Mouse n.; pl. Mice
 1. Zool. Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging to the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridae.  The common house mouse (Mus musculus) is found in nearly all countries.  The American white-footed mouse, or deer mouse (Peromyscus leucopus, formerly Hesperomys leucopus) sometimes lives in houses.  See Dormouse, Meadow mouse, under Meadow, and Harvest mouse, under Harvest.
 2. Naut. (a) A knob made on a rope with spun yarn or parceling to prevent a running eye from slipping. (b) Same as 2d Mousing, 2.
 3. A familiar term of endearment.
 4. A dark-colored swelling caused by a blow. [Slang]
 5. A match used in firing guns or blasting.
 Field mouse, Flying mouse, etc. See under Field, Flying, etc.
 Mouse bird Zool., a coly.
 Mouse deer Zool., a chevrotain, as the kanchil.
 Mouse galago Zool., a very small West American galago (Galago murinus). In color and size it resembles a mouse. It has a bushy tail like that of a squirrel.
 Mouse hawk. Zool. (a) A hawk that devours mice. (b) The hawk owl; -- called also mouse owl.
 Mouse lemur Zool., any one of several species of very small lemurs of the genus Chirogaleus, found in Madagascar.
 Mouse piece Cookery, the piece of beef cut from the part next below the round or from the lower part of the latter; -- called also mouse buttock.


 Deer n. sing. & pl.
 1. Any animal; especially, a wild animal. [Obs.]
    Mice and rats, and such small deer.   --Shak.
    The camel, that great deer.   --Lindisfarne MS.
 2. Zool. A ruminant of the genus Cervus, of many species, and of related genera of the family Cervidæ. The males, and in some species the females, have solid antlers, often much branched, which are shed annually. Their flesh, for which they are hunted, is called venison.
 Note: ☞ The deer hunted in England is Cervus elaphus, called also stag or red deer; the fallow deer is Cervus dama; the common American deer is Cervus Virginianus; the blacktailed deer of Western North America is Cervus Columbianus; and the mule deer of the same region is Cervus macrotis. See Axis, Fallow deer, Mule deer, Reindeer.
 Note: ☞ Deer is much used adjectively, or as the first part of a compound; as, deerkiller, deerslayer, deerslaying, deer hunting, deer stealing, deerlike, etc.
 Deer mouse Zool., the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus, formerly Hesperomys leucopus) of America.
 Small deer, petty game, not worth pursuing; -- used metaphorically. (See citation from Shakespeare under the first definition, above.) “Minor critics . . . can find leisure for the chase of such small deer.”

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