf. Manablins.
Mend. To mend fences, verb. phr.
(American).—To mind one's own
business; to attend to one's interest.
To correct (or mend) the magnificat, verb. phr. (old).—To correct that which is faultless.—Ray (1670).
Mentor, subs. (American).—See
quot.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v. Mentor. A second in the ring.
Mephisto, subs. (tailors').—A foreman.
Merchant, subs. (old).—A term
of abuse.
d.1555. Latimer, Sermons, 115. b. [Nares]. The crafty merchant that will set brother against brother meaneth to destroy them both.
1557-8. Jacob & Esau [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), ii. 253]. What, ye saucy merchant, are ye a prater now?
1595. Shakspeare, Romeo & Juliet, ii. 4. 153. I pray you, sir, what saucy merchant was this that was so full of his ropery?
1633. Match at Midnight, v. 1. I knew you were a crafty merchant.
To play the merchant, verb. phr. (old).—See quot. 1593.
1593. Nashe, Christ's Teares [Grosart (1885), iv. 240]. Is it not a common proverb amongst us, when any man hath cosened or gone beyonde us, to say, Hee hath playde the merchant with us.
1632. W. Rowley, Woman Never Vext, iv. 1. I doubt, Sir, he will play the merchant with us.
Mercury, subs. (old: now recognised).—1.
See quots.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Mercury . . . and a Courant or News-letter.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Mercury . . . it is now applied in cant phrase to the carriers of news and pamphlets.
1827. Todd, Johnson's Dict., s.v. Mercury . . . it had been a cant phrase more than a century before Dr. Johnson's time; and was used generally for a messenger.
2. (old).—See quot. 1690. Mercurial = witty.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Mercury, Wit. Ibid. s.v. Mercurial, witty.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
3. (old).—A thief; a trickster.
1599. Jonson, Every Man Out of His Humour, i. 2. I would ha' those mercuries should remember they had not their fingers for nothing.
