■ noun informal, chiefly N. Amer. a form of address for a man whose name is unknown to the speaker.
Origin
C17 (orig. a form of address to a Scotsman): from ~- , a patronymic prefix in many Scots and Ir. surnames.
■ noun informal, chiefly N. Amer. a form of address for a man whose name is unknown to the speaker.
Origin
C17 (orig. a form of address to a Scotsman): from ~- , a patronymic prefix in many Scots and Ir. surnames.
Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004