subs. (old cant).—Money: also MINT-SAUCE or MINT-DROPS.

1

  c. 1420.  PALLADIUS, On Husbondrie [E.E.T.S.], p. 99. Thees if me spende, or MYNT for them receyve.

2

  1578.  HARMAN, A Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors (1814), p. 65, s.v.

3

  1810.  ROWLANDS, Martin Mark-all, p. 39 [Hunterian Club’s Reprint, 1874], s.v. MYNT, gold.

4

  1621.  JONSON, Gipsies Metamorphosed.

        Strike fair at some jewel,
That MINT may accrue well.

5

  1665.  R. HEAD, The English Rogue, Pt. I. ch. v. p. 50 (1874), s.v.

6

  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v.

7

  1724.  E. COLES, English Dictionary, s.v.

8

  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.

9

  1828.  P. EGAN, Finish to Tom and Jerry, 53. I not only hope that he gets lots of MINT-SAUCE, etc.

10

  1867.  GREENWOOD, Unsentimental Journeys, xxx. 230. The requisite MINT SAUCE (as that horribly vulgar and slangy B. P. terms money).

11

  1871.  DE VERE, Americanisms, p. 291. When the Hon. T. H. Benton, of Missouri, put his whole strength forward on the floor of Congress and through the press to introduce a gold currency, he accidentally called the latter MINT-DROPS.

12

  Adv. (colloquial).—Plenty of money.—Lexicon Balatronicum (1811); MATSELL (1859). Also A MINT OF MONEY = a big sum.—GROSE.

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