or mazard, mazer, subs. (common).—The head; the face.
1602–3. SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet, v. 1. Ham. Chapless, and knocked about the MAZZARD with a sexton’s spade.
1602. DEKKER, The Honest Whore [DODSLEY, Old Plays, iii. 329]. Break but his pate or so, only his MAZER, because I’ll have his head in a cloth as well as mine.
1605. CHAPMAN, All Fools, iv. 1.
| But in thy amorous conquests, at the last, | |
| Some wound will slice your MAZER. |
1639. FLETCHER, Wit without Money, ii. 3. The pint-pot has so belaboured you with wit, your brave acquaintance, that gives you ale, so fortified your MAZARD, that now there’s no talking to you.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, 14.
| The Porpus kept guard | |
| O’er his beautiful mug, as if fearing to hazard | |
| One damaging touch in so dandy a MAZZARD. |
1823. BADCOCK (‘Jon Bee’), Dictionary of the Turf, etc., s.v. MAZZARD—the face, or perhaps the whole head. ’Tis Irish, and mostly confined to Dublin. ‘Toss up the coppers now Thady,’ ‘head or harp?’ ‘Harp!’ cried Paddy, ‘and down came three black MAZZARDS.’ ‘Chop his MAZZARD,’ a cut in the face.
1833. CRUIKSHANK, Sunday in London, p. 63. Knocking each other over the MAZZARD for a qvort’n of gin!
1834. W. H. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, p. 312 [ed. 1864]. ‘Here is that shall put fresh marrow into your old bones,’ returned Jem, handing him a tumbler of brandy; ‘never stint it. I’ll be sworn you’ll be the better on’t, for you look desperate queer, man, about the MAZZARD.’
1859. G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
Verb. (old).—To knock on the head.
