mutchkin

Definitions

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  • noun A liquid measure in Scotland, containing four gills, and forming the fourth part of a Scotch pint.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • noun A liquid measure equal to four gills, or an imperial pint.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

  • noun A unit of fluid capacity approximately equal to three-quarters of an imperial pint (0.43 litres)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun A Scottish unit of liquid measure equal to 0.9 United States pint

Examples

  • ‘From a mutchkin to a gallon, I ken your honour’s taste,

    Redgauntlet

  • Old Keltie, the landlord, who had bestowed his name on a bridge in the neighbourhood of his quondam dwelling, received the carrier with his usual festive cordiality, and adjourned with him into the house, under pretence of important business, which, I believe, consisted in their emptying together a mutchkin stoup of usquebaugh.

    The Abbot

  • I do not know whether it was from mere curiosity, or whether some hope of gain mixed with it, but after Dick had sold several horses in this way, he began to complain that dry — bargains were unlucky, and to hint that since his chap must live in the neighbourhood, he ought, in the courtesy of dealing, to treat him to half a mutchkin.

    Waverley

  • At the entry of the wood there is a wild common, and on the edge of the common a little lonely change-house, that was keepit then by an hostler wife, -- they suld hae caa'd her Tibbie Faw, -- and there puir Steenie cried for a mutchkin of brandy, for he had had no refreshment the haill day.

    Stories by English Authors: Scotland (Selected by Scribners)

  • Godsake, woman, let me away; there's saxpence t 'ye to buy half a mutchkin, instead o' clavering about thae auld-warld stories. '

    Guy Mannering, Or, the Astrologer — Complete

  • It is true, only two tickets had been taken out, and possibly the lady of the subterranean mansion might have an understanding with her Automedon, that, in such cases, a little space was to be allowed for the chance of filling up the vacant places — or the said Automedon might have been attending a funeral, and be delayed by the necessity of stripping his vehicle of its lugubrious trappings — or he might have staid to take a half-mutchkin extraordinary with his crony the hostler — or — in short, he did not make his appearance.

    The Antiquary

Note

The word 'mutchkin' was borrowed from Dutch.