mumping day
Preserved but no longer current.
St. Thomas's Day, December 21st, is so called in some parts of the country, because on this day the poor used to go about begging, or, as it was called, "a-gooding," that is, getting gifts to procure good things for Christmas.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “mumping day” mean?
St. Thomas's Day, December 21st, is so called in some parts of the country, because on this day the poor used to go about begging, or, as it was called, "a-gooding," that is, getting gifts to procure good things for Christmas.
Is “mumping day” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.