mash

Etymology 1

From Middle English mash, from Old English mǣsċ-, māsċ-, māx-, from Proto-Germanic *maiskaz, *maiskō (“mixture, mash”), from Proto-Indo-European *meyǵ-, *meyḱ- (“to mix”). Akin to German Meisch, Maische (“mash”), (compare meischen, maischen (“to mash, wash”)), Swedish mäsk (“mash”), and to Old English miscian (“to mix”). See mix.

noun

1. (uncountable) A mass of mixed ingredients reduced to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure; a mass of anything in a soft pulpy state.
2. (brewing) Ground or bruised malt, or meal of rye, wheat, corn, or other grain (or a mixture of malt and meal) steeped and stirred in hot water for making the wort.
3. (mostly UK) Mashed potatoes.
4. A mixture of meal or bran and water fed to animals.
5. (obsolete) A mess; trouble.

Etymology 2

From Middle English mashen, maschen, meshen, from Old English *māsċan, *mǣsċan, from Proto-Germanic *maiskijaną. Cognate with German maischen. Compare also Middle Low German meskewert, mēschewert (“beerwort”).

verb

1. (transitive) To convert into a mash; to reduce to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure
   We had fun mashing apples in a mill.
   The potatoes need to be mashed.
2. (transitive) In brewing, to convert (for example malt, or malt and meal) into the mash which makes wort.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To press down hard (on).
   to mash on a bicycle pedal
4. (transitive, Southern US, informal) To press.
5. (transitive, UK, chiefly Northern England) To prepare a cup of tea in a teapot; to brew (tea).
6. (intransitive, archaic) To act violently.
7. (transitive, informal, gaming) To press (a button) rapidly and repeatedly.

Etymology 3

See mesh.

noun

1. (obsolete) A mesh.

Etymology 4

Either by analogy with mash (“to press, to soften”), or more likely from Romani masha (“a fascinator, an enticer”), mashdva (“fascination, enticement”). Originally used in theater, and recorded in US in 1870s. Either originally used as mash, or a backformation from masher, from masha. Leland writes of the etymology: : It was introduced by the well-known gypsy family of actors, C., among whom Romany was habitually spoken. The word “masher” or “mash” means in that tongue to allure, delude, or entice. It was doubtless much aided in its popularity by its quasi-identity with the English word. But there can be no doubt as to the gypsy origin of “mash” as used on the stage. I am indebted for this information to the late well-known impresario [Albert Marshall] Palmer of New York, and I made a note of it years before the term had become at all popular.

verb

1. To flirt, to make eyes, to make romantic advances.

noun

1. (obsolete) An infatuation, a crush, a fancy.
2. (obsolete) A dandy, a masher.
3. (obsolete) The object of one’s affections (regardless of sex).

Etymology 5

Mostly clipping of machine gun, but also for imitative reasons, compare the gun-names mop and broom; intentionally chosen around 2000 due to its homonymy and obscurity for legal reasons.

noun

1. (countable, MLE, slang) A gun.
   This mash works but I don't know about yours […] Better hope your mash don't jam, bare ping ping like a BB […] I see a boy run with his mash, I see a boy run with his jooka […] Don't talk about mashes, we've lost about ten I know about cookers 2016, “Skeng Man”, Various performers of 67 (lyrics)
   Rise that heater, tap that mash They don't come outside their flats Decamp, decamp, aim this toolie at your hat They piss us off on Snap, so we rise up and load them straps 2020-07-02, “Stop Check”, Td of TPL (lyrics)
   Close man’s eyes, make them look Chinese Or do it like tits when the mash gets squeezed When we squeeze that mash, tell your boy don’t dash Me I just want cash But if they want war let’s leave it at dat 19-10-2021, “Exciting Freestyle”, 🇮🇪 #D15 Trigz (lyrics)
   If the mash empty, tell boy reload it 24-08-2023, “Dri-Fit”, SWiTCH (lyrics)GRM Daily, 0:54

Etymology 6

noun

1. Alternative form of maash (“mung bean”)