[lbo-talk] Gratuitous abuse

[Michael Pollak]

>From today's A.Word.A.Day list:

malkin (MO-kin, MAL-kin) noun

    1. An untidy woman; a slattern.

    2. A scarecrow or a grotesque effigy.

    3. A mop made of a bundle or rags fastened to a stick.

    4. A cat.

    5. A hare.

[From Middle English Malkyn (little Molly), diminutive of
the name Maud or Molly/Mary.]

A related word is grimalkin, referring to an old female cat
or an ill-tempered old woman.

Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/malkin.html

Pronuciation:

http://wordsmith.org/words/malkin.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/malkin.ram