Mis"chief, n. Etym: [OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus, and Chief.]
1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport. Chaucer. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs. Ps. lii. 2. The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs. Fuller.
2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble. Milton. The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued. Swift. To be in mischief, to be doing harm or causing annoyance.
– To make mischief, to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels.
– To play the mischief, to cause great harm; to throw into confusion. [Colloq.]
Syn.
– Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill.
– Mischief, Damage, Harm. Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly.
Mis"chief, v. t.
Definition: To do harm to. [Obs.] Milton.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
20 June 2025
(adjective) marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; “a modest apartment”; “too modest to wear his medals”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.