subs. (pugilistic).—1. A fight; a SET-TO (q.v.).
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, p. 36.
| Why We, who’re of the Fancy lay, | |
| As dead hands at a MILL as they. |
1823. W. T. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, ii. 1. Cribb. Thank’ye, gentleman, thank’ye—but as I see by our sporting oracle, ‘The Dispatch,’ there’s a MILL on foot,—I’ll give you, ‘May the best man win.’
1834. W. H. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, ‘The Double Cross,’ v.
| The MILL is o’er, the crosser crost, | |
| The loser ’s von, the vinner ’s lost! |
1843. The Comic Almanack, 378, ‘Stoppage of the Mills.’
| Indeed, I never saw the like, | |
| Our minds with wonder it must fill, | |
| Though MILLS ensue when people strike, | |
| The strikes have stopp’d full many a mill. |
1853. Diogenes, ii. p. 134. Bell’s Life the other day told us of two noted pugilists who (we quote the very words), ‘had a MILL for 200l.’ When the decimal coinage is established, they will be able to have no less than five ‘mils’ for a penny.
1856. T. HUGHES, Tom Brown’s School-days, pt. II. ch. v. A champion was picked out on each side tacitly, who settled the matter by a good hearty MILL.
1860. H. H. DIXON (‘The Druid’), The Post and the Paddock. ‘The Fight for the Belt.’
| By sea and by land, in village and town,… | |
| Nothing whatever seemed to go down, | |
| Save the latest on dit of the MILL. |
1862. The Cork Examiner, 28 March. Since this little event there have been … some very exciting little MILLS.
1883. The Saturday Review, 31 March, p. 398, col. 1. This apparently harmless elderly victim was a retired light-weight prize-fighter, and so, with the ready consent of everybody, a MILL was arranged.
2. (thieves’).—1. The treadmill; (2) a prison.
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Misadventures at Margate,’ 2nd Ser., p. 156 (ed. 1851). A landsman said, ‘I twig the chap—he’s been upon the MILL.’
1838. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, viii. ‘Was you never on the MILL?’ ‘What MILL?’ inquired Oliver. ‘What MILL!—why, the MILL—the MILL as takes up so little room that it’ll work inside a Stone Jug; and always goes better when the wind’s low with people, than when it’s high; acos then they can’t get workmen.’
1851–61. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, i. 390. A few weeks after I was grabbed for this, and got a month at the MILL.
1853. WHYTE-MELVILLE, Digby Grand, x. The latter worthy … gave a policeman such a licking the other night, that he was within an ace of getting a month at the MILL.
3. (obsolete).—The old Insolvent Debtors’ Court. Hence, TO GO THROUGH THE MILL = to be adjudicated bankrupt.
4. (military).—A guard-room in barracks; a JIGGER (q.v.).
5. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see MONOSYLLABLE. Cf. GRIND.
1719. D’URFEY, Wit and Mirth; or Pills to Purge Melancholy (quoted in), v. 139.
| For Peggy is a bonny Lass, and grinds well her MILL, | |
| For she will be Occupied when others they lie still. |
6. (old).—A chisel.—GROSE (1785); MATSELL (1859).
Verb. (pugilistic).—1. To fight; to pummel; to kill: see quot. 1748. TO MILL THE NOB = to punch the head.
1748. T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary (5 ed.). MILL. … in the Canting Language, means to beat, thresh, maul, or kill a person.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
1818. P. EGAN, Boxiana, i. 10. When his Lordship, instead of redressing, set about MILLING him for his insolence.
1840. THACKERAY, A Shabby Genteel Story, viii. He had MILLED a policeman.
1840. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends (The Ghost).
| Boxing may be a very pretty Fancy, | |
| When Messrs. Burke or Bendigo engage; | |
| —’Tis not so well in Susan, Jane, or Nancy:— | |
| To get well MILL’D by any one ’s an evil, | |
| But by a lady—’tis the very Devil. |
1864. B. HEMYNG, Eton School Days, iii. 38. Science, you know, is better than brute force, and although Chorley is older and bigger than me, if I knew how to MILL I wouldn’t stand still to be licked.
2. (old).—To rob. Also to break or force. MILL-LAY (GROSE, 1785) = burglary.
1567. HARMAN, A Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors (1869), p. 86. Yonder dwelleth a quyere cuffen, it were beneship to MYLL him.
1599. J. STOW, Survey of London (ed. 1754, vol. II. p. 543). Add one phrase more in those times used among this sort, MYLKEN, which is to commit a robbery, or Burghlary in the night in a dwelling house.
1609. DEKKER, Lanthorne and Candlelight [GROSART, iii. p. 203], ‘The Beggar’s Curse.’ The Ruffin cly the ghost of the Harman-beck…. If we niggle, or MILL but a poor Boozing-KEN.… Straight we’re to the Cuffin Queer forced to bing.
1611. MIDDLETON and DEKKER, The Roaring Girle, v. 1.
| A gage of ben rom-bouse … | |
| Is benar than a caster, | |
| Peck, pennam, lay, or popler, | |
| Which we MILL in deuse a vile. |
1621. JONSON, Gipsies Metamorphosed. Can they cant or MILL? Are they masters in their art?
1622–65. HEAD and KIRKMAN, The English Rogue, ‘Bing out, bien Morts.’
| To MILL each KEN let cove bing then | |
| Thro’ Ruffmans, Jague, or Laund. |
1661. FLETCHER, Beggar’s Bush, v. 1.
| Hig. Tell us, | |
| If it be MILLING of a lag of duds, | |
| The fetching off a buck of clothes, or so? |
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v.
1712. T. SHIRLEY, The Triumph of Wit, ‘The Maunder’s Praise of His Strowling Mort.’
| There if lour we want; I’ll MILL | |
| A gage, or nip for thee a bung. |
1724. E. COLES, English Dictionary, s.v.
1754. POULTER, The Discoveries of John Poulter, p. 14. While we went a MILLING that Swagg.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. MILL. To rob; also to break, beat out, or kill. I’ll MILL your glaze; I’ll beat out your eye. To MILL a bleating cheat; to kill a sheep. To MILL a ken; to rob a house.
1790. A. WILSON, Poems, 73. ‘Elegy on the Long Expected Death of a Wretched Miser.’
| His dearie, glad o’ siccan routh, | |
| To MILL a note was aye right ready. |
1818. SCOTT, The Heart of Mid-lothian, xxx. Rat me, one might have MILLED the Bank of England, and less noise about it.
3. (thieves’).—To send to the tread-mill.
1838–9. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, p. 122 (ed. 1859). ‘So I do do as she bids me,’ replied Mr. Chitling; ‘I shouldn’t have been MILLED if it hadn’t been for her advice.’
TO GO THROUGH (or BE ON) THE MILL, verb. phr. (common).—1. To go through the Bankruptcy Court; to be WHITEWASHED (q.v.). See MILL, subs. sense 3.
2. (colloquial).—To pass through a more or less severe course of discipline, experience, or training.
1818. SCOTT, The Heart of Mid-lothian, xxxi. ‘She [Jeanie Deans] has got a jark from Jim Ratcliffe,’ said the short fellow, ‘and Frank here won’t hear of our PUTTING HER THROUGH THE MILL.’
1858. W. W. PRATT, Ten Nights in a Bar-room, ii. 1. P’raps you have BEEN THROUGH THE MILL.
1872. Fun, 10 Aug. ‘Over.’
| One more year ON THE MILL, | |
| Twelve months more at the pen, | |
| Ere I of respite again have my fill— | |
| Idle days—nine or ten! |
1883. Referee, 1 July, p. 2, col. 4. He hinted at the hardships which many actors and actresses have to endure, and did not disguise the fact that he had himself BEEN THROUGH THE MILL.
1887. Contemporary Review, li. 10. Certain persons who have GONE THROUGH THE MILL of what is known as our ‘higher education,’
3. (thieves’).—See MILL, verb. 3.
1889. Daily News, 4 July. He had BEEN THROUGH THE MILL, and could do it again.
TO BRING GRIST TO THE MILL, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be a source of profit.
1726. J. AYLIFFE, Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani, p. 210. The Computation of Degrees in all Matrimonial Causes is wont to be made according to the Rules of that Law, because it BRINGS GRIST TO THE MILL by way of Dispensations.
TO PUT THROUGH THE MILL, verb. phr. (common).—To put to trial: as a horse before a race.
1872. Morning Post, 7 Nov. Totally disregarding the horse’s retrogression in the betting after he was PUT THROUGH THE MILL I advised my readers to make him a winner.
1888. Daily Telegraph, 24 Dec. The number of yearlings PUT THROUGH THE MILL before Christmas is fewer than usual.
