my love
Preserved but no longer current.
Theocritus, i, 37. Itching of the lips of course foretold that they were shortly to kiss or be kissed; of the nose, that strangers were at hand : — We shall ha* gnests to-day ... My nose iteheth so.
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 “my love” mean?
Theocritus, i, 37. Itching of the lips of course foretold that they were shortly to kiss or be kissed; of the nose, that strangers were at hand : — We shall ha* gnests to-day ... My nose iteheth so.
Is “my love” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.