tussie-mussie
Americannoun
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a small bunch of flowers or herbs.
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a cone-shaped holder for a bouquet.
Etymology
Origin of tussie-mussie
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English tusmose, tussemose; further origin uncertain; perhaps created through rhyming ( razzle-dazzle ( def. ), rhyming compound based on dazzle ( def. ) )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Victorian “Tussie-Mussie” buttons pictured tiny bouquets whose flowers held symbolic messages.
From Slate
TUSSY-MUSSIES "There be some flowers make a delicious Tussie-Mussie or Nosegay both for Sight and Smell."
From Project Gutenberg
In order to avoid gazing on your beloved’s former make-out partners, you could stay home clutching a tussie-mussie.
From Slate
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.