[‘ A difficult or disagreeable person, esp. a child. Sometimes used as a scolding term of reproach. (In quots. only from the writings of Dylan Thomas.) Cf. pig n.1 5.']
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈmʊxɪn/, ˈmʊkɪn, U.S. /ˈmʊkən/, Welsh English /ˈmʊxɪn/
Inflections: Plural *moochins*, unchanged.
Forms: 19– *moochin*, 19– *mwchin*.
Etymology:Alteration of Welsh /mochyn/ pig, greedy or immoral person (1595), singulative form < collective plural moch pigs (also in Old Welsh) < a Celtic base ( > Early Irish /mucc/, Breton /moc’h/, etc.) of disputed origin.
In unmarked plural form in quot. 1945, perhaps after unmarked plurals of other animal names, as e.g. swine n., deer n., sheep n., etc.
/Welsh English/. colloq.
A difficult or disagreeable person, esp. a child. Sometimes used as a scolding term of reproach. (In quots. only from the writings of Dylan Thomas.) Cf. pig n.1 5.
1940 D. Thomas /Portrait of Artist as Young Dog/ 58 He sat down in the road. ‘I’m on a sledge,’ he said, ‘pull me, Patricia, pull me like an Eskimo.’ ‘Up you get, you moochin, or I’ll take you home.’
1945 D. Thomas /Let./ 30 July in /Sel. Lett./ (1966) 280 He said, ‘Look, what they did, the moochin.’
a/1953 D. Thomas /Under Milk Wood/ (1954) 12 /Third neighbour Saw him in the bushes. Fourth neighbour Playing mwchins. Third neighbour Send him to bed without any supper.