▪ I. mitch, v. Now dial.
(mɪtʃ)
Also 5–7 miche, 6 myche, 6–7 mitche, 9 mich, meech.
[app. a. OF. muchier, mucier to hide, also intr. to skulk, lurk.]
† 1. trans. To pilfer. Obs.
| [a 1225: cf. micher n.] 1390 [Implied in mitching vbl. n.]. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 337/1 Mychyn, or pryuely stelyn smale things. 1496 Dives & Paup. (W. de W.) i. liii. 94/1 That he myght haue myched or deled the moneye awaye, for he bare the purce. 1570 Levins Manip. 115/32 To Mych, suffurari. Ibid. 130/10 To Pilch, miche, suffurari. |
2. intr. a. To shrink or retire from view; to lurk out of sight; to skulk. Also pass. and Const. off.
| 1558 T. Phaer æneid v. (1573) O ij b, To woods, and mountayn caues, and holes of rocks they miching ronne. 1581 J. Studley Seneca's Herc. Œtæus ii. 193 b, Myche where thou mayst vnspyde. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis iv. (Arb.) 104 What doe ye forge? wherefore thus vaynely in land Lybye mitche you? 1602 Heywood Wom. Killed w. Kindn. Wks. 1874 II. 113, I neuer look'd for better of that rascall Since he came miching first into our house. 1605 Hist. Stukeley D 3, Then will we not come miching thus by night But charge the towne and winne it by day light. 1612 Chapman Widowes T. v. i. K 4 b, Where found you him? My truant was mich't, Sir, into a blind corner of the Tomb. 1728 Bailey, To Miche, to stand off, to hang back. 1907 J. M. Synge Playboy of Western World ii. 42 You're pot-boy in this place, and I'll not have you mitch off from us now. 1960 A. Clarke Later Poems (1961) 84, I mitched from miracles. |
b. To play truant.
| 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 279 What made the Gods so often to trewant from Heauen, and mych heere on earth, but beautie? a 1586 Sidney Astr. & Stella xlvi, Yet, deare, let me his pardon get of you, So long, though he from book myche to desire, Till without fewell you can make hot fire. 1624–5 Exeter City Mun. in Notes & Gleanings (Exeter) II. 187/1 Some of o{supr} children pretendinge that they went to schoole went a meechinge half a yeare or more together. 1672 [H. Stubbe] Rosemary & Bayes 18 Like truant children forsook their school, to go miching after black-berries. c 1806 T. Swift Town Scene in Poet. Reg. (1806–7) 157 On mischief bent, the imps had mitch'd from school. 1867 W. F. Rock Jim an' Nell 6 Wan vomoon Hur mitched vro' schule. 1879 in Fitzpatrick Life Lever I. 10 One day Charley and I mitched from school. 1888 ‘Q’ Troy Town xi. 117 Turn your back, an' they'd be mitchin' in a brace o' shakes. 1900 A. Upward Eben. Lobb 96 The limp and trembling boy..now looked as if he could never mich from Sabbath-school or throw a stone..again. 1933 Davies & Thomson tr. O'Sullivan's 20 Yrs. A-Growing i. 6 What would you say for us to go mitching? a 1953 Dylan Thomas Quite Early One Morning (1954) 84 He cribbed, mitched, spilt ink, rattled his desk and garbled his lessons with the worst of them. 1968 TV Times 28 Sept.–4 Oct. 69/1, I used to mitch a lot from school because I simply dreaded it. |
† 3. a. To grumble secretly. b. To pretend poverty. Obs.
| 1598 Florio, Nicchiare, to lament..to miche, to grumble closely or show some signe of discontent. 1611 Cotgr., Faire le senaud..to miche it, or a rich man to make shew of pouertie. |
▪ II. mitch
var. mich n. and obs. f. much.