1751. Smollett, Peregrine Pickle, xlix. He . . . told the physician that he was like the root of the tongue, as being cursedly down in the mouth.
1864. Edmund Yates, Broken to Harness, x. What won't do? asked Prescott, with flaming face. Why, this Kate Mellon business, Jim. It's on hot and strong, I know. You've been down in the mouth all the time she was away.
1880. A. Trollope, The Duke's Children, xlvii. I'm sorry you're so down in the mouth. Why don't you try again?
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xxxiii. Poor Old Jim looks dreadful down in the mouth.
1894. George Moore, Esther Waters, xxx. I'm a bit down in the mouth.
To laugh on the wrong (or other) side of one's mouth (or face), subs. phr. (colloquial).—To cry.
1714. Lucas, Gamesters, 65. But tho' he laugh; 'twas on the wrong side or his mouth.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v. Laugh.
1823. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Laugh.
1826. Buckstone, Death Fetch, i. 4. Snapsch. (Aside.) And have a pretty family of them about my ears the first time I'm left alone in the dark, who would soon make me laugh on the other side of my mouth, I fancy.
1837. Carlyle, Diamond Necklace, iii. By and bye thou wilt laugh on the wrong side of thy face.
Mouth that says no words about it (or cannot bite), subs. phr. (old).—The female pudendum.
1719. Durfey, Pills etc., iv. 71. That feeds the mouth that cannot bite.
See also, All mouth; big-mouth; bone; cat; silver-spoon; lion; water.
Mouth-bet, subs. (racing).—A verbal bet.
Mouther, subs. (pugilists').—A blow on the mouth.
1821. The Fancy, Vol. I. p. 254. The Jew brought first blood by a mouther.
Mouth-glue, subs. (old).—Speech.
160[?] Davies of Hereford, Wittes Pilgrimage (Grosart, 1878, ii. h). 'In Praise of Poesie.' And Iudgement ioyne them fast with Art's Mouth-glue.
1688. Crowne, City Politics, ii. 1. As for marriage-promises, they are but church mouth-glue, they won't hold a couple together three days.
Mouthing, subs. (common).—See quot.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v. Mouthing. Crying.
Mouthpiece, subs. (thieves').—See quot. Fr. un lessiveur (thieves'
whitewasher); un médecin (
doctor: cf. malade = prisoner; l'hôpital = prison); un parrain.
1888. Greenwood, Old People etc., 18. It was for the benefit of a man, whose name I needn't mention, who was 'in trouble' and in need of a bit of money, the card said, to procure him a mouthpiece,—which, perhaps you might not be aware, is another word for a defending counsel among those sort of characters.
Mouth-Thankless, subs. phr. (Old Scots').—The female pudendum. For synonyms see Monosyllable.
1460-1505. Kennedy, Ane Aigit Man (Bannantyne M.SS. Hunt. Soc. Publications, p. 780-82). That ewir I scherwit mowth thankless.
d.1555. Lyndsay, Answer to the King's Flyting, in Wks. (Edinburgh, 1873), I. 106, l. 33. Sae sair I rew That ewir I did mouth-thankless so persew.
15?-15?. A. Scott, Of May, in Wks. (Edinburgh, 1826). For helth of body now have e Nocht oft to mell with thankless mowth.
Move, subs. (common).—See quots. To be up (or fly) to a move or two (or every move on the board) = to be wide-awake.
