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mudlark

(now, rare, chiefly, historical) One who scavenges in river or harbor mud for items of value, especially in London.

ˈmʌdlɑːk43 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
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UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

(now, rare, chiefly, historical) One who scavenges in river or harbor mud for items of value, especially in London.

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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

(slang, now, rare) A pig; pork.

Besides these, there were the mudlark and the scupple hunter: the former prowling about at low water, receiving in his small bag such petty packages as he could get from his dishonest friends on board; and the later sneaking about the wh…
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK

A child who plays in the mud; a child that spends most of its time in the streets, a street urchin.

Dr. Fiona Haughey, a London archaeologist who has worked on the Thames since the 1990s, said that although some mudlarks are looking for valuables, others are looking for a connection with the everyday objects of a bygone Britain.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang

UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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