mumchance

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by WingerBot (talk | contribs) as of 13:58, 9 October 2019.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English mommen (“mutter, be silent”) and (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle High German mummenschantze (“game of chance as part of a masquerade, mime performance, revel”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French momen (“mask”) and chance (“game of chance”).

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈmʌm.tʃɑːns/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈmʌm.tʃæns/

Adjective

mumchance (comparative more mumchance, superlative most mumchance)

  1. Mute, or not speaking; silent.
    • 1966, Paul Scott, The Jewel in the Crown, p. 69
      I wrote Miss Crane off as mediocre because although she chatted quite pleasantly and intelligently over coffee she was mostly mumpchance at the dinner table. Oh, not mumpchance tout court.
    • 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia, Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), p. 446:
      The two little children stood mumchance, but with a kindly air.
    • 2001, Paula Marshall, Lord Hadleigh's Rebellion, Harlequin (Mills & Boon), 2008, page 124,
      If he did, he would remain mumchance about that, too.

Noun

mumchance (plural mumchances)

  1. An old game of chance played with cards in silence.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Decker to this entry?)
  2. A silent, stupid person.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

References

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=mumchance&oldid=54932803"