subs. (old).—1. A cow.
1689. J. PHILLIPS, A Satyr against Hypocrites.
| Tedious have been our Fasts, and long our Prayers; | |
| To keep the Sabbath such have been our cares, | |
| That Cisly durst not milk the gentle MALLS, | |
| To the great dammage of my Lord Mayors Fooles. |
2. (colloquial).—A muddle: a result of mismanagement.
1821. P. EGAN, Real Life in London, i. 606. Somebody must make a MULL.
1839. C. DANCE, Alive and Merry, i. 2. Mr. Patrick Day, it strikes me, with the greatest respect, that you have made a MULL of your fortunes.
1844. Puck, p. 14. He tried his dos and ras and mes But floundering in his A’s and B’s He made among his bunch of keys As great a MULL as The class of Dons in Trinity With Mr. Hullah’s.
1858. C. W. SHIRLEY BROOKS, The Gordian Knot, p. 14. If that woman had anything to do with the dinners, one can see what a MULL they must have been.
1860. T. BINNEY, Church-Life in Australia, App. No. viii. 59. The whole thing is a ‘MULL.’
1874. J. HATTON, Clytie, II. ch. xii. And look what a MULL you made of the old Earl business! Why, the examination upon that point damns your whole case.
3. (colloquial).—A simpleton. Generally OLD MULL or REGULAR MULL.
Verb. (colloquial).—1. To spoil to muddle; TO MUFF (q.v.).
2. (American thieves’).—See quot.
1859. G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v. MULL. To spend money.
