Miller

subs. (pugilistic).—1.  A pugilist.

  1823.  BADCOCK (‘Jon Bee’), Dictionary of the Turf, etc., s.v. MILLERS—second-rate boxers, whose arms run round in rapid succession, not always falling very hard, or with determinate object.

  1830.  S. WARREN, Diary of a Late Physician, vii. The captain … being a first-rate MILLER, as the phrase is … let fall a sudden shower of blows about Mr. Marningham’s head and breast.

  c. 1840.  HOOD, Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg.

  2.  See JOE MILLER.

  3.  (old).—A vicious horse.

  1825.  C. M. WESTMACOTT, The English Spy, i. 236. The horse shewed symptoms of being a MILLER. The Baronet, nothing daunted, touches him smartly under the flank, when up he goes in his forequarters, smashes the tilbury into ten thousand pieces, bolts away with the traces and shafts, and leaves the baronet with a broken head.

  4.  (old coaching).—A white hat.

  5.  (old cant).—See quot.

  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. MILLER, a Killer or Murderer.

  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.

  TO GIVE THE MILLER, verb. phr. (common).—See quot.

  1876.  C. HINDLEY, ed. The Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 193. Some of his pals GAVE HIM THE ‘MILLER’; that is, a lot of flour is wrapped up in thin paper about the size of a fist, and when thrown, the first thing it comes in contact with, breaks and smothers the party all over.

  TO DROWN THE MILLER, verb. phr. (common).—1.  To water overmuch. Originally TO DROWN THE MILLER’S THUMB, i.e., the thumb-mark on the glass.

  1767.  RAY, Proverbs [BOHN (1893), 171]. TO PUT OUT THE MILLER’S THUMB. Spoken by good housewives, when they have wet their meal for bread or paste too much.

  1821.  SCOTT, The Pirate, ii. 64. ‘He shall drink off the yawl full of punch.’ ‘Too much water DROWNED THE MILLER,’ answered Triptolemus.

  1834.  MARRYAT, Jacob Faithful, ch. xii. Old Tom put the pannikin to his lips. ‘DROWNED THE MILLER, by heavens!’ said he; ‘what could I have been about?’ ejaculated he, adding more spirits to his mixture.

  1883.  CHARLOTTE S. BURNE, Shropshire Folk-lore, p. 597. TO DROWN THE MILLER = to add too much water to the flour in bread-making; also frequently applied to tea-making, when it is of course meaningless.

  2.  (Scots’).—To go bankrupt. [JAMIESON.]

  1805.  A. SCOTT, Poems, 34.