subs. (colloquial).—An expression of quality, e.g., ‘Not MUCH of a lawyer’ = not a very good lawyer.
MUCH OF A MUCHNESS, phr. (colloquial).—Very much the same thing.
1830. S. WARREN, Diary of a Late Physician, xxi. ‘The people I want are very, very poor!’ ‘Oh! oh! oh! I’m thinking they’re all MUCH OF A MUCHNESS for the matter of that, about here,’ he replied.
1840. HALIBURTON (‘Sam Slick’), The Clockmaker, 3. S. ii. It is MUCH OF A MUCHNESS, sir,—six of one, and half a dozen of the other.
1880. Punch, v. 28, p. 135. The two are MUCH OF A MUCHNESS.
1870. DICKENS, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, iv. p. 27. ‘Surely this key is the heaviest of the three.’ ‘You’ll find ’em MUCH OF A MUCHNESS, I expect,’ says Durdles. ‘They all belong to monuments.’
1876. G. ELIOT, Daniel Deronda, xxxi. Gentle or simple, they’re MUCH OF A MUCHNESS.
1891. The Sportsman, 2 April. The sport was MUCH OF A MUCHNESS with that usually seen there of recent years.
NOT MUCH! (or NOT MUCHLY!), adv. (colloquial).—Not likely; certainly not! in derision.
1598. SHAKESPEARE, 2 Henry IV., ii. 4. What, with two points on your shoulder? MUCH!
1599. JONSON, Every Man out of his Humour, i. 3. To charge me bring my grain into the markets. Aye, MUCH! when I have neither barn nor garner.
MUCH CRY AND LITTLE WOOL. See CRY.
