Dusty Miller (martyr)
WordNet
noun
(1) An old cottage garden plant of southeastern Europe widely cultivated for its attractive white woolly foliage and showy crimson flowers
(2) Herb with greyish leaves found along the east coast of North America; used as an ornamental plant
(3) A plant having leaves and stems covered with down that resembles dust
(4) Stiff much-branched perennial of the Mediterranean region having very white woolly stems and leaves
(5) Shrubby perennial of the Canary Islands having white flowers and leaves and hairy stems covered with dustlike down; sometimes placed in genus Chrysanthemum
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A formulaic phrase for a miller, related to the dust generated in the milling process.
- One of several species of plants with leaves of a dusty appearance: Centaurea cineraria, Senecio cineraria, and Lychnis coronaria.
Quotations
- 1829: Robert Chambers, The Scottish Songs p. 539:
- Hey, the dusty miller,
And his dusty coat!
He will win a shilling,
Ere he spend a groat.
Dusty was the coat,
Dusty was the colour;
Dusty was the kiss,
That I gat frea the miller.
Hey, the dusty miller,
And his dusty sack!
Leeze me on the calling
Fills the dusty peck;
Fills the dusty peck,
Brings the dusty siller:
I wad gie my coatie
For the dusty miller.
- Hey, the dusty miller,
- 2005: Baitinger, A, CAB abstract of "Miller - a job with promotion and opportunities for the future!", Mühle + Mischfutter, (Vol. 142) (No. 8) 233-272
- The stereotypical image of the "dusty miller", as depicted in popular legend and some traditional literature, is a barrier, and milling is seen by younger people as low-status. There is an urgent need to change this perception through measures such as changing the designation to something like "grain and feed processing technician" and improving training provision and prospects."