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 chained to a staff. Called also Holy-water Sprinkler.

Morocco-man, subs. (old).—See quot.

1868. Brewer, Phrase & Fable, s.v. Morocco men, agents of lottery assurances. In 1796, the great State lottery employed 7500 morocco men. Their business was to go from house to house among the customers of the assurances, or to attend in the back parlours of public-houses, where the customers came to meet them.

Morpheus. In the arms of Morpheus, phr. (colloquial).—Asleep. See Murphy.

Morris (or Morrice), verb. (old).—To decamp. See quot. 1785.

1773. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, iii. Tony, I don't value her resentment the bounce of a cracker; zounds, here they are! Morrice! Prance! (Exit Hastings).

1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Morris. Come, morris off; dance off or get you gone; allusion to morris, i.e., morisco, or Moorish dancing.

1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.

1835. Comic Almanack, 34. Being naturally desirous of recovering his footing, a messenger was morrissed off for a supply.

1838. Dickens, Oliver Twist, p. 37 (ed. 1850). Up with you on your pins. There! Now then! Morrice.

1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.

1883. Grenville Murray, People I Have Met, p. 69. The fellows dine with them, flirt with them, and morris off to town in spring for better amusement.

Morsel, subs. (old).—1. A person; (2) hence, a harlot, a bit (q.v.) a piece (q.v.).

d.1529. Dunbar, Woving of the King, in Wks. (Scot. Text, Soc., Edinburgh, 1883-4). Scho was ane morsale of delight.

1609. Shakspeare, Tempest, ii. 1. 286. To the perpetual wink for aye might put This ancient morsel, this Sir Prudence. Ibid. (1603) Measure for Measure, iii. 2. 57. How doth my dear morsel, thy mistress.

1641. Marmion, Antiquary, iv. 'Tis your own leman, your own dear morsel.

Dearest morsel (or bodily part), subs. phr. (old).—The female pudendum. For synonyms see Monosyllable.

1605. Shakspeare, Cymbeline, i. 5. I have enjoyed the dearest bodily part of your mistress.

Mort, subs. (Old Cant).—1. A woman, chaste or not. See quots. passim. And (2) a yeoman's daughter. Also Mot. Hence, autem-mort=a married woman; walking (or strolling) mort=a female tramp; kinchin-mort=a little girl; dimber-mort=a pretty wench.

1567. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 49. These autem mortes be maried wemen, as there be but a fewe: For Autem in their language is a church, so shee is a wyfe maried at the church, and they be as chaste as a cowe I have, that goeth to bull eury moone, with what bull she careth not. Ibid. 'Glossary.' Mortes, harlots.

1597-8. Munday, Downfall of Robert, etc. [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), viii. 156]. If I can get the girl to go with me Disguis'd in habit like a pedlar's mort.

1607. Dekker, Jests to Make You Merie, in Wks. (Grosart), ii. 308. He is not worthy of the name of notable theefe among theeues, which is without his mort or punck.

1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-*all, 'The Maunder's Wooing.' O Ben Coue that may not be, For thou hast an Autum-mort who euer that is she.

1611. Middleton, Roaring Girl [Dodsley, Old Plays, vi. 110]. Marry, this, my lord, says he: Ben mort (good wench), shall you and I heave a bough, etc.

1611. Cotgrave, Dictionarie, s.v. Belistresse a doxie, morte.