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 d.1796. Burns, Epistle to a Tailor. An' whatfor no Your dearest member.

3. (common).—A person: almost exclusively with qualifying terms, as hot (q.v.); rum (q.v.); warm (q.v.) and the like.

1891. Sporting Life, 28 Mar. Accordingly Jem was put to work, but, warm a member as our hero was, standing in front of a blazing furnace for hours and pushing in and pulling out huge bars of iron was too hot even for Jem's sanguinary temperament.

Member-mug, subs. (common).—1. A chamber-pot. For synonyms see It.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.

1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.

1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.

2. (Westminster School).—An out-of-door boy.

Men. See Man for all senses.

Menagerie, subs. (theatrical).—The orchestra.

Menavelings, subs. (railway clerks').—Odd money in the daily accounts; FLUFF (q.v.); overs and shorts. Cf. Manablins.

Mend. To mend fences, verb. phr. (American).—To mind one's own business; to attend to one's interest.

To correct (or mend) the magnificat, verb. phr. (old).—To correct that which is faultless.—Ray (1670).

Mentor, subs. (American).—See quot.

1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v. Mentor. A second in the ring.

Mephisto, subs. (tailors').—A foreman.

Merchant, subs. (old).—A term of abuse.

d.1555. Latimer, Sermons, 115. b. [Nares]. The crafty merchant that will set brother against brother meaneth to destroy them both.

1557-8. Jacob & Esau [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), ii. 253]. What, ye saucy merchant, are ye a prater now?

1595. Shakspeare, Romeo & Juliet, ii. 4. 153. I pray you, sir, what saucy merchant was this that was so full of his ropery?

1633. Match at Midnight, v. 1. I knew you were a crafty merchant.

To play the merchant, verb. phr. (old).—See quot. 1593.

1593. Nashe, Christ's Teares [Grosart (1885), iv. 240]. Is it not a common proverb amongst us, when any man hath cosened or gone beyonde us, to say, Hee hath playde the merchant with us.

1632. W. Rowley, Woman Never Vext, iv. 1. I doubt, Sir, he will play the merchant with us.

Mercury, subs. (old: now recognised).—1. See quots.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Mercury and a Courant or News-letter.

1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.

1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Mercury it is now applied in cant phrase to the carriers of news and pamphlets.

1827. Todd, Johnson's Dict., s.v. Mercury it had been a cant phrase more than a century before Dr. Johnson's time; and was used generally for a messenger.

2. (old).—See quot. 1690. Mercurial = witty.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Mercury, Wit. Ibid. s.v. Mercurial, witty.

1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.

3. (old).—A thief; a trickster.

1599. Jonson, Every Man Out of His Humour, i. 2. I would ha' those mercuries should remember they had not their fingers for nothing.