• mich,mych,myche,meech,meach
• miche(obsolete)

FromMiddle Englishmychen,müchen(“to rob, steal, pilfer”), fromOld English*myċċan(“to steal”), fromProto-West Germanic*mukkjan, fromProto-Germanic*mukjaną(“to waylay, ambush, hide, rob”), fromProto-Indo-European*(s)mūg-,*(s)mewg-(“swindler, thief”). Cognate withScotsmich,myche(“to steal”),Saterland Frisianmogeln(“to act secretively and deceitfully”),Dutchmokkelen(“to flatter”),Alemannic Germanmauchen(“to nibble secretively”),Germanmogeln(“to cheat”),Germanmeucheln(“to assassinate”),Norwegiani mugg(“in secret, secretly”),Latinmuger(“cheater”). Related tomooch.

• IPA^(key):/mɪt͡ʃ/

  • Audio(Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes:-ɪtʃ

mitch (third-person singular simple presentmitches,present participlemitching,simple past and past participlemitched)

1. (transitive,dialectal) Topilfer;filch;steal.
2. (intransitive,dialectal) To shrink or retire from view;lurk out of sight;skulk.
3. (Ireland,Wales,ambitransitive) To be absent from (school) without a valid excuse; toplay truant, toskiveoff.
   • 1983,Bernard MacLaverty,Cal, Chapter 4. (p.115 in the 1998 Vintage paperback edition):

     "Did you evermitch school?" he asked.
     "No. But I think this is what it would feel like."

   John said he was going tomitch the last lesson today.

   • 1996, Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews, "Old Grey Whistle Theft" (Father Ted TV episode)

     I was young once. God, the things we used to get up to in the seminary. Me and a bunch of the lads there, once wemitched off to see a Dana concert.

4. (intransitive,dialectal) Togrumble secretly.
5. (intransitive,dialectal) To pretendpoverty.

(play truant):bunk off,minch,skip school,skive

• go on the mitch
• mitcher
• mitchery
• mitching