WOTD: Mickle

Anything that rhymes with ‘pickle’ is worth mentioning. Especially in Shakespeare.

mickle (adj.) IPA Pronunciation: /mIkl/
great, much, large

DROMIO OF EPHESUS
O villain! thou hast stolen both mine office and my name.
The one ne’er got me credit, the other mickle blame.
– Comedy of Errors (III.i)

I’ll give you a nickel and tickle for that mickle pickle. Cool sentence, huh? Shakespeare wrote that sentence. So it’s not stupid. It’s in that one play…

Note the difference in the above quote between saying “much blame” and “mickle blame.” The latter has a very different feel when spoken, almost a more piercing quality with the more forward vowel.