tussie-mussie

English

Alternative forms

• tussy-mussy
• tuzzy-muzzy

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

tussie-mussie (plural tussie-mussies)

1. (historical) In Victorian times, a nosegay given by one person to another to convey a message in the language of flowers.
   • 2004, Barbara Pleasant, The Whole Herb: For Cooking, Crafts, Gardening, Health, and Other Joys of Life, Square One Publishers, Inc., →ISBN, page 67:

     Rosemary for remembrance, sage for long life, and roses for love were three positive messages that might have been passed on through a tussie-mussie.