1. mine (French entry by Randle Cotgrave 1611)

   Mine: f. The countenance, looke, cheere, visage; the gesture, or posture of the face; also, fauor, phisnomie, feature, outward face, or shew. Faire mine. To seeme, or make a shew of; {whence}; Ce ne sont que mines. Faire mines. To make faces. Faire des mines. The same; also, to make an adoe, or shew of loathnesse to be drawne to a thing. Faire la mine. To lowt, or lowre vpon. Faire les mines. To make (strange) faces; also, to act, or play on a stage. Faire bonne mine. To excuse, colour, beare out a matter handsomely; to set a good face on't, to make a good shew. Faire bonne mine, & mauvais ieu. To set a good face on a bad matter; to beare out crosses with a cheerefull countenance; to affront miseries with a shew of mirth. Il y a plus de mine que de ieu. There is more shew then substance, more ceremonie then soliditie, in it.

© Feb. 1999