Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a promiscuous woman; also attrib.

c.1367–86		Langland Piers Ploughman (1550) I Biii line 181: You haue no more merit in masse nor in houres Than malken of her maydenhede.
c.1386		Chaucer Reeve’s Tale (1979) line 380: Aleyn wax wery in the daweninge, For he had swoken al the longe night, And seide, ‘Fare weel, Malyne, sweete wight.’.
c.1386		Chaucer Man of Law’s Prologue line 29: It wol nonat come agayn, with-outen drede, na more then wol Malkins maydenhede, Whan she hath lost it in hir wantonesse.
c.1468		‘Trial of Josph and Mary’ Coventry Mysteries (1841) 131: Malkyn Mylkedoke, and fayr Mabyle [...] Gylle Fetyse and fayr Jane.
c.1499		Skelton Bowge of Courte line 400: Now renne muste I to the stewys syde To wete yf Malkyn, my lemman, have gete oughte. I lete her to hyre that men maye on her ryde [...] She hath gote more money with her tayle Than hath some shyppe that into Bordews sayle.
c.1538		D. Lyndsay ‘Supplication Against Syde Taillis’ in Laing Works I 131: I dreid rouch malkin die for drouth, / Quhen sic dry dusy blawis in hir mouth.
1555		J. Heywood Epigrams upon Proverbs clix: There be mo maydes then Malkin, thou sayst truth Jone, / But how may we be sure, that Malkyn is one.
1579		S. Gosson School of Abuse 37: There are more houses than Parishe Churches, more maydes than Maulkin.
1593		G. Harvey Pierce’s Supererogation 146: Yet more possible for him to stay the swing of his eger hand, then for Malkin to stay the dint of her moodie tongue.
1604		Middleton Ant and the Nightingale VIII 54: Some gentleman-swallowing malkin.
1612		Pasquil’s Nightcap (1877) 65: As if there were no Cuckolds among Clownes; As though your maids were Malkins, and your wiues.
1640		T. Heywood Love’s Mistress II i: Could I be in love with any madge, though she were an Howlet, or with any maid, though she look’t like a Malkin.
1648		R. Herrick ‘The Hock Cart’ Hesperides I 135: See, here a Maukin, there a sheet, As spotless pure, as it is sweet.
1674		T. Duffet Epilogue Spoken by Heccate and Three Witches 35: Bank-side Maulkin thrice hath mew’d, no matter If puss of t’other house will scratch, have at her.
1705		N. Ward Honesty in Distress A2: What tatter’d Maukin have we here, said I?
1725		View of London & Westminster (2nd part) 46: [in a list of prostitutes] Miss Maukin [Is Visited] By a Merchant in the City.

2. (also Grimalkin) the vagina.

1540		D. Lyndsay Satyre of Thrie Estaits (1604) 63: And ye Ladies, that lift to pisch, Lift vp your taill plat, in ane disch: And gif that your mawkine cryis quhisch, Stop in ane wusp of stray .
c.1800		‘Madgie Cam to My Bed-stock’ in Bold (1979) 134: I pat my han’ atweesh her feet, / An’ fand her wee bit maukin.
1833		‘The Hungry Cat’ in Corinthian in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 56: Nobody shall touzle poor Grimalkin’s nest, / Or cram, with bad food my dear cat.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1980		Maledicta IV:2 (Winter) 187: Sometimes it is referred to as a malkin or merkin, which is properly a quim-wig.

3. an effeminate, poss. homosexual, man.

1566

T. Drant (trans.) ‘The seconde Satyre’ Horace his Satyres Bk I B: Whilst sum men take care to kepe them cleane From blame, a blotte of one grosse sinne [...] Malkin to make him singular, a fashion freshe hath founde, He swings and swoupes from street to street, with gowne that sweepes the grounde, And thincke you Malkin wants his mates, no fye, that were a misse, [...] To proue himselfe a pretye man, and quaynte in his deuyse, He makes his garmente to be shapde, not so large a syse: For wote you what? he curtalls it, it hardlye hydes his rumpe.