Mrn.

Brit.

/ˈmɪstə/, U.S.

/ˈmɪstər/

Forms: late Middle English– Mr, 1500s– Mr. (with point).

Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: master n.¹

Etymology: Shortened < master n.¹ (originally as a graphic abbreviation); on subsequent development of a distinct spoken realization (and corresponding fuller written form mister n.²) see discussion below. Compare Mrs n.¹Until the latter half of the 17th cent. the title was often written in the full form master , but there is reason for believing that from the 16th cent. it was, at least in rapid or careless speech, treated proclitically, with consequent alteration of the vowel of the first syllable (see mister n.² 1). Eventually the word came to have the weakened pronunciation whenever it was used as a prefixed title, and it became customary always to employ the abbreviated spelling for this use, and only for this. Hence at the beginning of the 18th cent. master and Mr were already regarded as distinct words (compare mister n.², which is merely an occasional rendering of the pronunciation of the word of which ‘Mr’ is the accepted spelling). The plural form Mrs. is very rare; a corresponding plural form is usually supplied by Messrs. n., messieurs n. 2.

a. A title prefixed to the surname or first name of a man without a higher, honorific, or professional title, or to any of various designations of office.The early history of the application of Mr is identical with that of the use of its fuller form: see master n.¹ 20. Since the 17th cent. it has been the customary courteous prefix to the name of any man below the rank of knight. It is customary not to use the prefix when Esquire is appended to the name, and it is now omitted after ‘The Hon.’ and ‘The Rev.’ In less formal use, however, ‘Mr’ may often be substituted for these titles. It is customary in Britain (and South Africa, and predominantly in Australia and New Zealand) for surgeons to be styled ‘Mr’ rather than ‘Dr’.The use of Mr before a prefixed title of office is nearly obsolete although the Speaker of the House of Commons is sometimes referred to as ‘Mr Speaker ——’, and certain judges, such as High Court Judges in England and Judges of the Supreme Court in Canada, are still styled ‘Mr Justice ——’. The designations ‘Mr Baron ——’, ‘Mr Serjeant ——’, belonged to dignities now abolished.Before an official title not followed by the name, the prefix Mr is still common, as in ‘Mr Chairman’, ‘Mr President’, ‘Mr Mayor’. These are now used only vocatively; ‘Mr Speaker’ is used also in the 3rd person.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > title > for a man

Mra1449

goodman1560

gaffer1575

mister1722

bro1832

bra1880

a1449 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) ii. 89 Maister John Gorewyll..M^r William Filham.

c1524 T. More Let. 21 Sept. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. I. 294 All the lettres of M^r. Secretary sent unto your Grace.

1557 in Shropshire Parish Documents (1903) 58 Item Re'd of Mr. Vicar for olde shingle vi^d.

1568–9 in Coll. Malone Soc. (1923) II. ii. 167 To Mrs Stanhope and doddinge for the charges of ther play xxij^s vij^d.

c1600 Return: 1st Pt. iv. i, in Three Parnassus Plays (1949) 192 Let mee heare M^r Shakspears veyne.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iii. iii. 66 Good euen good M^r what ye cal't.

1662 Tryal Sir H. Vane 84 He further told Mr. Sheriff, he was ready: but the Sheriff said, he was not.

1680 Ld. Russell in Parl. Deb. 1 Mr. Speaker, Sir, seeing by Gods Providence [etc.].

1706 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1885) 13 Mar. I. 203 Mr. Poley, Esq^r., Member of Parliament.

1776 Proc. Conv. Prov. Maryland 14 May 8 After some time spent therein, Mr President resumed the chair.

1776 S. Johnson Let. 14 Oct. (1992) II. 357 I am told that you are printing a Book for Mr. Professor Watson.

1839 N. Wiseman in W. Ward Life Cardinal Wiseman (1897) I. ix. 313 Mr. Wilson, the priest at Nottingham, is fitting up rooms to receive me as an inmate.

1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 154 Both the chief and second mates are always addressed by their surnames, with Mr. prefixed.

1844 R. Owen Hunterian Lect. (1846) II. 1 Mr. President and Gentlemen.

1865 Evening Standard 10 Mar. 6/6 At the meeting to-day Mr. Vice Chancellor, the rev. the Master of St. Peter's, presided.

1886 M. F. Tupper My Life as Author 58 ‘What have I done, Mr. Dean?..’ ‘Why, sir, the porter states that this is the fifth time you have not come into college until past twelve o'clock.’

1936 H. L. Mencken Amer. Lang. (ed. 4) 272 A surgeon is usually plain Mr., and prefers to be so called, though he may have M.D. on his card, along with F.R.C.S.

1967 Times 5 Apr. 3/1 Mr. Joseph Yahuda, for the defence, referred to Roberts as ‘Mr. Roberts’, but he was interrupted by Mr. R. E. Seaton, the Chairman, who said: ‘Call him Roberts, please. He is a murderer.’

1986 M. Foot Loyalists & Loners 70 This last was a reference to a reply given by the new Speaker, Mr Speaker Weatherill, to a questioner in the House of Commons.

1991 T. Zuber et al. Canad. Law (ed. 5) ii. 26 (caption) The Supreme Court of Canada, 1990..the Hon. Mr. Justice Charles Doherty Gonthier.

b. In extended use (frequently humorous).

ΚΠ

1655 I. Walton Compl. Angler (ed. 2) x. 242 If Mr Pike be there, then the little fish will skip out of the water.

1757 W. Thompson Royal Navy-men's Advocate 45 With a handsome Salary for Mr. Operator.

1811 L. Aikin Juvenile Corr. 29 The young geese grow nicely..but Mr. Cock is..saucy.

1895 J. G. Millais Breath from Veldt v. 108 There..stood Mr. and Mrs. Pig and the entire Pig family.

1908 Pacific Monthly 19 329/1 In the language of the plains a revolver or rifle becomes..Mr. Speaker, against whose ruling there is no appeal.

1951 J. Cannan And All I Learned vi. 76 Stevens offered her the last cake on a plate... Mildred laughed and replied, ‘What about Mr Manners?’ but took the cake.

1987 R. Hall Kisses of Enemy (1990) ii. xil. 222 I like you Mr Dog; you're an accepter.

c. Prefixed to a word to denote a man who is considered the exemplar or type of the class or quality specified.

ΚΠ

1732 B. Franklin in Pennsylvania Gaz. 24 July 2/1 Mr. Billiard, who spends more than he earns, at the Green Table;..Mr. Husselcap, who often all day long leaves his Business for the rattling of Halfpence in a certain Alley:..Mr. T'otherpot the Tavern-haunter; Mr. Bookish the everlasting Reader; [etc.].

1814 H. Brougham Let. June in H. Maxwell Creevey Papers (1903) I. ix. 194 I was finally decided in favour of publishing to-day by the apprehension of Alexr., &c., coming in a day or two, and taking off the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Bull.

1843 T. B. Macaulay Let. 19 Apr. (1977) IV. 118 She railed most bitterly both at the publishers and at the Mr. Nobody who had had the insolence to find any blemishes in her writing.

1913 C. Mackenzie Sinister St. I. i. ii. 28 Because he had been slow in choosing..he had been called Mr. Particular.

1932 Times Lit. Suppl. 4 Aug. 553/3 M^r. Can't is an able man—in some ways abler than the hearty philistine, M^r. Can.

1974 ‘E. McGirr’ Murderous Journey 59 I..asked if I could go through Siskin's papers... He'd been a methodical man... It was more or less the picture of Mr. America.

1986 S. Forward Men who hate Women (1987) i. ii. 32 One day he's Mr. Wonderful and we're having a great time together, and then all of a sudden he turns into a monster.

d. Prefixed to a foreign name.When applied to a French man, Mr may in fact be an abbreviation of Monsieur. (The form Mr. also exists in French as an abbreviation of Monsieur, though it is less common than M.)

ΚΠ

1741 Pennsylvania Gaz. 9 July 2/1 We remain'd in Harbour from June to September, when Mr. d'Antin came to sail with his Squadron for St. Domingo.

1746 P. Francis in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles 158 (note) Mr. Sanadon thinks [etc.].

a1785 J. W. Fletcher Posthumous Pieces (1791) 264 Mr. Tronchin, the Physician of the Duke of Orleans being sent for to attend Voltaire.

1817 S. T. Coleridge Satyrane's Lett. iii W—— and myself accompanied Mr. Klopstock to the house of his brother, the poet.

1877 Trübner's Amer. & Oriental Literary Record 11 2/1 It is significant of the preponderance assigned in sinological studies to the English language, that Mr. von Möllendorff has thought it desirable to publish his work in English.

1956 in H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang (1960) 377/1 No one can call Mr. Bulganin and Mr. Khrushchev party poopers.

1992 Economist 2 May 50/3 Mr Walesa wants more powers. He looks to the French model in support of his drive for an executive presidency.

2. gen. = master n.¹, in any of the senses of that word. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > specific rank of artillery officer

Master (General) of the Ordnance1458

master gunner?c1475

Master of the Armoury1485

rotmaster1523

Mr1669

artillery officer1707

bombardier1844

lance-bombardier1935

c1475 in F. P. Barnard Edward IV's French Exped. (1925) f. 4 Mr of the Kynges Tenttes Rychard garnet.

1538 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 139 My Lordes Letteres Syngnyfing to my Mr. he hath apoyncted the Abbot of Kenelworth for his yerlie pencion c. li.

1547 Inventory Henry VIII in Archaeologia (1982) 107 192/2 Memorandum two Fawcons crased delyuered to the M^r of Thordenaunce to be newe mended.

c1560 in Hereford Munic. MSS (transcript) (O.E.D. Archive) I. ii. 79 An informacon presented to the Ryght Worshipful Mr. Mayore of the Citie of heref. & all other his brethren and m^rs of the said Citie.

1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle (title page) Made by Mr. S. Mr. of Art.

c1600 Return: 1st Pt. iv. i, in Three Parnassus Plays (1949) 197 But tell mee, art thou put away nowe for whippinge thy yonge M^r?

1607–8 T. Bodley Let. 19 Feb. in Trecentale Bodleianum (1913) 149 In all your proposells and plotts in that booke, you shewe your selfe a Mr Worke-man.

1612 W. Jewel tr. Golden Cabinet True Treasure (title page) Translated out of French & enlarged, by W. Iewel, M^r of Arts, of Exeter Colledge in Oxford.

1614 W. Barclay Nepenthes (title page) Nepenthes, or the vertves of tabacco by William Barclay Mr. of Art, and Doctor of Physicke.

1617 Court-bk. Merchant-Tailors' Company VI. f. 633 in J. Webster Wks. (1830) I. p. ii John Webster made free by Henry Clinckard his M^r.

1631 W. Foster Hoplocrisma-spongus 2 I am a M^r. of Arts in both Vniversities.

1657 R. Austen Treat. Fruit-trees (ed. 2) 133 Bare the Roots, and cut off a Mr Root or two from the Tree.

1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. v. xii. 71 All Mr Gunners should be able to draw.

1674 R. Godfrey Var. Injuries in Physick 141 I refused the Title of Mr. of Arts.

1889 R. L. Stevenson Master of Ballantrae vi. 165 Seven original letters from the said Mr of Ballantrae to the said E. Mackellar.

a1986 N. Moore Longings of Acrobats (1990) 41 The apricots Are ripe, Mr. Dissecter, Mr. of the world.

3. Without proper name.

a. Used in direct speech as a form of polite address to a man, esp. one whose name is not known and who is regarded by the speaker as being of superior status. Cf. mister n.² 3.Used ironically in quot. 1997.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > for a man

liefc907

goodmanOE

beausirec1300

sir1320

lede1377

fatherhood1461

gallant1488

fatherhead?a1500

Mr?a1640

gallantissimoa1681

mister1734

massa1766

sieur1772

stira1796

master1798

zurr1803

sieur1812

squire1828

guv'nor1843

Mistah1853

sor1891

suh1894

?a1640 J. Day & H. Chettle Blind-beggar (1659) iii. sig. F4 I that was to buy him a better face Mr. But give him good words, you know the old man is kind enuogh [sic].

1692 R. Bourne Contented Cuckold iv. i Coachman. Pray Mr. don't make me wait any longer; I have lost my Fare already.

1826 N.Y. Lit. Gaz. 14 Jan. 300/1 ‘Psha—you are either too much of a fool or a knave for me to gain any thing by questioning you—here, stand by my horse while I go into the house.’ ‘Wo'nt he kick, Mr?’

1997 A. Khan-Din East is East (rev. ed.) i. ii. 12 Where suit I buy you in market for you wear college? I not made-a bloody money you know Mr.

b. A man usually addressed as ‘Mr’; the word ‘Mr’ as a title, esp. in correspondence.

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > person > man > [noun]

churla800

werec900

rinkeOE

wapmanc950

heOE

wyeOE

gomeOE

ledeOE

seggeOE

shalkOE

manOE

carmanlOE

mother bairnc1225

hemea1250

mother sona1250

hind1297

buck1303

mister mana1325

piecec1325

groomc1330

man of mouldc1330

hathela1350

sire1362

malea1382

fellowa1393

guestc1394

sergeant?a1400

tailarda1400

tulka1400

harlotc1405

mother's sona1470

frekea1475

her1488

masculinea1500

gentlemana1513

horse?a1513

mutton?a1513

merchant1549

child1551

dick1553

sorrya1555

knavea1556

dandiprat1556

cove1567

rat1571

manling1573

bird1575

stone-horse1580

loona1586

shaver1592

slave1592

copemate1593

tit1594

dog1597

hima1599

prick1598

dingle-dangle1605

jade1608

dildoa1616

Roger1631

Johnny1648

boy1651

cod1653

cully1676

son of a bitch1697

cull1698

feller1699

chap1704

buff1708

son of a gun1708

buffer1749

codger1750

Mr1753

he-man1758

fella1778

gilla1790

gloak1795

joker1811

gory1819

covey1821

chappie1822

Charley1825

hombre1832

brother-man1839

rooster1840

blokie1841

hoss1843

Joe1846

guy1847

plug1848

chal1851

rye1851

omee1859

bloke1861

guffin1862

gadgie1865

mug1865

kerel1873

stiff1882

snoozer1884

geezer1885

josser1886

dude1895

gazabo1896

jasper1896

prairie dog1897

sport1897

crow-eater1899

papa1903

gink1906

stud1909

scout1912

head1913

beezer1914

jeff1917

pisser1918

bimbo1919

bozo1920

gee1921

mush1936

rye mush1936

basher1942

okie1943

mugger1945

cat1946

ou1949

tess1952

oke1970

bra1974

muzhik1993

society > society and the community > social class > the common people > specific ranks of common people > [noun] > one entitled to be called Mr.

mister1722

Mr1753

the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > title > for a man > the word 'Mr' as a title

Mr1753

1753 H. Walpole Let. 20 Feb. (1840) II. 464 Were I to print anything with my name it should be plain Horace Walpole: Mr. is one of the Gothicisms I abominate.

1806 B. Silliman in G. P. Fisher Life I. 160 I should much rather have preferred to pass simply as Mr., being sufficiently conscious that my years..hardly justified the appellation of Professor.

a1817 J. Austen Persuasion (1818) III. iii. 55 ‘I have let my house to Admiral Croft,’ would sound extremely well; very much better than to any mere Mr.——; a Mr. (save, perhaps, some half dozen in the nation,) always needs a note of explanation.

1857 ‘G. Eliot’ Let. 2 June (1954) II. 337 Mr. Eliot..may be a relation of Mr. Liggins's or some other ‘Mr.’ who knows Coton stories.

1882 W. Pater Let. 4 Nov. (1970) 43 My dear Sharp, (I think we have known each other long enough to drop the ‘Mr.’).

1915 R. Fry Let. 26 Aug. (1972) II. 389 Dear Waley (May we drop the Mr).

1991 P. Davies Status 56 We have a reverence for titles instilled in us when we are small: many of us have a slightly different response to a ‘Dr’ than we do to a ‘Ms’, ‘Mrs’ or ‘Mr’.

Compounds

Mr Big n. an important man; esp. the head of a criminal organization.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important

persona1425

personagec1460

colossus1605

satrapon1650

bigwig1772

big man1789

butt-cut1806

tallboy1820

buzz-wig1854

great or high shot1861

celestial1874

pot1880

big stuff1883

importance1886

big wheel1893

mandarin1907

the (also a) big noise1909

hotty1910

big boy1918

biggie1926

hotshot1933

wheel1933

eminence1935

top hat1936

big or great white chief1937

Mr Big1940

big kahuna1966

the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > criminality > criminal person > [noun] > gang > head of

mastermind1872

Mr Big1940

society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > [noun] > crime > a criminal or law-breaker > organizer

putter-up1796

mastermind1872

placer1928

Mr Big1940

1893 Harper's Mag. Jan. 232/2 ‘Oh, it's you, is it?’ he said. ‘You’ was Mr. ‘Big’ Marks. Mr. Marks was the proprietor of a sailors' lodging-house, who robbed his lodgers, and as a return helped them to rob their vessels.]

1940 G. Marx Let. 10 Oct. in G. Marx et al. Groucho Lett. (1967) 26 I may motor east..to see your ‘Mr. Big’.

1959 A. W. Sherring Tip Off iii. 28 Hardly the kind of district one would expect to find Mr. Big of London's underworld.

1969 C. Booker Neophiliacs vii. 179 Hints of the existence of a powerful ‘Mr. Big’.

1990 CU Amiga Apr. 33/1 At the top you have your Mr Bigs, who sit on the dosh and gloat.

Mr Chad n. see Chad n.¹

Mr Charlie n. (in African-American usage) a white man (cf. Charlie n. 7).

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > white person > [noun]

white mana1398

Christian1622

European1666

white-face1684

long knife1784

buckra1794

sahib1796

white-skin1803

whitey1811

Pakeha1817

papalagi1817

paleface1823

whitefellow1826

Abelungu1836

haole1843

gringo1849

lightiea1855

umlungu1859

mzungu1860

heaven-burster1861

ladino1877

mooniasc1880

Conchy Joe1888

béké1889

ofay1899

ridge runner1904

Ngati Pakeha1905

kelch1912

pink1913

leucoderm1924

fay1927

Mr Charlie1928

pinkie1935

devil1938

wonk1938

oaf1941

grey1943

paddy1945

Caucasoid1956

Jumble1957

Caucasian1958

white boy1958

pinko-grey1964

honky1967

toubab1976

palagi1977

1928 R. Fisher Walls of Jericho 303 Miss Anne, Mr. Charlie, Non-specific designations of ‘swell’ whites.

1965 J. Baldwin in J. H. Clark Harlem 175 He is assured..his ancestors were happy, shiftless, watermelon-eating darkies who loved Mr. Charlie and Miss Ann.

1967 Guardian 11 Jan. 11/4 Stokely Carmichael was there promising ‘Mr. Charlie's’ doomsday.

Mr Clean n. a very clean, tidy, or fastidious man; (chiefly figurative) a man regarded as honourable or incorruptible, or skilled at maintaining a reputation for incorruptibility.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > politics > politician > [noun] > honest

Mr Clean1964

1964 J. W. Carrington Mr Clean 17 Mr Clean will clean your whole house and everything that's in it.

1972 Dict. Contemp. & Colloq. Usage (Eng.-Lang. Inst. Amer.) Mr. Clean, an obnoxiously neat or prudish fellow.

1973 Times 21 Nov. 8/4 Mr Elliot Richardson, who resigned as Attorney General..is Mr Clean to many Republicans.

1992 Time 15 June 41/2 Ramos operated with cold and effective calculation in the cutthroat Marcos administration and emerged with his ‘Mr. Clean’ reputation largely intact.

Mr Cool n. a man who is well-informed or stylish in a casual or apparently effortless manner.

ΚΠ

1970 Jrnl. Negro Educ. 39 104/2 Mr. Cool tells him by drinking this acid, he'll become a swingin cat.

1976 Economist 27 Nov. 60 With his rugged, low-key virility, he [sc. Jean Gabin] was the original Mr Cool who entranced generations of French women.

1992 Daily Mirror (BNC) For 20 years Barry Norman has been the Mr Cool of movie reviewing.

Mr Fix n. U.S. slang a man who arranges matters or sets up deals; cf. Mr Fixit n.

ΚΠ

1937 E. H. Sutherland Professional Thief v. 129 Since most of the cases of professional thieves in the stores are taken care of by Mr. Fix, it is evident that the store detectives must get an end.

Mr Fixit n. (also Mr Fix-It, Mr Fix-it) slang (originally U.S.) a man who fixes something; esp. a man who arranges matters or sets up deals (often illicitly); cf. fixer n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > amending > [noun] > one who or that which

corrector1377

mendera1382

physiciana1398

amenderc1405

redresserc1449

corrigiour1474

repairer?1504

redressc1530

remeder1535

righter1566

rectifier1607

redressor1643

corrective1768

renovator1827

readjuster1850

Mr Fixit1924

fixer-upper1932

society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > mender > [noun]

clouterc1440

maker-up?a1444

botcher1499

repairer?1504

reparationer1520

patcher1528

bodger1538

repareller1546

mender1552

sarcinator1646

vamper1712

piecer1764

renovator1827

repairman1856

fixer?1881

serviceman1905

Mr Fixit1924

fixit man1949

fixit1982

1924 H. C. Witwer Fighting Back 70 He'd murder me if he thought I was tryin' to be a Mr. Fix-It in his private affairs.

1925 R. Lardner in Liberty 9 May 5 (title) Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It.

1948 San Francisco Chron. 26 May (This Week Mag.) 18 (heading) Diplomatic Mr. Fixits... They insure foreign big shots a pleasant visit.

1967 P. E. H. Durston Mortissimo (1968) xii. 100 He's got very little decent for sale. More of what the Americans call a ‘Mr. Fixit’. Mends things.

1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 15/1 Peter M. Flanigan..became an assistant to the President and acquired a reputation as ‘Richard Nixon's “Mr. Fixit” when it comes to powerful business interests’.

1990 Daily Star 23 Oct. 25/1 A NEW scheme from National Breakdown—the car emergency company—is set to run cowboy Mr Fixits out of town.

Mr Lo n. see Lo n.²

Mr Mom n. [after the title of the U.S. film Mr. Mom (1983), in which the main character loses his job and becomes a homemaker] originally U.S. a father (esp. one with no other job) who is the family member primarily responsible for childcare and housekeeping; cf. househusband n.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant by type of accommodation > [noun] > inhabitant of house > mistress of household > husband who carries out duties of

househusband1858

house dad1977

Mr Mom1984

1984 N.Y. Times 14 Apr. 27/2 ‘I'm now Mr. Mom,’ said James M. Kern, a 41-year-old former supervisor with four children. His wife now brings home the paycheck.

1996 B. B. Youngs Gifts of Heart xviii. 201 I was head of the household... My husband took on the ‘Mr. Mom’ role, a position he cherished.

2001 N.Y. Times 17 June ix. 8/2 Whether I'm perceived as the lucky father of a babe magnet or a domesticated Mr. Mom inviting a pinch on the cheek, I've discovered that there's more than one way to have an identity crisis as a single parent.

Mr Nice Guy n. a pleasant, amicable, benign person; originally and frequently in no more Mr Nice Guy.

ΚΠ

1957 Look 16 Apr. 127/2 A writer did an article about him [sc. Perry Como], and called him ‘Mr. Nice Guy’, and the name stuck.

1965 Newsweek 26 July 62/1 (title) No more Mr. Nice Guy.

1974 Audubon Jan. 97/1 It is a tribute to Russell Errol Train's considerable self-restrain that he did not wince visibly when he was introduced last fall to the National Press Club as ‘Mr. Nice Guy’.

1989 T. Tryon Night of Moonbow iii. vi. 194 In front of others he smiled and played his Mr. Nice Guy game.

2000 Sunday Star-Times (Auckland) (Electronic ed.) 12 Nov. Campbell, 36,..is known as the Mr Nice Guy of TV.

Mr Right n. the man who would make the ideal partner for a particular woman; a woman's destined husband; an ideal husband or partner.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > fitness for marriage > [noun] > marriageable person > man desirable or ideal as husband

Mr Right1796

fairy prince1840

Prince Charming1855

the answer to a maiden's prayer1926

1796 J. Crane Addr. to Bachelors 15 The Maids, poor things, are not to blame,..Held to a Spark, the match would light, And only wait for Mr. Right.

1860 G. A. Sala Baddington Peerage xviii I suppose I'm not the Mr. Right of her affections.

1952 M. Laski Village i. 24 You'd expect someone like Miss Margaret to stay at home and go to tennis-parties and things until Mr. Right came along and she could make a home of her own.

1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 88 The whole point of a woman's existence is to be exploited by Mr Right.

2000 Independent 5 May ii. 5/1 Novels about flat-sharing London girls in faltering pursuit of Mr Right who usually, but not always, end up at the altar.

Mr Universe n. the winner of the ‘Mr Universe’ bodybuilding contest; (hence) a man notable for his powerful physique.

ΚΠ

1951 E. Kramer (title of film) Mr. Universe.

1958 Health & Strength 19 June 32/2 In that first contest there was only one Mr Universe title to win.

1967 B. Took & M. Feldman Round the Horne (1975) 144 It's his modesty that lets him down. He'd be Mr Universe only he was too embarrassed to take his pully off.

1992 B. Elton Gridlock 184 An exasperated Deborah, struggling with the lid of a new coffee jar that would have given Mr Universe a limp wrist.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	mr
释义	Mrn. Brit. /ˈmɪstə/, U.S. /ˈmɪstər/ Forms: late Middle English– Mr, 1500s– Mr. (with point). Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: master n.¹ Etymology: Shortened < master n.¹ (originally as a graphic abbreviation); on subsequent development of a distinct spoken realization (and corresponding fuller written form mister n.²) see discussion below. Compare Mrs n.¹Until the latter half of the 17th cent. the title was often written in the full form master , but there is reason for believing that from the 16th cent. it was, at least in rapid or careless speech, treated proclitically, with consequent alteration of the vowel of the first syllable (see mister n.² 1). Eventually the word came to have the weakened pronunciation whenever it was used as a prefixed title, and it became customary always to employ the abbreviated spelling for this use, and only for this. Hence at the beginning of the 18th cent. master and Mr were already regarded as distinct words (compare mister n.², which is merely an occasional rendering of the pronunciation of the word of which ‘Mr’ is the accepted spelling). The plural form Mrs. is very rare; a corresponding plural form is usually supplied by Messrs. n., messieurs n. 2. 1. a. A title prefixed to the surname or first name of a man without a higher, honorific, or professional title, or to any of various designations of office.The early history of the application of Mr is identical with that of the use of its fuller form: see master n.¹ 20. Since the 17th cent. it has been the customary courteous prefix to the name of any man below the rank of knight. It is customary not to use the prefix when Esquire is appended to the name, and it is now omitted after ‘The Hon.’ and ‘The Rev.’ In less formal use, however, ‘Mr’ may often be substituted for these titles. It is customary in Britain (and South Africa, and predominantly in Australia and New Zealand) for surgeons to be styled ‘Mr’ rather than ‘Dr’.The use of Mr before a prefixed title of office is nearly obsolete although the Speaker of the House of Commons is sometimes referred to as ‘Mr Speaker ——’, and certain judges, such as High Court Judges in England and Judges of the Supreme Court in Canada, are still styled ‘Mr Justice ——’. The designations ‘Mr Baron ——’, ‘Mr Serjeant ——’, belonged to dignities now abolished.Before an official title not followed by the name, the prefix Mr is still common, as in ‘Mr Chairman’, ‘Mr President’, ‘Mr Mayor’. These are now used only vocatively; ‘Mr Speaker’ is used also in the 3rd person. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > title > for a man Mra1449 goodman1560 gaffer1575 mister1722 bro1832 bra1880 a1449 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) ii. 89 Maister John Gorewyll..M^r William Filham. c1524 T. More Let. 21 Sept. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. I. 294 All the lettres of M^r. Secretary sent unto your Grace. 1557 in Shropshire Parish Documents (1903) 58 Item Re'd of Mr. Vicar for olde shingle vi^d. 1568–9 in Coll. Malone Soc. (1923) II. ii. 167 To Mrs Stanhope and doddinge for the charges of ther play xxij^s vij^d. c1600 Return: 1st Pt. iv. i, in Three Parnassus Plays (1949) 192 Let mee heare M^r Shakspears veyne. a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iii. iii. 66 Good euen good M^r what ye cal't. 1662 Tryal Sir H. Vane 84 He further told Mr. Sheriff, he was ready: but the Sheriff said, he was not. 1680 Ld. Russell in Parl. Deb. 1 Mr. Speaker, Sir, seeing by Gods Providence [etc.]. 1706 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1885) 13 Mar. I. 203 Mr. Poley, Esq^r., Member of Parliament. 1776 Proc. Conv. Prov. Maryland 14 May 8 After some time spent therein, Mr President resumed the chair. 1776 S. Johnson Let. 14 Oct. (1992) II. 357 I am told that you are printing a Book for Mr. Professor Watson. 1839 N. Wiseman in W. Ward Life Cardinal Wiseman (1897) I. ix. 313 Mr. Wilson, the priest at Nottingham, is fitting up rooms to receive me as an inmate. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 154 Both the chief and second mates are always addressed by their surnames, with Mr. prefixed. 1844 R. Owen Hunterian Lect. (1846) II. 1 Mr. President and Gentlemen. 1865 Evening Standard 10 Mar. 6/6 At the meeting to-day Mr. Vice Chancellor, the rev. the Master of St. Peter's, presided. 1886 M. F. Tupper My Life as Author 58 ‘What have I done, Mr. Dean?..’ ‘Why, sir, the porter states that this is the fifth time you have not come into college until past twelve o'clock.’ 1936 H. L. Mencken Amer. Lang. (ed. 4) 272 A surgeon is usually plain Mr., and prefers to be so called, though he may have M.D. on his card, along with F.R.C.S. 1967 Times 5 Apr. 3/1 Mr. Joseph Yahuda, for the defence, referred to Roberts as ‘Mr. Roberts’, but he was interrupted by Mr. R. E. Seaton, the Chairman, who said: ‘Call him Roberts, please. He is a murderer.’ 1986 M. Foot Loyalists & Loners 70 This last was a reference to a reply given by the new Speaker, Mr Speaker Weatherill, to a questioner in the House of Commons. 1991 T. Zuber et al. Canad. Law (ed. 5) ii. 26 (caption) The Supreme Court of Canada, 1990..the Hon. Mr. Justice Charles Doherty Gonthier. b. In extended use (frequently humorous). ΚΠ 1655 I. Walton Compl. Angler (ed. 2) x. 242 If Mr Pike be there, then the little fish will skip out of the water. 1757 W. Thompson Royal Navy-men's Advocate 45 With a handsome Salary for Mr. Operator. 1811 L. Aikin Juvenile Corr. 29 The young geese grow nicely..but Mr. Cock is..saucy. 1895 J. G. Millais Breath from Veldt v. 108 There..stood Mr. and Mrs. Pig and the entire Pig family. 1908 Pacific Monthly 19 329/1 In the language of the plains a revolver or rifle becomes..Mr. Speaker, against whose ruling there is no appeal. 1951 J. Cannan And All I Learned vi. 76 Stevens offered her the last cake on a plate... Mildred laughed and replied, ‘What about Mr Manners?’ but took the cake. 1987 R. Hall Kisses of Enemy (1990) ii. xil. 222 I like you Mr Dog; you're an accepter. c. Prefixed to a word to denote a man who is considered the exemplar or type of the class or quality specified. ΚΠ 1732 B. Franklin in Pennsylvania Gaz. 24 July 2/1 Mr. Billiard, who spends more than he earns, at the Green Table;..Mr. Husselcap, who often all day long leaves his Business for the rattling of Halfpence in a certain Alley:..Mr. T'otherpot the Tavern-haunter; Mr. Bookish the everlasting Reader; [etc.]. 1814 H. Brougham Let. June in H. Maxwell Creevey Papers (1903) I. ix. 194 I was finally decided in favour of publishing to-day by the apprehension of Alexr., &c., coming in a day or two, and taking off the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Bull. 1843 T. B. Macaulay Let. 19 Apr. (1977) IV. 118 She railed most bitterly both at the publishers and at the Mr. Nobody who had had the insolence to find any blemishes in her writing. 1913 C. Mackenzie Sinister St. I. i. ii. 28 Because he had been slow in choosing..he had been called Mr. Particular. 1932 Times Lit. Suppl. 4 Aug. 553/3 M^r. Can't is an able man—in some ways abler than the hearty philistine, M^r. Can. 1974 ‘E. McGirr’ Murderous Journey 59 I..asked if I could go through Siskin's papers... He'd been a methodical man... It was more or less the picture of Mr. America. 1986 S. Forward Men who hate Women (1987) i. ii. 32 One day he's Mr. Wonderful and we're having a great time together, and then all of a sudden he turns into a monster. d. Prefixed to a foreign name.When applied to a French man, Mr may in fact be an abbreviation of Monsieur. (The form Mr. also exists in French as an abbreviation of Monsieur, though it is less common than M.) ΚΠ 1741 Pennsylvania Gaz. 9 July 2/1 We remain'd in Harbour from June to September, when Mr. d'Antin came to sail with his Squadron for St. Domingo. 1746 P. Francis in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles 158 (note) Mr. Sanadon thinks [etc.]. a1785 J. W. Fletcher Posthumous Pieces (1791) 264 Mr. Tronchin, the Physician of the Duke of Orleans being sent for to attend Voltaire. 1817 S. T. Coleridge Satyrane's Lett. iii W—— and myself accompanied Mr. Klopstock to the house of his brother, the poet. 1877 Trübner's Amer. & Oriental Literary Record 11 2/1 It is significant of the preponderance assigned in sinological studies to the English language, that Mr. von Möllendorff has thought it desirable to publish his work in English. 1956 in H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang (1960) 377/1 No one can call Mr. Bulganin and Mr. Khrushchev party poopers. 1992 Economist 2 May 50/3 Mr Walesa wants more powers. He looks to the French model in support of his drive for an executive presidency. 2. gen. = master n.¹, in any of the senses of that word. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > specific rank of artillery officer Master (General) of the Ordnance1458 master gunner?c1475 Master of the Armoury1485 rotmaster1523 Mr1669 artillery officer1707 bombardier1844 lance-bombardier1935 c1475 in F. P. Barnard Edward IV's French Exped. (1925) f. 4 Mr of the Kynges Tenttes Rychard garnet. 1538 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 139 My Lordes Letteres Syngnyfing to my Mr. he hath apoyncted the Abbot of Kenelworth for his yerlie pencion c. li. 1547 Inventory Henry VIII in Archaeologia (1982) 107 192/2 Memorandum two Fawcons crased delyuered to the M^r of Thordenaunce to be newe mended. c1560 in Hereford Munic. MSS (transcript) (O.E.D. Archive) I. ii. 79 An informacon presented to the Ryght Worshipful Mr. Mayore of the Citie of heref. & all other his brethren and m^rs of the said Citie. 1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle (title page) Made by Mr. S. Mr. of Art. c1600 Return: 1st Pt. iv. i, in Three Parnassus Plays (1949) 197 But tell mee, art thou put away nowe for whippinge thy yonge M^r? 1607–8 T. Bodley Let. 19 Feb. in Trecentale Bodleianum (1913) 149 In all your proposells and plotts in that booke, you shewe your selfe a Mr Worke-man. 1612 W. Jewel tr. Golden Cabinet True Treasure (title page) Translated out of French & enlarged, by W. Iewel, M^r of Arts, of Exeter Colledge in Oxford. 1614 W. Barclay Nepenthes (title page) Nepenthes, or the vertves of tabacco by William Barclay Mr. of Art, and Doctor of Physicke. 1617 Court-bk. Merchant-Tailors' Company VI. f. 633 in J. Webster Wks. (1830) I. p. ii John Webster made free by Henry Clinckard his M^r. 1631 W. Foster Hoplocrisma-spongus 2 I am a M^r. of Arts in both Vniversities. 1657 R. Austen Treat. Fruit-trees (ed. 2) 133 Bare the Roots, and cut off a Mr Root or two from the Tree. 1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. v. xii. 71 All Mr Gunners should be able to draw. 1674 R. Godfrey Var. Injuries in Physick 141 I refused the Title of Mr. of Arts. 1889 R. L. Stevenson Master of Ballantrae vi. 165 Seven original letters from the said Mr of Ballantrae to the said E. Mackellar. a1986 N. Moore Longings of Acrobats (1990) 41 The apricots Are ripe, Mr. Dissecter, Mr. of the world. 3. Without proper name. a. Used in direct speech as a form of polite address to a man, esp. one whose name is not known and who is regarded by the speaker as being of superior status. Cf. mister n.² 3.Used ironically in quot. 1997. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > for a man liefc907 goodmanOE beausirec1300 sir1320 lede1377 fatherhood1461 gallant1488 fatherhead?a1500 Mr?a1640 gallantissimoa1681 mister1734 massa1766 sieur1772 stira1796 master1798 zurr1803 sieur1812 squire1828 guv'nor1843 Mistah1853 sor1891 suh1894 ?a1640 J. Day & H. Chettle Blind-beggar (1659) iii. sig. F4 I that was to buy him a better face Mr. But give him good words, you know the old man is kind enuogh [sic]. 1692 R. Bourne Contented Cuckold iv. i Coachman. Pray Mr. don't make me wait any longer; I have lost my Fare already. 1826 N.Y. Lit. Gaz. 14 Jan. 300/1 ‘Psha—you are either too much of a fool or a knave for me to gain any thing by questioning you—here, stand by my horse while I go into the house.’ ‘Wo'nt he kick, Mr?’ 1997 A. Khan-Din East is East (rev. ed.) i. ii. 12 Where suit I buy you in market for you wear college? I not made-a bloody money you know Mr. b. A man usually addressed as ‘Mr’; the word ‘Mr’ as a title, esp. in correspondence. ΘΚΠ the world > people > person > man > [noun] churla800 werec900 rinkeOE wapmanc950 heOE wyeOE gomeOE ledeOE seggeOE shalkOE manOE carmanlOE mother bairnc1225 hemea1250 mother sona1250 hind1297 buck1303 mister mana1325 piecec1325 groomc1330 man of mouldc1330 hathela1350 sire1362 malea1382 fellowa1393 guestc1394 sergeant?a1400 tailarda1400 tulka1400 harlotc1405 mother's sona1470 frekea1475 her1488 masculinea1500 gentlemana1513 horse?a1513 mutton?a1513 merchant1549 child1551 dick1553 sorrya1555 knavea1556 dandiprat1556 cove1567 rat1571 manling1573 bird1575 stone-horse1580 loona1586 shaver1592 slave1592 copemate1593 tit1594 dog1597 hima1599 prick1598 dingle-dangle1605 jade1608 dildoa1616 Roger1631 Johnny1648 boy1651 cod1653 cully1676 son of a bitch1697 cull1698 feller1699 chap1704 buff1708 son of a gun1708 buffer1749 codger1750 Mr1753 he-man1758 fella1778 gilla1790 gloak1795 joker1811 gory1819 covey1821 chappie1822 Charley1825 hombre1832 brother-man1839 rooster1840 blokie1841 hoss1843 Joe1846 guy1847 plug1848 chal1851 rye1851 omee1859 bloke1861 guffin1862 gadgie1865 mug1865 kerel1873 stiff1882 snoozer1884 geezer1885 josser1886 dude1895 gazabo1896 jasper1896 prairie dog1897 sport1897 crow-eater1899 papa1903 gink1906 stud1909 scout1912 head1913 beezer1914 jeff1917 pisser1918 bimbo1919 bozo1920 gee1921 mush1936 rye mush1936 basher1942 okie1943 mugger1945 cat1946 ou1949 tess1952 oke1970 bra1974 muzhik1993 society > society and the community > social class > the common people > specific ranks of common people > [noun] > one entitled to be called Mr. mister1722 Mr1753 the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > title > for a man > the word 'Mr' as a title Mr1753 1753 H. Walpole Let. 20 Feb. (1840) II. 464 Were I to print anything with my name it should be plain Horace Walpole: Mr. is one of the Gothicisms I abominate. 1806 B. Silliman in G. P. Fisher Life I. 160 I should much rather have preferred to pass simply as Mr., being sufficiently conscious that my years..hardly justified the appellation of Professor. a1817 J. Austen Persuasion (1818) III. iii. 55 ‘I have let my house to Admiral Croft,’ would sound extremely well; very much better than to any mere Mr.——; a Mr. (save, perhaps, some half dozen in the nation,) always needs a note of explanation. View more context for this quotation 1857 ‘G. Eliot’ Let. 2 June (1954) II. 337 Mr. Eliot..may be a relation of Mr. Liggins's or some other ‘Mr.’ who knows Coton stories. 1882 W. Pater Let. 4 Nov. (1970) 43 My dear Sharp, (I think we have known each other long enough to drop the ‘Mr.’). 1915 R. Fry Let. 26 Aug. (1972) II. 389 Dear Waley (May we drop the Mr). 1991 P. Davies Status 56 We have a reverence for titles instilled in us when we are small: many of us have a slightly different response to a ‘Dr’ than we do to a ‘Ms’, ‘Mrs’ or ‘Mr’. Compounds Mr Big n. an important man; esp. the head of a criminal organization. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important persona1425 personagec1460 colossus1605 satrapon1650 bigwig1772 big man1789 butt-cut1806 tallboy1820 buzz-wig1854 great or high shot1861 celestial1874 pot1880 big stuff1883 importance1886 big wheel1893 mandarin1907 the (also a) big noise1909 hotty1910 big boy1918 biggie1926 hotshot1933 wheel1933 eminence1935 top hat1936 big or great white chief1937 Mr Big1940 big kahuna1966 the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > criminality > criminal person > [noun] > gang > head of mastermind1872 Mr Big1940 society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > [noun] > crime > a criminal or law-breaker > organizer putter-up1796 mastermind1872 placer1928 Mr Big1940 1893 Harper's Mag. Jan. 232/2 ‘Oh, it's you, is it?’ he said. ‘You’ was Mr. ‘Big’ Marks. Mr. Marks was the proprietor of a sailors' lodging-house, who robbed his lodgers, and as a return helped them to rob their vessels.] 1940 G. Marx Let. 10 Oct. in G. Marx et al. Groucho Lett. (1967) 26 I may motor east..to see your ‘Mr. Big’. 1959 A. W. Sherring Tip Off iii. 28 Hardly the kind of district one would expect to find Mr. Big of London's underworld. 1969 C. Booker Neophiliacs vii. 179 Hints of the existence of a powerful ‘Mr. Big’. 1990 CU Amiga Apr. 33/1 At the top you have your Mr Bigs, who sit on the dosh and gloat. Mr Chad n. see Chad n.¹ Mr Charlie n. (in African-American usage) a white man (cf. Charlie n. 7). ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > white person > [noun] white mana1398 Christian1622 European1666 white-face1684 long knife1784 buckra1794 sahib1796 white-skin1803 whitey1811 Pakeha1817 papalagi1817 paleface1823 whitefellow1826 Abelungu1836 haole1843 gringo1849 lightiea1855 umlungu1859 mzungu1860 heaven-burster1861 ladino1877 mooniasc1880 Conchy Joe1888 béké1889 ofay1899 ridge runner1904 Ngati Pakeha1905 kelch1912 pink1913 leucoderm1924 fay1927 Mr Charlie1928 pinkie1935 devil1938 wonk1938 oaf1941 grey1943 paddy1945 Caucasoid1956 Jumble1957 Caucasian1958 white boy1958 pinko-grey1964 honky1967 toubab1976 palagi1977 1928 R. Fisher Walls of Jericho 303 Miss Anne, Mr. Charlie, Non-specific designations of ‘swell’ whites. 1965 J. Baldwin in J. H. Clark Harlem 175 He is assured..his ancestors were happy, shiftless, watermelon-eating darkies who loved Mr. Charlie and Miss Ann. 1967 Guardian 11 Jan. 11/4 Stokely Carmichael was there promising ‘Mr. Charlie's’ doomsday. Mr Clean n. a very clean, tidy, or fastidious man; (chiefly figurative) a man regarded as honourable or incorruptible, or skilled at maintaining a reputation for incorruptibility. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > politician > [noun] > honest Mr Clean1964 1964 J. W. Carrington Mr Clean 17 Mr Clean will clean your whole house and everything that's in it. 1972 Dict. Contemp. & Colloq. Usage (Eng.-Lang. Inst. Amer.) Mr. Clean, an obnoxiously neat or prudish fellow. 1973 Times 21 Nov. 8/4 Mr Elliot Richardson, who resigned as Attorney General..is Mr Clean to many Republicans. 1992 Time 15 June 41/2 Ramos operated with cold and effective calculation in the cutthroat Marcos administration and emerged with his ‘Mr. Clean’ reputation largely intact. Mr Cool n. a man who is well-informed or stylish in a casual or apparently effortless manner. ΚΠ 1970 Jrnl. Negro Educ. 39 104/2 Mr. Cool tells him by drinking this acid, he'll become a swingin cat. 1976 Economist 27 Nov. 60 With his rugged, low-key virility, he [sc. Jean Gabin] was the original Mr Cool who entranced generations of French women. 1992 Daily Mirror (BNC) For 20 years Barry Norman has been the Mr Cool of movie reviewing. Mr Fix n. U.S. slang a man who arranges matters or sets up deals; cf. Mr Fixit n. ΚΠ 1937 E. H. Sutherland Professional Thief v. 129 Since most of the cases of professional thieves in the stores are taken care of by Mr. Fix, it is evident that the store detectives must get an end. Mr Fixit n. (also Mr Fix-It, Mr Fix-it) slang (originally U.S.) a man who fixes something; esp. a man who arranges matters or sets up deals (often illicitly); cf. fixer n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > amending > [noun] > one who or that which corrector1377 mendera1382 physiciana1398 amenderc1405 redresserc1449 corrigiour1474 repairer?1504 redressc1530 remeder1535 righter1566 rectifier1607 redressor1643 corrective1768 renovator1827 readjuster1850 Mr Fixit1924 fixer-upper1932 society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > mender > [noun] clouterc1440 maker-up?a1444 botcher1499 repairer?1504 reparationer1520 patcher1528 bodger1538 repareller1546 mender1552 sarcinator1646 vamper1712 piecer1764 renovator1827 repairman1856 fixer?1881 serviceman1905 Mr Fixit1924 fixit man1949 fixit1982 1924 H. C. Witwer Fighting Back 70 He'd murder me if he thought I was tryin' to be a Mr. Fix-It in his private affairs. 1925 R. Lardner in Liberty 9 May 5 (title) Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It. 1948 San Francisco Chron. 26 May (This Week Mag.) 18 (heading) Diplomatic Mr. Fixits... They insure foreign big shots a pleasant visit. 1967 P. E. H. Durston Mortissimo (1968) xii. 100 He's got very little decent for sale. More of what the Americans call a ‘Mr. Fixit’. Mends things. 1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 15/1 Peter M. Flanigan..became an assistant to the President and acquired a reputation as ‘Richard Nixon's “Mr. Fixit” when it comes to powerful business interests’. 1990 Daily Star 23 Oct. 25/1 A NEW scheme from National Breakdown—the car emergency company—is set to run cowboy Mr Fixits out of town. Mr Lo n. see Lo n.² Mr Mom n. [after the title of the U.S. film Mr. Mom (1983), in which the main character loses his job and becomes a homemaker] originally U.S. a father (esp. one with no other job) who is the family member primarily responsible for childcare and housekeeping; cf. househusband n. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant by type of accommodation > [noun] > inhabitant of house > mistress of household > husband who carries out duties of househusband1858 house dad1977 Mr Mom1984 1984 N.Y. Times 14 Apr. 27/2 ‘I'm now Mr. Mom,’ said James M. Kern, a 41-year-old former supervisor with four children. His wife now brings home the paycheck. 1996 B. B. Youngs Gifts of Heart xviii. 201 I was head of the household... My husband took on the ‘Mr. Mom’ role, a position he cherished. 2001 N.Y. Times 17 June ix. 8/2 Whether I'm perceived as the lucky father of a babe magnet or a domesticated Mr. Mom inviting a pinch on the cheek, I've discovered that there's more than one way to have an identity crisis as a single parent. Mr Nice Guy n. a pleasant, amicable, benign person; originally and frequently in no more Mr Nice Guy. ΚΠ 1957 Look 16 Apr. 127/2 A writer did an article about him [sc. Perry Como], and called him ‘Mr. Nice Guy’, and the name stuck. 1965 Newsweek 26 July 62/1 (title) No more Mr. Nice Guy. 1974 Audubon Jan. 97/1 It is a tribute to Russell Errol Train's considerable self-restrain that he did not wince visibly when he was introduced last fall to the National Press Club as ‘Mr. Nice Guy’. 1989 T. Tryon Night of Moonbow iii. vi. 194 In front of others he smiled and played his Mr. Nice Guy game. 2000 Sunday Star-Times (Auckland) (Electronic ed.) 12 Nov. Campbell, 36,..is known as the Mr Nice Guy of TV. Mr Right n. the man who would make the ideal partner for a particular woman; a woman's destined husband; an ideal husband or partner. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > fitness for marriage > [noun] > marriageable person > man desirable or ideal as husband Mr Right1796 fairy prince1840 Prince Charming1855 the answer to a maiden's prayer1926 1796 J. Crane Addr. to Bachelors 15 The Maids, poor things, are not to blame,..Held to a Spark, the match would light, And only wait for Mr. Right. 1860 G. A. Sala Baddington Peerage xviii I suppose I'm not the Mr. Right of her affections. 1952 M. Laski Village i. 24 You'd expect someone like Miss Margaret to stay at home and go to tennis-parties and things until Mr. Right came along and she could make a home of her own. 1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 88 The whole point of a woman's existence is to be exploited by Mr Right. 2000 Independent 5 May ii. 5/1 Novels about flat-sharing London girls in faltering pursuit of Mr Right who usually, but not always, end up at the altar. Mr Universe n. the winner of the ‘Mr Universe’ bodybuilding contest; (hence) a man notable for his powerful physique. ΚΠ 1951 E. Kramer (title of film) Mr. Universe. 1958 Health & Strength 19 June 32/2 In that first contest there was only one Mr Universe title to win. 1967 B. Took & M. Feldman Round the Horne (1975) 144 It's his modesty that lets him down. He'd be Mr Universe only he was too embarrassed to take his pully off. 1992 B. Elton Gridlock 184 An exasperated Deborah, struggling with the lid of a new coffee jar that would have given Mr Universe a limp wrist. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022). Mr.v. Brit. /ˈmɪstə/, U.S. /ˈmɪstər/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: Mr n. Etymology: < Mr n. Compare earlier master v. (compare sense 5 s.v.), mister v.² rare. transitive. To address (a man) formally as ‘Mr’. Cf. mister v.² ΚΠ 1827 A. N. Royall Tennessean xxi. 213 ‘Well Mr. McCallester—’ ‘The Lord love you sir, don't Mr. me, William's my name.’ 1850 F. E. Smedley Frank Fairlegh vi. 60 I tell you what it is, Oaklands (we don't Mr. each other here), you are a right good fellow. 1873 T. Hardy Pair of Blue Eyes III. xii. 236 Don't ‘Mr.’ me; you are as well in the world as I am now. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022). > as lemmas M.R. M.R. n. Law Master of the Rolls (see Master of the Rolls n. 1). ΚΠ 1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. M.R. 1901 F. W. Maitland Let. 10 Nov. (1965) 233 The M.R. was in duty bound to subscribe. 1964 Mod. Law Rev. 28 iii. 274 Lord Denning M.R. said that Silverthorne was liable. 1980 in Ld. Denning Due Process of Law iv. ii. 145 To follow Lord Denning MR in his invitation to pre-empt its counsels is..to usurp the function of a legislative body entrusted by Parliament with a particular task. extracted from Mn. < n.a1449v.1827 as lemmas
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Mrn.

Compounds

Mr.v.

> as lemmas