mommick

present singular third person mommicks · participle present mommicking · participle past mommicked · past mommicked · alternative mommock · alternative mommuck · alternative mummock

1. dialectaltransitiveincluding Ocracoke Island North CarolinaTo harass or bother (someone or something).

   The big woman wheeled on the tumbling children in the car. "Billie-Dove Newsome, min' you manners. Ramon-Novarro, quit mommicking de dog!" She turned back.

   1960, Vinnie Williams, Walk Egypt, page 178

   1 more example

   Using a bit of Down East vernacular, as if talking about a family member, she adds, “Leo's used to me mommicking [teasing] him—treating him like a baby.”

   2007, Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks, →ISBN

   Synonyms: annoy, vex, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle, sting

2. dialectaltransitiveTo beat up or rough up (someone).

   "Mommick him up good, because you've got to go to jail anyhow."

   1998, Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence: Readings, page 24

   3 more examples

   Evelith Strange writes to Mrs. Makely from Altruria: Do you still keep on murdering and divorcing, and drowning and burning, and mommicking, and maiming people by sea and land? Has there been any war since I left?

   1968, William Dean Howells, The Altrurian romances, volume 20, page 430

   "He was too mean for Hell, having people mommicked and gaumed up the way he did.”

   2014, Richard Chase, American Folk Tales and Songs, →ISBN, page 21

   I heard him hollar as he sank out of sight, "My Lord Honey, haint I been momicked this night."

   about 1980, Connie McElroy, 'Twas a Night Afore Chistmas, Son: or A Harkers Island Christmas

   Synonyms: do over, work over

3. AppalachiaSouthern USdialectalchiefly North CarolinaTo mess up; to bungle or ruin by bungling.

   And anyway, his presence seemed to mommick up electricity. So he stuck to walking.

   2009, Peter F. Hamilton, The Neutronium Alchemist, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   ‘You see,’ continued he, ‘my wife wanted a new bar-skin petticoat, and Sal, that gal of our’n, kept pesterin me ’bout some bar’s ile to slick her har with, (as the fellers didn’t like to see her mommock her head with taller,) so as how I couldn’t rest.’

   1849 November 10, The Spirit of the Times, New York, page 542, column 3

   "I don't fault her for effort," said one man, the oldest at the table, "but she's wanting to do it all by herself, then she mommicks thing up."

   1994, Gail Godwin, A Mother and Two Daughters, →ISBN, page 420

   Synonyms: botch, mess up, ball up, blight, bumble, botch, bugger up, bungle

alternative mommock · alternative mommuck · alternative mummock

1. AppalachiaSouthern USdialectalchiefly North CarolinaA mess, a disorderly state or thing.

   "It's all such an awful mommick..." Anne shrugged. "Trapped on a sinking ship..."

   2012, Christine Blevins, The Turning of Anne Merrick, →ISBN

   1 more example

   As soon as she walks up the porch steps and opens the screen door, she knows that Henry is already home. Amid the noisy mommick, she can sense his humming presence.

   2010, Julianna Baggott, The Madam: A Novel, →ISBN, page 21