Green’s Dictionary of Slang

an enthusiast or knowledgeable person.

1589		Lyly On Queen’s Visit to Theobalds Works I (1902) 418: This weasel-monger, [a molecatcher] who is no better than a cat in a house or a ferret in a cony-gat, shall not dissuade your majesty from a gardener whose art is to make walks pleasant.
1589		Nashe Almond for a Parrat 2: Beare with me good Maister Pistle-monger.
1590		Book of Sir Thomas Moore facs. (E,C) (1911) I viii: I care not to bee tournd off, and twere a ladder, so it bee in my humor, or the fates becon to mee [...] and to avoid the headach, hereafter before Ile bee a hayrmonger Ile bee a whore monger.
1593		G. Harvey Pierce’s Supererogation 45: Only in that singular veine of asses, thou art incomparable; and such an egregious arrant foole-munger, as liueth not againe.
c.1595		Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost II i: Thou art an old love-monger.
1598		Marston ‘In Lectores’ Satyres I B: Each quaint fashion-monger, whose sole repute / Rests in his trim gay clothes.
1599		Jonson Every Man Out of his Humour III ii: These star-monger knaves, who would trust them? One says dark and rainy, when ’tis as clear as chrystal.
1600		Shakespeare As You Like It III ii: If I could meet that fancy-monger, I would give him some good counsel.
1602		Dekker Satiromastix V ii: Make a Campe royall of fashion-mongers quake at your paper Bullets.
1607		A Knight’s Conjuring Ch.VII 12: Monsieur Money-monger stood onely staring and yawning vpon him.
1611		Rowlands Knave of Clubs 29: Signieur Worde-Monger, The Ape of Eloquence.
1619		Two Wise Men and All the Rest Fooles V iv: Ile not give a fart for a monie-monger that shall lose a minute negligently .
1624		R. Davenport City-Night-Cap (1661) I 3: Let Ballet-mongers crown him with their scorns: Who buys the Bucks Head, well deserves the Horns.
1638		Ford Fancies I ii: Indeed? Th’art worse, a drie shaver, a copper basand-suds-monger.
1640		The Wandering Jew 36: I am a money-monger of Fortie in the hundred.
1653		A. Wilson Inconstant Ladie I i: ’Tis the best posture For your lip-mongers, that are all meere out side, Whose tongues do wander so far from the hart.
1662		‘M.W.’ Marriage Broaker III i: Now, Mrs. Cunnimonger.
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 100: How mad is that damn’d Money-monger, / That to purchase to him and his heirs, / Grows shrivel with thirst and hunger?
1680		T. Betterton Match in Newgate II iii: You Barbers are notable News-mongers.
1696		Motteux (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) II Bk V 496: Little hulch-backed Aesop got for himself the office of apologue-monger.
1700		T. Brown Amusements Serious and Comical in Works (1744) III 13: T’other directs you to a divinity-monger, who [...] is ready to attend that [etc.].
1708		True Characters of A Deceitful Petty-Fogger et al. 12: The Almighty himself is in danger of being Blasphem’d, if the Metaphor-Monger had not the Art of bringing himself off, with a Limping, As it were, As I may so say.
1718		Swift ‘To Mr. Delany’ in Chalmers Eng. Poets XI (1810) 404/1: What humour is, not all the tribe / Of logic-mongers can describe.
1740		R. North Examen 218: For that Reason, the Witness-mongers put forward another Witness.
1758		A. Murphy Upholsterer II i: Go thy Ways for an old Hocuspocus of a News-monger.
1767		‘Andrew Barton’ Disappointment III i: Where are the mud-mongers?
1775		Sheridan St Patrick’s Day Ii iv: Will you submit to be cured by a quack nostrum-monger?
1796		G. Colman Yngr Iron Chest III ii: Then let a system-monger Bung it with Logick.
1823		Morn. Post (London) 22 Dec. 3/4: This justifies a jingle-monger’s tricks.
1840		E. Howard Jack Ashore I 283: You affection-monger, you have married them already.
1845		S. Judd Margaret (1851) I 37: ‘Stultiloquent yarb-monger!’ he broke out.
1851		Hereford Jrnl 3 Sept. 4/1: An Anti-Misery-Monger.
1860		Islington Gaz. 14 Apr. 3/1: One [...] put on for the occasion the garb of a humanity-monger.
1870		Freeman’s Jrnl 2 July 3/1: The painter who was employed by the cantmonger [...] was evidently an Irishman with a splice of native humour.
1880		G.R. Sims Zeph (1892) 86: Preliminary puff paragraphs appeared in the organs of publicity [...] Sensation-mongers prepared themselves for a treat.
1896		A. Morrison Child of the Jago (1982) 112: He preferred the frank rogue before the calculating snivel-monger.
1896		Regiment 4 July 208/3: My ‘foto’ is being continually taken, and the above is the latest. It’s the last that fotomonger will take of me or anyone else.
1899		B. Tarkington Gentleman from Indiana 362: You are a pitiful nonsense-monger!
1906		N.Z. Truth 1 Sept. 7/8: The American slangwhanger and strife-monger Daniel de Leon.
1917		‘Henry Handel Richardson’ Aus. Felix (1971) 209: What’s my little surprise-monger got up her sleeve today?
1932		F. Jennings Tramping with Tramps 135: We were plain unadulterated agony-mongers.
1952		R. Holles Now Thrive the Armourers 50: Cave was the platoon’s rumour-monger.
1973		D. Williamson What If You Died Tomorrow (1977) II i: Hubbard is a precious little word-monger.
1980		W.C. Anderson Bat-21 135: Well, from where this peace monger sits, I’d say the black hats are succeeding.
1992		S. King Gerald’s Game (1993) 270: She could hardly believe it – and the doom-monger buried deep inside refused to.
1993		Eble Campus Sl. Oct. 3: hose monger – female with questionable morals.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 335: I’m not saying that the Grams are, like, angstmongers, far from it, but we understand both sides of the Emotion Signal.
2008		Guardian 8 Oct. 21/2: I’m a retailer, not a clairvoyant [...] I’m not in the doom-mongering camp.