1 A condition of despondency or ill temper; a vague or imaginary unwellness.scattered, but esp SthSee Map
1806 (1970)WebsterCompendious Dict. 197, Mull′igrubs . . a twisting of the guts, sullenness. [DARE Ed: This entry was carried over from Webster’s English model.]1834Life Andrew Jackson 95 ME, They was sittin snug round their camp fires fillin their kittles and makin coffy when another kind of Coffy [=General Coffy] was a preparin which giv’d considerable of them the mulligrubs.1838KettellYankee Notions 96, All the bitter diseases that flesh is heir to,— . . megrims, mulligrubs, . . and all sorts of diabolical despondencies.1898LloydCountry Life 131 AL, I had the mullygrubs and Sandy he had the botts.1899 (1912)GreenVA Folk-Speech 291, Mulligrubs. . . Ill temper, sulkiness; the sulks: as, to have the mulligrubs.1909DN 3.351 eAL, wGA,Mulligrubs. . . A fit of bad humor, the blues.1913KephartHighlanders 297 sAppalachians, I knowed in reason she’d have the mullygrubs over them doin’s.1944PADS 2.25 cwNC, cwOH,Mollygrubs, to have. . . To be slightly unwell or upset; to have the blues. In N.C.: mullygrubs.Ibid30 eKY,Mullygrubs [ˈmʌlɪˈgrʌbz]. . . Despondency. “He’s in the mullygrubs this morning.” . . Common.1950WELS(Joking or fantastic names for imaginary diseases: “I guess he’s got the _____.”) 1 Inf, ceWI, Mollygrooms.1962SteinbeckTravels 197, We’d be lousy explorers. A few days out and we get the mullygrubs.1965–70DARE(Qu. BB28, Joking names . . for imaginary diseases: “He must have the _____.”) 39 Infs, chiefly Sth, Mulligrubs; GA72, Mollygrubs; NY205, He’s got a mulligrub; (Qu. GG34a, To feel depressed or in a gloomy mood: “He has the _____today.”) 21 Infs, scattered, but esp Sth, Mulligrubs; AL41, Mulligrubs, muddigrubs; [GA74, Hubbigrubs]; (Qu. BB5, A general feeling of discomfort or illness that isn’t any one place in particular) Infs AR33, GA13, 33, 77, MA5, Mulligrubs; NC82, Got the mulligrubs; AL41, Muddigrubs; AL4, Mullygrumps; (Qu. BB39, On a day when you don’t feel just right, though not actually sick . . “I’ll be all right tomorrow—I’m just feeling _____today.”) Inf NC72, Got the mulligrubs; (Qu. GG27b, To get somebody out of an unhappy mood . . “Don’t _____.”) Infs GA77, OK9, Have the mulligrubs; GA67, Give way to the mulligrubs; [(Qu. GG35b, [To sulk or pout:] “Because she couldn’t go, she’s been _____all day.”) Inf NY1, Eating mulligrubs].
2 Spec:
a Pain in the stomach or intestines; diarrhea.
1806 [see 1 above].1899 (1912)GreenVA Folk-Speech 291, Mulligrubs. . . A pain in the intestines; colic.1930Shoemaker1300 Words40 cPA Mts (as of c1900), Mullygrumps—An attack of indigestion or stomach ache.1966DARE(Qu. BB19, Joking names for looseness of the bowels) Inf MS33, Mulligrubs.1990CavenderFolk Med. Lexicon 27 sAppalachians,Mullygrubs—[sometimes pronounced as “mollygrubs”] . . hunger pains or growling sounds made by the stomach when hungry.
