Mrs. Goff, subs. phr. (American University).—A woman. For synonyms see Petticoat.
Mrs. Grundy, subs. phr. (common).—A personification of respectability. See quots. 1849 and 1855. [From a character in Speed the Plough, see quot. 1798].
1798. J. Morton, Speed the Plough, i. 1. Be quiet woolye? always ding, dinging Dame Grundy into my ears—What will Mrs. Grundy say? What will Mrs. Grundy think?
1849. Lytton, Caxtons, Pt. xv. ch. iii. I have hit upon a mode of satisfying the curiosity of our friend Mrs. Grundy—that is, 'the World'—without injury to any one.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, li. 'What will Richmond, what will society, what will Mrs. Grundy in general say to such atrocious behaviour?'
1891. Tales from Town Topics, 'How a Shell Broke the Ice,' p. 39. Come in; Mrs. Grundy has run away from Paris long ago.
Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Gamp, subs.
phr. (Fleet St.).—The Morning
Herald and The Standard
under the proprietorship of Mr.
Baldwin. [Cf. Dickens, Martin
Chuzzlewit, passim].
1846. Punch, x. p. 11. It is a fact—and as the evening Mrs. Harris says, we will stake our reputation upon it—that Mrs. Gamp of the Herald did, one day last week, write, that is scold, a leader about Lord John Russell, and did not quote Sydney Smith!
1885. Punch, 8 August. The Standard figures as 'Sairey Gamp' scolding—in allusion to a recent article in the S. abusing Lord Randolph Churchill.
Mrs. Jones, subs. phr. (common).—A
water-closet.
English synonyms. Bog; bog-shop (or -house); cacatorium; chapel (or chapel-of-ease); coffee-shop (or -house); colfabias; crapping-castle (-case, -casa, -house, or -ken); draught-chapel; dunnakin; Forty-two; fourth; gong; House of Commons; house-of-office; jakes; letter-box; the Long (University); my aunt's; necessary-house; quaker's burying-ground; place (or house)-of-ease; rear; shit-house; Sir Harry; the West Central; where the Queen goes on foot (or sends nobody).
French synonyms. Madame Bernard (cf. Mrs. Jones); le buen-retiro (popular); chez Jules; le goguenau (gogueno or goguenot—military); le gras (thieves': cf. Bog); le longchamps (cf. Long); la mousserie (thieves'); le numbro cent (popular: a play on sent); le restaurant à l'envers (common); la sacristie (cf. chapel).
Mrs. Lukey Props, subs. (tramps').—A
bawd.
Mrs. Partington, subs. phr. (colloquial).—A
personification of impotent
and senile prejudice. Also,
a kind of Malaprop.
1831. Sydney Smith, 'Speech at Taunton.' I do not mean to be disrespectful; but the attempt of the lords to stop the progress of reform reminds me very forcibly of the great storm of Sidmouth, and the conduct of the excellent Mrs. Partington on that occasion. In the winter of 1824, there set in a great flood upon that town; the tide rose to an incredible height; the waves rushed in upon the houses; and everything was threatened with destruction. In the midst of this sublime storm, Dame Partington, who lived upon the beach, was seen at the door of her house with mop and pattens, trundling her mop, squeezing out the sea-water, and vigorously pushing away the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic was roused; Mrs. Partington's spirit was up; but I need not tell you that the contest was
