Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a Frenchman.

1508		Dunbar ‘Remonstrance to the King’ in Mackenzie Poems (1932) 37: Mousouris of France, gud clarat-cunnaris.
1592		Greene Quip for an Upstart Courtier H3: Both he and my gowned brother seemed [...] as if they had some sutes to Mounsieur Boots.
1599		Nashe Praise of the Red Herring 28: The captious mystery of Monsieur herring low vessels [which] will not giue their heads for the washing, holding their owne pell-mell in all weathers.
1607		A Knight’s Conjuring cap IV E4: France, where the Gentlemen, to make Apes of Englishmen, whom they tooke daylie practising all the foolish trickes of fashions after their Mounsier-ships.
1612		J. Taylor Laugh and Be Fat 39: Thus Mounsieur Coriat at your kind request, / My recantation here I haue exprest.
1627		M. Drayton Battle of Agincourt 59: A shoelesse Souldier there a man might meete, Leading his Mounsier by the armes fast bound.
1634		S. Rowley Noble Souldier IV i: kin.: A Frenchman? med.: We Mounsire.
1654		Witts Recreations Epigram No. 686: On Mounsieur Congee. Epigram 693: On Mounsieur Powder-wig.
1660		J. Tatham Rump V i: Oh brave Mounsier!
1672		M. Atkins Cataplus 68: Some Capapee a horseback rid / Like French Mounsieur or Spanish Cid.
1675		F. Fane Love in the Dark IV i: Boys follow him crying. A Mounsire. A Mounser. A Munchir. A Mister Mownseer.
1685		‘The Coy Cook-Maid’ in Euing Broadside Ballads No. 45: Poor monsieur lookt blank and sneakt away.
1690		‘Teague’ Teagueland Jests II 158: Monsieur presently had her in his Eye, and courted her very importunately.
1692		J. Dennis Poems in Burlesque n.p.: ’Twas I who Sung our brave Tarpawlin, / Engaging like a Devil bawling, / And Monsieurs Navy sorely mawling.
1709		R. Steele Tatler No. 87 n.p.: We had an indifferent Breakfast, but the Mounseers never had such a Dinner in all their Lives.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy I 87: Thus cavil and bawl, ’till the Mounsieur gets all.
c.1720		‘Original Black Joke. Sent from Dublin’ 🎵 Begar said Mounsier.
1740		Ipswich Jrnl 11 Oct. 3/1: Methinks all Mounsieurs have a clumsy make [...] Queer Phyzzes all!
1757		Smollett Reprisal II xiv: This here is the right trim of a Frenchman [...] Adzooks! this is Mounseer’s vane, that likes his fancy.
1765		Foote The Commissary 22: I can’t think what the devil makes your quality so fond of the mounsiers.
1772		G. Stevens ‘A Fore-Castle Song’ Songs Comic and Satyrical 98: In past times we’ve drubb’d the Mounseers, Sirs.
1780		M.P. Andrews Fire and Water! (1790) 22: O dear, sweet Monseer, spare my life.
1781–2		J. Messink Choice of Harlequin I viii: The French, with trotters nimble, could fly from English blows, / And they’ve got nimble daddles, as monsieur plainly shews.
1782		Hants Chron. 7 Oct. 4/2: Mounseer shall powder, queue and club me. Gad, I’ll be a roaring blade.
1793		Bacchanalian Mag. 47: He’ll [i.e. Earl Howe] make the Monsieurs go to pot.
1795		J. O’Keeffe Life’s Vagaries 51: You don’t make a French Mounseer out of me.
c.1801		‘All the World at Paris’ in Holloway & Black II (1979) 244: These mounseers do not trust em.
1812		J. Bell Jr. (ed.) Rhymes of Northern Bards 290: Vain, boasting Monsieur always lower‘d his proud flag, / Whenever he met our bold tars on the sea.
c.1813		‘Wellington’s Laurels’ Wellington’s Laurels 2: ‘A hundred and fifty-one cannon have we,’ / Says Mounseer, ‘and how they’ll go off we shall see.’.
1825		‘Irish Medley’ in Universal Songster I 12/2: Molly can’t believe the Moonseer’s blarney.
1827		‘An Officer of the Line’ Military Sketch-book I June c.207: These extraordinary fellows [i.e. British sailors] delighted in hunting the ‘Munseers’ as they termed the French.
1829		D. Jerrold Black-Ey’d Susan I v: Hallo! what’s that? why the Mounseer is speaking English!
1835		D. Crockett Col. Crockett’s Tour to North and Down East 228: If the mounsheers do come over to fight us, the first push they’d make would be at Tennessee.
1838		‘Paul Pry’ Oddities of London Life I 137: [M]y vife, who can cook like a mounseer, made her some broth, vich set her up as right as a trivet.
1838		R.S. Surtees Jorrocks Jaunts (1874) 163: Vot does the Mouncheer mean?
1843		W.L. Rede Our Village II ii: One of the mounseers, a poor deaf and dumb chap that had his tongue taken out by the Algerine pirates, turned out to be an old pal of Bill Bowyer’s.
1845		R.S. Surtees Hillingdon Hall III 273: Throwin’ the corn trade into the hands of mouncheer, and drivin’ the chaws into mills.
1858		A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 23: Of course Mr. Mounseer had heard my lady had got a pension to her back. [Ibid.] 159: You must bring the mounseer here again, my esteemed friends, and by — , after three ratting matches, he’ll speak like a Member of Parliament.
1874		‘Old Calabar’ Won in a Canter I 40: ‘I should like to see them mounseer fellows eat frogs, and taste their brandy, too’.
1882		G.A. Sala in Living London (1883) July 300: ‘The Mounseers’ (we call them ‘Moosoos’ nowadays) ‘sheered off’.
1890		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer III 182: I saw that frog-eating mounseer potting you with his squirt.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 9 Feb. 298: Boney warn’t sitch a bad sort o’chap for Mounseer, arter all.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 19 June 2nd sect. 12/6: At the recent French election [...] the Deputies [...] increased their salaries from 9000 francs (£300) to 15,000 francs (£600) [...] The gilt-grabbing mounseers were labelled ‘quinze millistes’ (fifteen-thousanders).
1914		G. Mager ‘Hawkshaw the Detective’ [comic strip] I read in the ze paper you buy ze rare jewels – you pay cash? Certainly Mounseer.
1929		J. Squire Apes and Parrots 127: Which was grateful of the poor Mounseer! / And I’ll wager in their joy they kissed each other's cheek / (Which is what them furriners do), .

2. any man, irrespective of origin.

1683

Fifteen Real Comforts of Matrimony 68: This same hot-codpiec’d Monsieur.

3. a French ship.

1778

song in Carey Sailor’s Songbag (1976) 56: Twas early in the morning we spied this proud Mounsear / She being some leagues to windard and down for us did steer.

4. any foreigner.

1838

Paul Pry 20 Sept. 178/7: This fellow, we sup- pose, thinks he acts like an Englishman, and ‘damns all mounseers’ by behaving ill to foreigners.