Re: Taking the mick/michael/mickey

Posted by Henry on September 22, 2003

In Reply to: Re: Taking the mick/michael/mickey posted by Shae on September 19, 2003

: : : Are there any other folks out there who object to the use of the phase taking the mick/mickey/ michael - its derivation goes back to how the Irish were described as drunk and gullible and therefore easily made little off or humiliated because of there trust in others abroad.
: : : If you have any literature going back to 19 century I would like to hear from you.

: : : Irish rebel.

: : I don't have a dog in this fight since I'm not Irish. Here's what it says in "The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang" by Tony Thorne (Pantheon Books):

: : "take the mick/mickey/michael -- vb. British -- to mock, deride, poke fun at. These expressions are milder versions of 'take the piss.' Unbeknownst to most users, they employ rhyming slang: Mickey is short for a mythical 'Mickey Bliss,' providing the rhyme for 'piss.' 'Michael' is a humorous variant. The phrases, like their more vulgar counterpart, have been in use since the 1940s."

: 'Taking the mickey' and 'taking the piss' out of someone are often used here in Ireland. They can have slightly different meanings, though.

: 'I knew he was only taking the mickey outa me, so I bought him pint and we had a laugh.'

: 'He was taking the piss outa me so I floored him!'

Micturition is an old term for urination.