1589. Puttenham, Arte of Engl. Poes., p. 184. As in our triumphals, calling familiarly upon our muse, I called her moppe, But will you weet, My little muse, my prettie moppe, If we shall algates change our stoppe, Chose me a sweet. Understanding by this word moppe a little pretty lady, or tender young thing.
1598. Florio, Wordle of Wordes, s.v. Pupo, . . . a daintie mop, a playing babie.
1680. Dryden, Spanish Friar, i. 1. A globe in one hand, and a sceptre in t'other? A very pretty moppet!
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1706. Hudibras Redivius, x. These mix'd with brewers, and their mopsies, Half dead with timpanies and dropsies.
1706. Vanbrugh, The Mistake. Leon. Ah woman! foolish, foolish woman! San. Very foolish indeed. Jacin. But don't expect I'll follow her example. San. You would, mopsie, if I'd let you.
5. (old).—A grimace.
1609. Shakspeare, Tempest, iv. 1. Each one, tripping on his toe, Will be here with mop and mow.
1621. Fletcher, Pilgrim, iv. 2. What mops and mows it makes!
6 (old).—A fool.
c.1399. Depos. Richard II [Wright (1838), 24]. Daunsinge to pipis, In myrthe with moppis, myrrours of sin.
c.1430. York Plays, 299. This mop meynes that he may marke men to ther mede He makis many maistries and mervayles emange.
Verb. (common).—1. See quot. 1811. Also mop up.
1675. Cotton, Scoffer Scofft, in Works (1725), p. 261. I'll stand, or lie as thou dost pray me, And moppe too, if thou'lt not betray me.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. To mop up. To drink up. To empty a glass or pot.
1851-61. H. Mayhew, London Lab., iii. 260. I have seen the youngest mop up his half-quartern as well as I did.
1868. Whyte Melville, White Rose, xxix. He mopped up his champagne, though, pretty freely. Do you suppose now, he could have been drunk?
2. (colloquial).—To collect. Also mop up.
1851-61. H. Mayhew, London Lab., iii. 213. If I gets inside, I'll mop up 1/- if it's good company, or perhaps 3d. or 4d., and always plenty to drink.
To mop up, verb. phr. (common).—1. See verb., senses 1 and 2.
2. (common).—See quot.
1887. Walford, Antiquarian, April, 250. Mop up means 'Stop your talk,' and is another form of 'dry up.'
To mop (or wipe) the floor (ground, or earth) with one, verb. phr. (common).—To knock one down.
1887. Henley & Stevenson, Deacon Brodie, I. iii. 1. Muck that's my opinion of him . . . I'll mop the floor up with him any day.
1888. Detroit Free Press, 25 Aug. 'I told him that I could mop the earth with him, but had been careful not to use provoking language!'
To be mopped (or wiped) out, verb. phr. (common).—To be ruined; floored (q.v.); or killed.
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, 53. They say he's mopped out; I dunnow.
Mops and brooms, adj. phr. (common).—Drunk. For synonyms see Drinks and Screwed.
1828. Egan, Finish to Tom and Jerry, 135. Jerry declared himself to be quite mops and brooms.
1840. H. Cockton, Valentine Ven, xviii. He did mix, but scarcely took the rawness off the brandy. . . . 'The governor's getting mops and brooms,' whispered Horace to his amiable spouse.
1858. Shirley Brooks, The Gordian Knot, p. 173. If I had married a wife, I don't think I should go home to her in a state of mops and brooms, after offering to fight a fishmonger in the Haymarket because he had arranged his lobsters and prawns in a way displeasing to my bewildered eye.
