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 4. (old).—To steal.

1655. History of Francion [Nares]. The eagle more mindfull of prey than honour, did one day mootch from the thunder which lame Vulcan had made, as crooked as himself, for almighty Jupiter.

1862. H. Mayhew, Lon. Lab., iv. 418. I don't mean to say that if I see anything laying about handy that I don't mouch it (i.e., steal it).

Miker (Moucher, or Moocher), subs. (common).—A skulker; a petty thief; a beggar. Also, a truant. Also mich and micher. See quots. passim. For synonyms see Loafer.

1360. Chaucer, Rom. of Rose [Skeat (1894), i. 241. 6541]. Unne the that he nis a micher.

1450-1500. Gesta Roman. I. ch. 28, 94. The first [duty] is to wake in goode werkes, when othere men slepithe in synne, and for to slepe, when othere men wakithe, dothe thevis and mychers.

149[?]. Towneley Mysteries [Surtees Soc.'s Pub. (1835), p. 216]. Thefes and mychers keyn.

15[?]. Babees Book [E. E. T. S.], 401. Chyld, be thou lyer nother no theffe : Be thou no mecher for myscheffe.

c.1520. Hycke Scorner [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), i 164]. Wanton wenches, and also michers.

1590. Greene, Mourning Garment [Grosart (1881-6), ix. 133]. If Aristotle had still, like a micher been stewed up in Stagyra.

1592. Nashe, Summer's Last Will [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), viii. 57]. I know thou art but a micher, and dar'st not stand me.

1598. Florio, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Pillucone, a sot, a coxcombe, a dodger, a wrangler, a micher.

1598. Shakspeare, 1 Henry IV, ii. 4. Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a micher and eat blackberries?

1611. Cotgrave, Dict., s.v. Caqueraffe, a base micher, scurvie hagler, lowsie dodger, etc.

1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Micher. A lazy loiterer, who skulks about in corners and by-places, and keeps out of sight; a hedge-creeper. Mich or mick is still retained in the cant language for an indolent, lazy fellow. It is used in the western counties for a truant boy.

1775. Ash, Eng. Dict., s.v. Mich (a local word). An indolent lazy fellow.

1847. Halliwell, Archaic and Provincial Words, s.v. Mich. Micher may be explained, a sly thief, one who steals things of small value, or more usually, a truant or skulking fellow It was often used as a term of contempt; Hollyband gives it as the translation of Caignard, and Cotgrave has, 'Chicke-face, a chichi-face, micher, sneake-bill, wretched fellow.'

1867. London Herald, 23 Mar., p. 221. If asked  what he was doing, he would have said he was on the mouch, which being interpreted—French, mouchard, a spy; English moucher, to be on the look-out for something.

1888. Indoor Paupers, 33. Another and about as numerous a class of Ins and Outs, whose members come and go and come again even more frequently than the tiptop-spree fellows, are the mouchers or cadgers.

1888. Cornhill Mag., Feb., p. 182. It has been already remarked that the poacher is nothing if not a specialist. As yet we have spoken only of the moucher, who directs his attention to fur.

1888. Daily Telegraph, 27 Nov. [A micher is] one who lives a semi-vagabond life, selling watercresses, wild flowers, blackberries, and other things that may be obtained in country places for the gathering. He is a vendor, too, of dandelion leaves, parsley, sow-thistle, clover, and so forth, as food for the myriads of tame rabbits kept in towns.

Miking (Mooching or Mouching), subs. (common).—1. Prowling; (2) pilfering; and (3) playing-truant. Also michery and mikery.

1393. Gower, Conf. Amant, v. Nowe thou shalt fall sore able That like stelthe of micherie. Ibid. For no man of his counsaile knoweth What he maie gette of his michynge.