"By'r la'kin"
Language
Act 3,
Scene 1
Lines 8-14
Bottom
Snout
Starveling
“By'r la'kin” (by your ladykin) is a mild oath. Ladykin refers to a small lady, in this case the Virgin Mary. Snout is swearing by the Virgin Mary that what Bottom has said is true — that it would be dangerous to frighten the ladies in their audience.