subs. (common).—1.  A whim; a crotchet; a FAD (q.v.). Cf. (Scots’) ‘bee in bonnet’; (Fr.) des rats dans la tête.

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  1655.  MASSINGER, A Very Woman, or The Prince of Tarent, v. 1.

          1 Pir.  Now I dare swear
Thou hast MAGGOTS in thy brains, thou wouldst not else
Talk of impossibilities.

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  1678.  BUTLER, Hudibras, iii. 2, 1375.

        To reconcile our late dissenters,
Our breth’ren though by other venters;
Unite them and their different MAGGOTS,
As long and short sticks are in faggots.

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  1685.  CROWNE, Sir Courtly Nice, ii. 1. The beef o’ the nation breeds all the MAGGOTS in the people’s heads.

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  1701.  FARQUHAR, Sir Harry Wildair, iii. 1. Some time ago he had got the travelling MAGGOT in his head, and was going to the Jubilee upon all occasions. Ibid. (1706), The Recruiting Officer, iii. 1. Pride possesses their hearts, a MAGGOT fills their heads.

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  1712.  ARBUTHNOT, The History of John Bull, Pt. I. ch. x. John heard all this while, with patience, till she pricked his MAGGOT, and touched him in the tender point.

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  1719.  D’URFEY, Wit and Mirth; or Pills to Purge Melancholy, IV. 77.

        Not long ago as all alone I lay upon my Bed,
’Twist sleeping and waking, this MAGGOT came in my Head.

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  1822.  SCOTT, The Fortunes of Nigel, iii. ‘The King is a weel-natured and just man of his ain kindly nature, but he has a wee MAGGOTS that maun be cannily guided.’

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  1843.  JOHN STERLING, in Life by CARLYLE, Pt. III. ch. vi. The thing is not bad; but will require great labour. Only it is labour that I thoroughly like; and which keeps the MAGGOTS out of one’s brain, until their time.

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  1855.  TENNYSON, Maud, XXVII. 3. To tickle the MAGGOT born in an empty head.

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  2.  (old).—See quots.

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  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. MAGGOT, a whimsicall Fellow, full of strange Fancies and Caprichio’s. MAGGOTTY, Freakish.

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  1725.  N. BAILEY, trans. The Colloquies of Erasmus, 177. You were as great a MAGGOT as any in the world.

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  1748.  T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary (5 ed.). MAGGOT (S.) … also a whimsical fellow that is full of strange freakish fancies.

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