Dictionary

mitch en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /mɪt͡ʃ/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English mychen, müchen (“to rob, steal, pilfer”), from Old English *mȳċan (“to steal”), from Proto-West Germanic *mūkijan, from Proto-Germanic *mūkijaną (“to waylay, ambush, hide, rob”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mūg-, *(s)mewg- (“swindler, thief”). Cognate with Scots mich, myche (“to steal”), Saterland Frisian mogeln (“to act secretively and deceitfully”), Dutch mokkelen (“to flatter”), Alemannic German mauchen (“to nibble secretively”), German mogeln (“to cheat”), German meucheln (“to assassinate”), Norwegian i mugg (“in secret, secretly”), Latin muger (“cheater”). Related to mooch.

Meanings

1. (dialectal, transitive) To pilfer; filch; steal.
2. (dialectal, intransitive) To shrink or retire from view; lurk out of sight; skulk.
3. (Ireland, Wales, ambitransitive) To be absent from (school) without a valid excuse; to play truant, to skive off.
   • "Did you ever mitch school?" he asked. "No. But I think this is what it would feel like." 1983, Bernard MacLaverty, Cal, Chapter 4. (p.115 in the 1998 Vintage paperback edition)
   • John said he was going to mitch the last lesson today.
   • I was young once. God, the things we used to get up to in the seminary. Me and a bunch of the lads there, once we mitched off to see a Dana concert. 1996, Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews, "Old Grey Whistle Theft" (Father Ted TV episode)
4. (dialectal, intransitive) To grumble secretly.
5. (dialectal, intransitive) To pretend poverty.

Forms

Deriveds

go on the mitch · mitcher · mitching · mitchery

Translations (2)

pl podkradać (to pilfer) · pl podkraść (to pilfer)