So, following up on William’s observation, I looked up “moon, v.” in the Oxford English Dictionary to see whether the particular meaning we were interested in (“to expose one’s buttocks”) would have been available during Chaucer’s day. Sadly, the answer is no.

(If we follow the trail the OED gives us [cf. moon, n, 14], we get closer: 1756.)

That doesn’t mean the concept isn’t available to Middle English readers, of course, but we do want to be careful not to import a particular linguistic meaning anachronistically. This is a great reminder that the Oxford English Dictionary (available for us through the library; from the main page, click on “databases by name,” then “Oxford English Dictionary”) is a fantastic resource and an indispensable one for close reading.

Keep this is mind for your close reading assignment!