The Mistletoe Bough
Preserved but no longer current.
This old song is about the daughter of a Lord Lovel who, on her wedding-day, was playing at hide and seek, and selected an old oak chest for her hiding- place. The chest closed with a spring lock, and many years later her skeleton was dis- covered.
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 “The Mistletoe Bough” mean?
This old song is about the daughter of a Lord Lovel who, on her wedding-day, was playing at hide and seek, and selected an old oak chest for her hiding- place. The chest closed with a spring lock, and many years later her skeleton was dis- covered.
Is “The Mistletoe Bough” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.