mousing
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
1.To watch for and catch mice. [1913 Webster]
2.To watch for or pursue anything in a sly manner; to pry about, on the lookout for something. [1913 Webster]
Mousing \Mous"ing\, a. Impertinently inquisitive; prying; meddlesome. "Mousing saints." --L'Estrange. [1913 Webster]
Mousing \Mous"ing\, n.
1.The act of hunting mice. [1913 Webster]
2.(Naut.) A turn or lashing of spun yarn or small stuff, or a metallic clasp or fastening, uniting the point and shank of a hook to prevent its unhooking or straighening out. [1913 Webster]
3.A ratchet movement in a loom. [1913 Webster]
Mousing hook, a hook with an attachment which prevents its unhooking. [1913 Webster]