Brewer's: Mitten

The Pardoner's mitten. Whoever put this mitten on would be sure to thrive in all things.

He that his hondë put in this metayn, He shal have multiplying of his grayn, Whan he hath sowen, be it whete or otes, So that ye offre pans [pence] or ellës grootes.

Chaucer: Prologue to The Pardoneres Tale.

To give one the mitten. To reject a sweetheart; to jilt. (Latin, mitto, to send [about your business], whence dismissal; to get your dismissal.) Some say, it is to get the mitten instead of the hand.

“There is a young lady I have set my heart on, though whether she is going to give me hern, or give me the mitten, I ain't quite satisfied.” —SamSlick: Human Nature, p. 90.

“I don't believe but what that Hammond girl's given him the mitten, else he wouldn't a come. I wouldn't play second fiddle for any fellow.” —M. E. Wilkins: A Tardy Thanksgiving (American).

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language