A glossary of Tudor and Stuart words, especially from the dramatists

by Walter W. Skeat

moyle, a variety of apple; ‘Of Moyle, or Mum, or Treacle’s viscous juice’, J. Philips, Cider, bk. i. (Perhaps the word means a hybrid; cp. moyle, a mule.) See [genet-moyl].

moyle; see [moil].

muccinigo, a small coin formerly current in Venice, worth about 9d. B. Jonson, Volpone, ii. 1; iv. 1; Shirley, Gent. Venice, i. 1 (Cornari). Ital. ‘mocenigo, a coyn in Venice; also the name of a considerable family there’ (Florio). The coin was named from Tommaso Mocenigo, doge of Venice, 1413-23. See NED. (s.v. Moccenigo).

much!, a contemptuous exclamation of denial. Much = much of that!, ironically; i.e. far from it, by no means. 2 Hen. IV, ii. 4. 143; Marston, Malcontent, ii. 2 (Celso), Much wench! i.e. no wench at all, B. Jonson, Every Man in Hum., iv. 6 (Brain-worm).

muck; in Dryden, Hind and Panther, iii. 1188. To run amuck, to run about in a frenzy, is a phrase due to the Malay āmuq, ‘rushing in a state of frenzy to the commission of indiscriminate murder’ (Marsden). Dryden took the a in amuck to be the E. indef. article; and reproduced the phrase in the curious form—runs an Indian muck. See Stanford (s.v. Amuck).

muckinder, a handkerchief. B. Jonson, Tale of a Tub, iii. 1 (Turfe); Fletcher, Captain, iii. 5 (Fabricio); ‘Mockendar for chyldre, mouchouer’, Palsgrave. In prov. use in many parts of England from the north country to Kent and Dorset in various forms; muckinder, muckender, muckinger, muckenger (EDD.). ME. mokedore, ‘sudarium’ (Voc. 614. 25), O. Prov. mocadour (mod. moucadour), a handkerchief, Span. mocador, F. mouchoir; deriv. of moucher, ‘débarrasser des mucosités que sécrète la muqueuse nasale’ (Hatzfeld).

muffler, (1) a wrapper worn by women and covering the face; (2) a cloth for blindfolding a person. Merry Wives, iv. 2. 73; Fletcher, Night-walker, ii. 2 (near the end); 2 Hen. V, iii. 6. 32.

mugwet, the intestines of an animal; ‘The gatherbagge or Mugwet of a yong harte’, Turbervile, Hunting, 39. ‘Mugget’ is in prov. use in Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall for sheep or calf’s intestines; see EDD. See NED. (s.v. Mugget).

mule: phr. to ride upon a mule, to be a great lawyer. B. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Humour, ii. 1 (Carlo); to shoe one’s mule, to help oneself out of the funds trusted to one’s management, History of Francion (Nares).

mule; see [moil] (a slipper).