unequal. The Atlantic beat Mrs. Partington. She was excellent at a slop or puddle, but should never have meddled with a tempest.
1872. Besant and Rice, Ready-Money Mortiboy, xxx. As Mrs. Partington would say, they might all three have been twins.
Mr. Speaker, subs. (America).—A
revolver. For synonyms see
Meat-in-the-pot.
Mrs. Suds, subs. (common).—A
laundress.
1757. Foote, Author, i. Mrs. Suds, your washerwoman, makes the three half crowns.
M's and W's, TO make M's and
W's, verb. phr. (printers').—To
be drunk.
M. T., subs. phr. (railway).—1.
Empties, or empty carriages: see
Moll Thompson's mark.
2. (common).—An empty bottle; a dead-man (q.v.).
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
Mubblefubbles, subs. (Old Cant).—Low
spirits. Cf. Mulligrubs.
1592. Lyly, Mydas, v. 2. Melancholy is the creast of courtiers armes, and now every base companion, being in his mublefubles, says he is melancholy.
1654. Gayton, Festiv. Notes, 46. Whether Jupiter was not joviall, nor Sol in his mubblefubbles, that is long clouded, or in a total eclipse. Ibid. 145. Our Mary Gutierez, when she was in the mubblefubles, do you think I was mad for it?
[?] Misc. Antiq. Angl. in X. Prince, 55. And when your brayne feeles any payne, With cares of state and troubles, We'll come in kindnesse to put your highnesse Out of your mumble-fubbles.
1847. Halliwell, Archaic . . . Words, s.v. Mubble-fubbles . . . depressed in spirits without any serious cause. A cant term.
Much, subs. (colloquial).—An
expression of quality, e.g., 'Not
much of a lawyer' = not a very
good lawyer.
Much of a muchness, phr. (colloquial).—Very much the same thing.
1837. S. Warren, Diary of a Late Physician, xxi. 'The people I want are very, very poor!' 'Oh! oh! oh! I'm thinking they're all much of a muchness for the matter of that, about here,' he replied.
1840. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 3. S. ii. It is much of a muchness, sir,—six of one, and half a dozen of the other.
1860. Punch, v. 28, p. 135. The two are much of a muchness.
1870. Dickens, Mystery Ed. Drood, iv. p. 27. 'Surely this key is the heaviest of the three,' 'You'll find 'em much of a muchness, I expect,' says Durdles 'They all belong to monuments.'
1876. G. Eliot, Daniel Deronda, xxxi. Gentle or simple, they're much of a muchness.
1891. Sportsman, 2 April. The sport was much of a muchness with that usually seen there of recent years.
Not much! (or not muchly!), adv. (colloquial).—Not likely; certainly not! in derision.
1598. Shakspeare, 2 Hen. IV, ii. 4. What with two points on your shoulder? Much!
1599. Jonson, Ev. Man Out of His Humour, i. 3. To charge me bring my grain into the markets, Aye, much! when I have neither barn nor garner.
Much cry and little wool. See Cry.
Muchly, adv. (common).—A great
deal.
[?]. M. S. Bibl. Reg., 17 B, 15 [Halliwell]. Went gravelie dight to entertaine the dame, They muchlie lov'd, and honour'd in her name.
