PE

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARYTORONTO, ONTARIO

SOURCE:

ENCYCLO-PEDICLIBRARY

NELSON'S ENCYCLOPAEDIC LIBRARY

ENGLISH IDIOMS

ENGLISH IDIOMS

BY

JAMES MAIN DIXON, M.A., F.R.S.E.PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE IMPERIAL

UNIVERSITY OF JAPAN

THOMAS NELSON AND SONSLONDON, EDINBURGH, DUBLIN, LEEDS, PARIS

LEIPZIG, MELBOURNE, AND NEW YORK

PE

PREFACE.

IN the present volume, instead of attempting to divide

the work into chapters treating of"

colloquial phrases,""cant phrases," "slang phrases," and so forth, I havethrown the whole into alphabetical form, and havemarked by letters the category to which, in my opinion,the phrases ought to belong. This classification maybe studied or may be neglected as suits the convenienceor the taste of the consulter.

The division chosen is fourfold, and in a descendingscale of dignity Prose, Conversational, Familiar, Slang.

By Prose (P) phrases is understood such phrases as

Macaulay or Matthew Arnold might use in their serious

writings. Conversational (C) phrases, again, are suit-able for use in social intercourse, at gatherings where

strangers are present, and where we weigh our wordsbefore uttering them. Familiar (F) phrases are less

dignified, and are only in place where we are speakingunreservedly among intimates. The lowest category ofall is that of Slang (S) phrases, which are generally ofa local or technical nature that is, they are fully under-

stood only by those of a certain locality, coterie, or pro-fession.

This volume does not pretend to exhaust the listof slang phrases, but only to give those which have creptinto ordinary use, and are understood, although they

vi PREFACE.

may not be used, by all educated people. At least

eighty per cent, of the phrases are freshly gathered. I

must, however, gratefully acknowledge indebtedness toCassell's Encyclopedic Dictionary, to the SupplementaryEnglish Glossary of Rev. T. L. O. Davies, to Wright'sProvincial Dictionary, to the fourth edition of Dr.Samuel Johnson's English Dictionary, and to the SlangDictionary published by Messrs. Chatto and Windus.

J. M. D.

EXPLANATION OF SIGNS.

P. Good Prose. The phrase is used in serious composition.

C. Conversational. The phrase is used in polite conversation.

F. Familiar. The phrase is used in familiar conversation.

S. Slang.

ENGLISH IDIOMS.

A. A 1 first-class ; very good.F. " A 1 " at Lloyd's is theterm applied to a vessel of thebest construction and in thebest condition for sailing.Lloyd's Coffee-house in Londonwas the resort of sea-captains,and the name " Lloyd's " isstill retained for the head-quarters of the shipping in-terest in London. Here peopleget the latest shipping intel-ligence and transact marineinsurances.They say the snow's all packed

down already, and the going is A 1.W. D. HOWELLS." One of them takes his five pints

of ale a day, and never leaves offsmoking, even at his meals.""He must be a first-rater," said

Sam."A 1," replied Mr. Roker. DICK-

I ENS.Explanation. Mr. Roker replied

that ne was a first-rate fellow.

Aback. To TAKE ABACK tosurprise or astonish. P. Ori-ginally a sea phrase ; usedwhen the sails were suddenlyshifted in order to stop thevessel or give it a backwardmotion.The boy, in sea phrase, was taken

all aback.-Hooo.Madame Mantilini still said no,

and said it, too, with such deter-mined and resolute ill-temper thatMr. Mantilini was clearly takenaback. DICKENS.

A B C. THE A B C OF ANTSUBJECT its rudiments ; itselementary principles. P.Many farmers seem not at all in-

clined to observe the very A B C ofmorality as regards the payment ofjust debts. Spectator, 1887.Father and mother lived in King

Street, Soho. He was a fiddle-maker,and taught me the A B C of thatscience at odd times. READE.

Abide. To ABIDE BY to ful-fil ; to refuse to depart from ;to carry out. P.Who is the happy warrior? . . .It is the generous spirit . . .Who, with a natural instinct to dis-cern

What knowledge can perform, isdiligent to learn ;

Abides by this resolve, and stopsnot there,

But makes his moral being his firstcare. WORDSWORTH.The rules were fixed, and I must

abide by them. TYNDALL.Counsellor Molyneux steadily

abided by his word. MARIA EDGE-WORTH.

Ab o v e. A BOVE-BOAK Dopenly ; without trickery. C.The man who cheats at cardskeeps his hands under thetable or board."I've no patience with you," he

said angrily. "Why can't you befairand above-board ?" WM. BLACK.Now all is open and above-board

with you. A. TROLLOPS.

Abraham. To SHAM ABRA-HAM (o) to feign sickness or

Abroaddistress. S. An Abraham-man in England was a licensedbeggar, who, on account ofmental weakness, had beenplaced in the Abraham Wardof Bethlehem Hospital, andwas allowed on certain daysto go a-begging. Numerousimpostors took advantage ofthis privilege.

I have heard people sayThat sham Abraham you may,

But you mustn't sham AbrahamNewland. From an Old Song.

Exp.I have heard people say thatyou may impose on people by a taleof distress, but you must not imposeon Abraham Newland (who wascashier to the Bank of England andsigned its notes. This, of course,would be a penal offence).

(6) to dissimulate ; to pre-tend ignorance. S."Ay, drat it; that you know as

well as I do, Gammon," replied Mr.Quirk, with not a little eagernessand trepidation. " Come, come, it'srather late in the day to sham Abra-ham." S. WARREN.

Abroad. ALL ABROAD (a) ina state of mental perplexity.F.The female boarder in black attire

looked so puzzled, and, in fact, allabroad (perplexed), after the deliveryof this "counter" of mine, that I lefther to recover her wits, and went onwith the conversation. HOLMES.He is such a poor, cracked, crazy

creature, with his mind all abroad.A. TROLLOPS.

(6) having the senses con-fused ; without complete con-trol of one's organism. F.At the twelfth round the latter

champion was all abroad, as the say-ing is, and had lost all presence ofmind and power of attack or de-fence. THACKERAY.

THE SCHOOLMASTER IS ABROADgood education is spreading

everywhere. P.Let the soldier be abroad if he

will, he can do nothing in this age.There is another personage a per-sonage less imposing ; in the eyes ofsome, perhaps, insignificant. Theschoolmaster is abroad, and I trustto him, armed with his primer,against the soldier in full militaryarray. LORD BROUGHAM.

8 Act

Account. ON ACCOUNT inpart payment. A businessphrase, used when two personshave dealings with each other,and the account between themis only partly settled by anypayment.

driver this half sov-I Captain Able-

him It is on account,a good fare." B. L.

TO GIVE A GOOD ACCOUNT OFto be successful with. F.The terrier gave a good account of I

the rats (was successful in killing Imany of them).

To LAY ONE'S ACCOUNT WITHj

to expect ; to look forwardto. P.The jurors must have laid their

account with appearing (expected toappear) before the Star ChHALLAM.

iamber.

TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT tomake allowance for. C.As to its adventurous beginning,

and all those little circumstanceswhich gave it a distinctive characterand relish, he took them into ac-count. DICKENS.

Acknowledge. To ACKNOW-LEDGE THE CORN to admitthe truth of a statement. S.

" What did the man say when youarrested him?" "He said he wasdrunk." "I want his precise words,just as he uttered them. He did notuse the pronoun he, did he?" "Ohves, he did : he said he was drunk-he acknowledged the corn." TheCourt (getting impatient at witness'sstupidity), "You don't understandme ; I want the words as he utteredthem. Did he say, '/was drunk'?"Witness (zealously), "Oh no, yourhonour ; he didn't sayyou was drunk.I would not allow any man to chargethat upon you in my presence!Law Magazine, 1887.

Act. To ACT A PART to be-have hypocritically; to con-ceal one's real feelings. P.Miss Wilmot's receptionwasmixed

wi th seeming neglect, and yet I couldperceive she acted a studied part (de-signedly concealed her real feelings).GOLDSMITH.Was the young man acting a part,

or was he reaUy ignorant of therumour? WM. BLACK.

AdACT OF GOD an event which

cannot be prevented by anyhuman foresight, but is theresult of uncontrollable naturalforces : for example, when aship is struck by lightningand destroyed. P.The act of God, fire, and all the

dangers and accidents of the sea, arenot accepted as ordinary risks.

To HAVE ACT OB PART anotherform Of TO HAVE ART OR PART.See ART.But I declare I had neither act nor,rt in applying the thumbscrew toIpanisn captain. G. A. SALA.

TO ACT UP TO A PROMISE orPROFESSION to behave in asuitable way, considering whatpromises or profession one hasmade ; to fulfil what onepromises or professes to regardas a duty. P.It isn't among sailors and fisher-

men that one finds genuine black-guardism. They have their code,such as it is, and upon the whole Ithink they act up to it.-W. E. NOB-BIS, in Good Words, 1887.

Ad. AD AVIZANDUM, or TOAVIZANDUM into further con-sultation and consideration.C. A Scottish legal phrase.Latin.Meanwhile I shall take your pro-

posal ad avizandum (consider yourproposal more carefully).

AD INTERIM for the meantime ;serving for the present interval.P. Latin.The work is hard, but not hopeless ;

and the road to success does not liethrough an ad interim teaching offalse creeds. Spectator, 1887.The divorce (of Josephine) may in-

Ndeed be said to have actually takenplace ; yet the cruel obligation waslaid on her of being, in fact, ad in-terim, the deputy of her successor.Temple Bar, 1887.

AD LIBITUM as much as youplease ; to any extent. P.Latin.Very well, gentlemen, torture your

prisoners adlibitum; I shall interfereno more. READE.And, with true Macaulayan art,

they are so arranged as to suggesttheir being but specimens from astore which might be drawn on adlibitum. National Review, 1887.

9 AddressesAD NAUSEAM until people are

tired and sick of the subject.P.And so on, and so on ad nauseam,

proceeds that anonymous retailer orpetty scandal. Edinburgh Review,1887.

AD VALOREM according to thevalue. P. Latin.An ad valorem duty of five per

cent, is imposed on all goods cominginto Japan.

Adam. THE OLD ADAM theevil nature within a man. G.Originally a religious phrase.But Dan was not to be restrained,

and breaking into the homespun(colloquial) a sure indication thatthe old Adam was having the upperhand he forthwith plunged intosome chaff, etc. HALL CAINE.

ADAM'S ALE or ADAM'S WINEpure water. C.We'll drink Adam's ale. HOOD.Some take a glass of porter to their

dinner, but I slake my thirst withAdam's wine.

SON OF ADAM a man. C.But as all sons of Adam must have

i say to the rest,daughters, this

. . lage carried on some com-merce withthe outer world. BLACK-MORB.Exp. But as all men need to have

friendly intercourse with other men,and especially with women, this littlevillage, though very retired, carriedon some dealings with the outerworld.

ADAM'S APPLE the projectionin the neck under the chin. P.Having the noose adjusted and

secured by tightening above hisapple. Daily Telegraph,Adam's

NOT TO KNOW A MAN FROM ADAMto be quite unacquainted

with him ; to be unable torecognize him. F.

from Adam if he stood before menow. B. L. FABJEON.Eoyston then asked him if thedrunken man was his friend; but

this the other denied, saying that hehad just picked him up from thefoot-path, and did not know himfrom Adam. FERGUS W. HUME.

Addresses. To PAT ONE'SADDRESSES TO to COUrt ; to

Advantageapproach a lady as suitorfor her hand in marriage. P.He was said to be paving his ad-

dresses to Lady Jane Sheepshanks,Lord Southdown's third daughter.THACKERAY.

Advantag-e. To ADVANTAGEfavourably ; in a good light.

P.To see the lower portion of this

glacier to advantage. TYNDALL.TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF to U86

for the furtherance of one'sown purposes. P.Here was material enough for the

craft of William to take advantageof. FREEMAN.

Affaire. AFFAIRE DE CCEURaffair of the heart

,a love

affair. C. A French phrase.He had travelled abroad in the in-

terval, and passed through a veryserious affaire de coeur. QuarterlyReview, 1887.

After. AFTER ALL neverthe-less ; when all things are con-sidered. P. Generally used tointroduce some circumstanceof a more favourable or pleas-ing nature.Yet after all he was a mere mortal.WASHINGTON IRVING."After all, Balfour," said Mr. Jews-

bury with philosophic resignation,"there are compensations in life."WM. BLACK.

AFTER A MAN'S OWN SOUL orHEART exactly what he likesor admires."Give me a kiss, my dear boy,"

said Fagan, with tears in his eyes." You're after my own soul."THACKERAY.It was, indeed, a representative

gathering, after the Talberts' ownhearts. HUGH CONWAY.

Afternoon. AN AFTERNOONFARMER one who loses thebest time for work ; a lazy,dilatory man. F.John was too much of an afternoon

farmer to carry on the business suc-cessfully.Exp. John's habits were too dila-

tory for him to succeed in the busi-

Ag-6. TO COME OF AGE toreach the age of twenty-one,

10 Airswhen the law permits a manto manage his own affairs. P.She was now nearly twenty-three.

Having, when she came of age, suc-ceeded^ to her late mother's third ofold Talbert's possessions, she wasindependent both by age and by in-come. HUGH CONWAY.

Agog. ALL AGOG in a stateof activity or restless expecta-tion. F.So three doors off the chaise was

stayed.Where they did all get in:

Six precious souls, and all agogTo dash through thick and thin.

COWPER.Exp. Six precious souls, and very

eager to dash through every obstacle.He found the village all agog with

expectation. READE.

Agreeable. To MAKE THEAGREEABLE TO to Strive toentertain ; to be a pleasantcompanion to. C.With which laudable and manly

resolution our dashing major pro-ceeded to make the agreeable to hisguests. G. J. WHYTE-MELVILLE.

AiPS. TO GIVE ONESELF AIRSto be conceited or arrogantin behaviour. C." And these girls used to hold their

heads above mine, and their motherused to give herself such airs," saidMrs. Baynes. THACKERAY.

IN THE AEB (a) prevalent ;found everywhere. C.These expressions and points of

view were not peculiar to Pliilo.They were, so to speak, in the air.F. W. FARRAR.He is alive to the fact that "social-

istic risings" are in the air all overEurope. Spectator, February 18, 1888.

(&) (in military usage) with-out support or proper protec-tion.The extreme left of the Allied front

was, in military dialect, "in the air"that is, protruded into the open

country, without natural or artificialprotection to its outer flank. GARD-NER.

(c) unsubstantial ; visionary ;having no real existence. P.Generally after the wordCASTLES.And if our dwellings are castles in

the air, we find them excessivelysplendid and commodious. THACK-ERAY.

AladdinAladdin. ALADDIN'S LAMPa lamp which gave its owner,or rather the person whorubbed it,everything hewished.P. See Arabian Nights' Enter-tainments.Goodwill is almost as expeditious

and effectual as Aladdin's lamp.MARIA EDGEWORTH.In all its (the career of Henry IV.)

vicissitudes there is nothing moreromantic than that sudden change,as by a rub of Aladdin's lamp, fromthe attorney's office in a county townof Illinois to the helm of a greatnation in times like these. J. E,.LOWELL on Abraham Lincoln.

Alert. ON THE ALERT watch-ful ; ready to observe what-ever is passing. P.But those who were stationed at

the look-out were equally on thealert. CAPT. MABBYAT.The Paris student . . . whose fierce

republicanism keeps gendarmes forever on the alert. THACKERAY.

All. ALL ALONG. See ALONG.TO BE ALL THINGS TO ANOTHER

to accommodate oneself inevery way to his wants, moods,or caprices. C.She had sworn that more than ever

she would be all things to her hus-band. MARION CRAWFORD.

ON ALL FOURS. See FOUR.ALL IN ALL (a) supreme ; all-

powerful ; of the first import-ance. P.The then Prime Minister was all

in all at Oxford. A. TROLLOPS.Fashion, you know, ladies, is all in

all in these things, as in everythingelse. MARIA EDGEWORTH.

(6) the dearest object ofaffection. P.Desdemona, a happy young wife,

till a wicked enchanter's breath sud-denly wraps her in a dark cloud, isall in all to (intensely loved and ad-mired by) her husband. Blackwood'sMagazine, 1887.Mamma and Iare all in all together,

and we shall remain together. A.TROLLOPS.I was all in all to him then.

THACKERAY.(c) (adverbially) completely ;

entirely. P.Take him for all in all,I shall not look upon his like again.

SHAKESPEARE.

11 AllTrust me not at all or all in all.

When he (Lord Carteret) dies, thebest head in England dies too, takeit for all in all (if we consider thematter in every aspect). CHESTER-FIELD.

To BE ALL ONE to make nodifference. F.Mr. Carker presently tried a canterEob was still in attendance then

a short gallop. It was all one to theboy. DICKENS.

ALL OP A HEAP. See HEAP.ALL (IN) MY EYE AND BETTYMARTIN nonsense ; not tobe believed. Found also inthe contracted form, ALL (IN)MY EYE. S. This phrase isat least three hundred yearsold.Says he, "It fairly draws tears

from me," and his weak eye took tolettin' off its water. So as soon asthe chap went, he winks to me witht'other one, quite knowin', as muchas to say, You see it's all in my eye,Slick; but don't let on to any oneabout it that I said so. HALI-BURTON.Exp. He said, "It really draws

tears from me," and his weak eyebegan to let off its water. So as soonas the man went, he winked tome with the other one, quite slyly,as if to say, You see it's all humbug.Slick ; but do not tell any one that!said so.Why, she told him you were rather

nervous about horses, and that youwere rather alarmed at what I saidabout the old mare. That was allmy eye, you know. She (the mare)is as quiet as an old cow. RHODABROUGHTON.

ALL THE SAME nevertheless ;notwithstanding. F.The captain made us trim the boat,

and we got her to lie a little moreevenly. All the same, we were afraidto breathe. R. L. STEVENSON.A talk on ethics does not carry

young people at a hand-gallop intothe depths of emotion. It has itstendency, all the same. MRS. E.LYNN LINTON.

ALL SERENE very good ; allright. S. At one time apopular street cry in London."You will meet me to-night at the

railway station, and bring me themoney." "All serene" (Yes, I shallmeet you and bring the money).Tom peeped under the bonnet,

Almaand found it, as he expressed him-self, all serene. G. J. WHYTE-MEL-VILLE.

ALL THERE clever ; able ; pos-sessing quick faculties. C.Our friend the judge is all there,

I can tell you, and knows what heis about.Exp. Our friend the judge is a

clever man, I assure you, and fullyunderstands how best to act.

ALL AND SUNDRY every onewithout distinction. P.Finally, he invited all and sundry

to partake freely of the oaten cakeand ale that he had himself broughtfrom Ballymena. HALL CAINE.

Alma. ALMA MATER nourish-ing mother. A name oftenapplied to a university byits graduates. P. Latin.The good men they who have

any character, they who have thatwithin them which can reflect crediton their alma, mater they comethrough (their course of study at theuniversity) scathless. A. TROLLOPE.

Along. ALONG OF owing to ;because of. P."I never had such luck, really,"

exclaimed coquettish Miss Price,after another hand or two. " It's allalong of you, Mr. Nickleby, I think."DICKENS.

ALL ALONG during its wholeexistence ; the whole time. P.This impost was all along felt to

be a great burden. FREEMAN.Alpha. ALPHA AND OMEGA

the beginning and the end.P. These are the first and lastletters of the Greek alphabet.I am Alpha and Ome^a, the begin-

ning and the ending, saith the Lord.Rev. i. 8.The alpha and omega of science.

HERSCHEL.Here we have the beginning and

the end, alphaand omega. DICKENS.Alt. To BE IN ALT to be inan exalted frame of mind.C. An expression taken fromthe vocabulary of music."Come, prithee be a little less in

alt," cried Lionel, "and answer amanwhen he speaks to you." MADAMED'ARBLAY.

Altar. To LEAD TO THE ALTARto marry. P.He to lips that fondly falterPresses hers without reproof ;

12 AngelLeads her to the village altar,And they leave her father's roof.

TENNYSON.On the 15th of May, in the year

1773, 1 had the honour and happinessto lead to the altar Honoria. Coun-tess of Lyndon, widow of the lateEight Hon. Sir Charles Lyndon,K.B. THACKERAY.

Alter. ALTER EGO other self ;one who is very near and dearto a person ; an inseparablefriend. P. Latin.

I am his alter egona.y, he onlysees what I choose to show him, andthrough the spectacles, as it were,that I place on the bridge of hisnose. J. PAYN.

Amende. AMENDE HONOR-ABLE a sufficient apologyand compensation for wrongdone. P. French.The result of this determined con-

duct was an amende honorable andpeace. Fortnightly Review, 1887.

Amiss. To TAKE (A THING)AMISS to be offended by it ;to resent it. C.You will n9t take it amiss if I take

a cousin's privilege. A. TROLLOPE.

Amoup. AMOUR PROPRE self-esteem. P. A French phrase.But, at all events, you should save

her amour-jpropre from the shock of

any rebuff. The Mistletoe Bough,1887.

Angel. To ENTERTAIN ANANGEL UNAWARES to be hOS-pitable to a guest whose goodqualities are unknown. P.See the Bible (Gen. xviii.)for the origin of the phrase.He had always esteemed his sister ;

but as he now confessed to himself,for these many years he had beenentertaining an angel unawares (hadnot known how very good a womanshe was). J. PAYN.In the course of the evening some

one informed her that she was enter-taining an angel unawares, in theshape of a composer of the greatestpromise. W. E. NORRIS, in GoodWords, 1887.

ANGELS' VISITS pleasant visits,occurring very rarely. P.How fading are the joys we dote

upon,Like apparitions seen and gone ;But thoselwhich soonest take their

flight

13 AppleAre the most exquisite and strong :Like angels' visits, short and

Mortality's too weak to bear themlong. JOHN MORRIS.

... In visitsLike those of angels, short and farbetween. BLAIR.

THE ANGEL OF THE SCHOOLS orTHE ANGELIC DOCTOR a namegiven to Thomas Aquinas, thegreat scholastic philosopher.P.

TO WRITE LIKE AN ANGEL towrite beautifully (originallyof calligraphy, and not ofcomposition).This fanciful phrase has a very

human origin. Among those learnedGreeks who emigrated to Italy, andcame afterwards into France in thereign of Francis I., was one AngeloVerjecto, whose beautiful calli-graphy excited the admiration ofthe learned. The French monarchhad a Greek fount cast, modelledby his writing. His name becamesynonymous for beautiful writing,and gave birth to that familiarphrase, "to write like an angel."ISAAC D'ISRAELI.Here lies poet Goldsmith, for short-ness called Noll,

Who wrote like an angel, but talkedlike poor Poll. GARRICK.

Animal. ANIMAL SPIRITSthe liveliness that comes fromhealth and physical exhilara-tion. P.She had high animal spirits.

JANE AUSTEN.

Ape. To LEAD APES to bean old maid. F. This phrasecomes from an old superstitionthat unmarried women sufferedthis punishment after death.Poor girl, she must certainly lead

apes. MRS. CENTLIVRE.There was also another young

lady, strong and staying as to windand limb, who offered to run raceswith her suitors on the same termsof death or victory. But Love'sNemesis came upon her too, for noone ever proposed to run with heron these terms, and she presentlygrew middle-aged and fat, and saidthat running races was unlady-like,and ought to have been discouragedlong since, and it was wrong of herparents to encourage her. But it wastoo late : and now she leadeth apesby a chain. BESANT.

Appeal. To APPEAL TO THECOUNTRY to advise the sov-ereign to dissolve Parliamentand ask the electors to sendup new representatives. P.As soon as the necessary business

could be got through, Parliamentwould be dissolved, and an appealmade to the country (a new electionof representatives made). J USTINM'CAJRTHY.

Appearance. To KEEP UPAPPEARANCES to behave in aseemly way before others. C.He was terribly afraid, likewise, of

being left alone with either uncle ornephew; appearing to consider thatthe only chance of safety as to keep-ing up appearances was in theirbeing always all three together.DICKENS.

Apple. APPLE OF SODOMa specious thing which dis-appoints. P. The so-called"

apples of Sodom," as de-scribed by Josephus, had afair appearance externally, butwhen bitten dissolved in smokeand dust.It will prove, when attained, a

very apple of Sodom, dying betweenthe hand and the mouth.Like to the apples on the Dead Seashore,

All ashes to the taste. BYRON.APPLE OF ONE'S EYE a much-

prized treasure. P. The"

apple of the eye"

is theeye -ball, so called from itsround shape : something verydelicate and tender.He kept him as the apple of his

eye.Deut. xxxii. 10.He would have protected Grace's

good repute as the apple of his eye.THOMAS HARDY.Poor Richard was to me as an

eldest son, the apple of my eye.SCOTT.

TO MAKE APPLE-PIE BEDS tofold one of the sheets of abed (removing the other)so as to make it impossiblefor the intending occupantto stretch his legs ; a commonpractical joke. P.No boy in any school could have

more liberty, even where all thenoblemen's sons are allowed tomake apple-pie beds for their

Aprilmasters (disarrange the beds oftheir teachers). BLACKMORE.

APPLE OP DISCORD somethingwhich causes strife. P. Eris,the goddess of hate, threwa golden apple among thegoddesses, with this inscrip-tion attached,

" To the mostbeautiful." Three goddessesclaimed the prize, and quar-relled over its possessionHera, Pallas, and Aphrodite(Venus). Par's, son of Priam,was appointed arbiter, anddecided in favour of the last.Not Cytherea (Venus) from a fairer

Received her apple on the Trojanplai n. FALCONER.It (the letter) was her long con-

templated apple of discord, andmuch her hand trembled as shehanded the document up to him.THOMAS HARDY.This great and wealthy church

constantly formed an apple ofdiscord (a subject of quarrel).FREEMAN.

APPLE-PIE ORDEK extreme neat-ness. C.The children's garden is in apple-

pie order. LOCKHART.Susan replied that her aunt wanted

to put the house in apple-pie order.READE.

April. APRIL FOOL one senton a bootless errand or other-wise deceived on the first ofApril a day reserved for suchpractical joking. P.We retired to the parlour, where

she repeated to me the strongestassurances of her love. I thought Iwas a made man. Alas ! I was onlyan April fool ! THACKERAY.

Appon-stping1. TIED orPINNED TO A WOMAN'S APRON-STRINGS continually in awoman's company, unwillingto quit her side. F.If I was a fine, young, strapping

chap like you, I should be ashamedof being milksop enough to pin my-self to a woman's apron-strings.DICKENS.And as for her, with her little

husband dangling at her apron-strings, as a call-whistle to be blowninto when she pleases that sheshould teach me my duty! A.TROLJLOPE.

14 ArmApropos. APROPOS to the

purpose ; appropriately. C.A French phrase.

APROPOS DE BOTTES rhavingno connection with the pre-vious conversation.The secretary, however, was not

the man to own himself vanquished,even in anecdote, but at once beganto descant very much apropos debottes (without any connection orapparent cause) as it seemed upona curious Anglo-French marriagecase that had that day appeared Inthe newspapers. J. PAYN." This is a strange remark," saidhe, "and apropos de bottes" R. L.STEVENSON.

APROPOS DE RIEN apropos ofnothing ; irrelevantly.The story was introduced apropos

derien,

Arab. A STREET ARAB orARAB OF THE GUTTER oneof the uncared-for children ofour large cities. P.This enterprise led him (Lord

Shaftesbury) into the heart of thevilest rookeries, to find places wheresuch schools might be opened, andto hunt up the young Arabs of thegutter to fill them. Quarterly Re-view, 1887.The hero and heroine began life as

street Arabs of Glasgow. fall MallGazette, 1883.

Arcades. ARCADES AMBOboth of them simpletons. C.Latin.He distrusted the people asfmuch

as the aristocracy, and ridiculed thefossilization of Toryism equally withthe fluidity of Radicalism. "Arcadesambo,"he used to say, with his serenesmile. MRS. E. LYNN LINTON.

Arm. ARM IN ARM walkingin friendly fashion with thearms linked. P.It was an agreeable surprise to her,

therefore, to perceive them walkingup to the house together arm in arm.MRS. OLIPHANT.

IN ARMS carried about. P.Generally used with the wordCHILD Or INFANT.That well-informed young gentle-

man was not insensible to the gloryof acting as pioneer and exponent ofthe Parisian mysteries to a personwho, however distinguished in hisown line, was confessedly in suchmatters a mere infant in arms as

Arrierecompared with himself. Murray'sMagazine, 1887.One of these passengers being a

child, still young enough to bepassed off as a child in arms. HUGHCONWAY.

AT ABM'S LENGTH at a certaindistance; avoiding too greatnearness or familiarity. P.

If she would confide in me, if shewould even speak to me of it, I mightdo something to convince her of herfolly. . . . But no, she never alludesto it ; sheMufurray's Magazine, 1887.

To LIE UPON ONE'S ARMS. SeeLIE.

WITH OPEN ARMS warmly ;affectionately. P.The Stanhopes were all known by

name in Barchester, and Barchesterwas prepared to receive them withopen arms. A. TROLLOPE.

IN OPEN ARMS fighting openly.P.Here I sat for some time ponder-

ing upon the strange infatuation ofwretches who, finding all mankindin open arms against them, werelabouring to make themselves afuture and tremendous enemy.GOLDSMITH.

A RIGHT ARM. See RIGHT.UNDER ARMS bearing arms ;

in martial array. P.In a moment the troops were

under arms (in battle array).ROBERTSON.

UP IN ARMS roused to anger;ready to fight. P.

"

No," said Kate, now fairly up inarms (really angry and rebellious) ;"it is not just, papa." MRS. On-PHANT.If a tramping beggar were set to

work in England, and compelled todo it by military discipline, all thephilanthropists in the countrywouldbe up in arms. -Spectator, 1887."Ill knock, I swear, till I have

your neighbours up in arms," saidRalph. DICKENS.

j ARRIERE PENSE"E(a) hidden motive ; under-lying design. P. A Frenchphrase.Our reason for so doing (placing

Mr. Lear above Lewis Carroll asa writer of nonsense) is that nononsense is so absolutely devoid o

15 Ass"I thought it was a childish be-

sottishness you had for that man-a sort of calf-love, that it would bea real kindness to help you out of."-"Without an arrtire penste foryour own advantage, of course.RHODA BROUOHTON.

(&) afterthought ; somethingwhich occurs to one's mind af-ter a thing has been done. P.For their sakes and mine, you will

not mind very much that you arespared all these arrieres penstes.SARAH TYTLER.

APPOW. THE BROAD ARROWthe arrow - shaped brand

with which the British Govern-ment marks its stores. P.This jacket, moreover, was

stamped in vanous places with theGovernment broad arrow. HUGHCONWAY.

Apt. TO BE Or HAVE ART ANDPART IN to be concernedeither in the contrivance orexecution of. P."My dear," said she, "it's the

foolery of being governor. If youchoose to sacrifice all your comfortto being the first rung in the ladder,don't blame me for it. I didn'tnominate you : I had no art or partin it" (was wholly unconcerned incontriving or carrying out yournomination). HALIBURTON.Sundry proceedings took

which would not very welsquared with the public icwhat is due to the fair sextreated of, but I declare that Ineither art nor part in them. G. A.SALA.You are art and part with usIn purging heresy. TENNYSON.

ASS. TO MAKE AN ASS OF ONE-SELF to behave foolishly. F.The ass is taken as the typeof folly.Do not make such an ass of your-

self as to suppose that. A. TROL-LOPE.The father makes an ass of him-

self, or fate cuts him offprematurely.

THE ASSES' BRIDGE a namegiven to the fifth propositionof the First Book of Euclidbecause of the difficultiesit presented to beginners.See PONS ASINORUM.He never crossed the asses' bridge.

-All the Year Round, 1880.

Assurance 16He could disport himself with

Auld

trigonometry, feeling confident thatDr. Tempest had forgotten his wayover the asses' bridge. A. TROL-LOPE.

Assurance. To MAKE AS-SURANCE DOUBLY SURE totake every possible precaution. P.

I'll take a bond of fate and makeAssurance double sure.

^SHAKESPEARE.

Now that I had a moment to my-self, I lost no time in changing thepriming of my pistol; and then,having one ready for service, and tomake assurance doubly sure, I pro-ceeded to draw the load of the otherand recharge it afresh from the be-ginning. R. L. STEVENSON.This horn haft, though so massive,

was as flexible as cane, and practi-cally unbreakable ; but to make as-surance doubly sure, it was whippedround at intervals of a few incheswith copper wire. H. E. HAGGARD.

At. AT ALL. See ALL.AT THAT moreover ; in addi-

tion. C. A favourite Ameri-can phrasa.It comes nearest (the Irish car) to

riding on horseback, and on a side-saddle at that, of any vehicle travel-ling I ever saw. J. BURROUGHS.

Attic. ATTIO SALT wit orrefined pleasantry. P.Triumph swam in my father's

eyes ,at the repartee the Atticsalt brought water into them.STERNE.f Exp. My father showed tiiumph.rnhis eyes at the repartee; it wasso charmingly witty that it broughttears of pleasure to them.To what might it not have given

rise what delightful intimacies,what public phrase, to whatAthenian banquets and flavour ofAttic salt? A. TROLLOPS.

ATTIO BEE a name given toSophocles, the Greek drama-tist ; a sweet^poet.A true Attic bee, he (Milton) madeboot on every lip where there was atrace of truly classic

"

LOWELL.honey. J. E.

Au. Au OONTRAIRE on thecontrary. C. French.So we have not won the Goodwood

cup; au contraire, we were a "badfifth," if not worse than that.-O. W.HOLMES.

Au FAIT familiar with ; accus-tomed to. P. French.

She appears to be as au fait to(with) the ways of the world as youor I. FLORENCE MARRYAT/

Au GRAND SE"RIEUX itf soberearnest. P. French./

I mean young women of no ex-perience, who take everything augrand serieux. vfM. BLACK.

Au PIED DE LA LETTRE exactly ;without deviating from theexact words. P. French.

Au REVOIR good-bye for thepresent; literally, "until wemeet again." C. French.Arthur took off his hat. "Then

we will consider that settled. Good-morning or perhaps I should savau revoir," and bowing again, he leftthe office. H. E. HAGGARD.

Augean. To CLEANSE THEAUGEAN STABLES to performa great work of purification.P. Augeas was a fabulousking of Elis, who imposedon Hercules the task of cleans-ing his stables, where threethousand oxen had lived forthirty years without anypurification. Hercules per-formed his task in one day byletting two rivers flow throughthem.If the Augean stable (sink of

dramatic impurity) was not suffi-ciently cleansed, the stream ofpublic opinion was fairly directedagainst its conglomerated impuri-ties. SCOTT.In short, Malta was an Augean

stable, and Ball had all the inclina-tion to be a Hercules. S. T. COLE-RIDGE.

Augustan. THE AUGUSTANAGE the period of highestpurity and refinement in anynational literature. P. Socalled from the EmperorAugustus, under whose ruleVirgil and Horace wrote theirmmortal works.The reign of Queen Anne is often

called the Augustan age of England.

Auld. AULD REEKIE a namegiven to Edinburgh becauseof the smoke from its chim-

Antaeys ; literally,

" Old Smoky."IHis (Shelley's) eye was not fasci-

nated by the fantastic outlines ofaerial piles seen amid the wreath-ing snoke of Auld Keekie. MAT-THEYS ARNOLD.

Aut. A.UT C3ESAR AUT NULLUSeither Ceesar or nobody. P.

Latin.I meaa to be aut Ceesar aut nullus

(either first or nothing at all) in theconcern.

Axe. AlT AXE TO GRINDa personal pecuniary interestin a matter. C. The storyis told by Franklin that whenhe was a boy in his father'syard, a pleasant-spoken mancame up to him and madehimself very agreeable. Amongother things, the visitor praisedthe grindstone, and askedyoung Franklin to let him seehow it worked. He thengot the boy to turn the stone,while he sharpened an axehe had with him. The boywas flattered with his compli-ments and honeyed words,

17 Backand worked till his handswere blistered. When theman was satisfied he sentthe boy off with an oath.That man had an axe to grindhe had a concealed reason

for his conduct. All hispoliteness was prompted byselfish motives.In the first place, let me assure

you, gentlemen, that I have not anaxe to grind. ... I can in no way bepecuniarily benefited by youring the system of bridgesproposed

adopt-herein

__ American politician isalways ready to grind an axe for hisfellow, the Neapolitan is no lessconvinced of the value of mutualaccommodation. E. S. MORGAN, inFortnightly Review, 1887.

Azpael. THE WINGS OPAZRAEL the approach ofdeath. P. Azrael, in theMohammedan Koran, is themessenger of death.Always, in an hospital, there is

life returning and life departingalways may be heard the long andpeaceful breathing of those whosleep while health returns, and thesighs of those who listen, in thehushed watches of the night, forthe wings of Azrael. BESANT.

B. AND S. a brandy andsoda ; a wine-glass of brandyin a tumbler of soda-water.S. See PEG." They give you weak tea and thin

bread and butter, whereas"" You would rather have a B. and

S. and some devilled kidneys,"finished Brian. FERGUS W. HUME.

Babe. THE BABES IN THEWOOD simple, trustful chil-dren. C. An old balladdescribes the sad fate of twoorphanchildren, cruelly treatedby a bad uncle.Yet those babes in the wood.

Uncle Sam and Aunt Fanny, trustedsix months of our existence to hisjudgment.

.Harper's Monthly, Sep-tember 1887.

Back. To GET ONE'S BACK upto become roused, angry,

and obstinate. F. A catwhen irritated and ready tospit and scratch arches itsback, the hair becoming erect.

To SET ANOTHER'S BACK UPto irritate or rouse him. F.

I've been to see my mother, andyou've set her back up. BESANT.

TO BREAK THE BACK Or NECK OFto finish the hardest part

of a task. C. See NECK.I always try to break the back of

(finish the hardest part of) my day'swork before breakfast.

TO GIVE Or MAKE A BACK tostoop down, as in the game ofleap-frog, that another mayjump over you. F. It is saidthat Napoleon, who was in thehabit of stooping as he walked,was on one occasion used as

Backbone 18 Bada back by a volatile student,who mistook the general forone of his companions.The?rgy.

major was giving a back tojr. THACKERAY.

.The major was stooping so

that Georgy might leap over his

TO GO BACK ON A PERSON tobetray one. American. SeeGo.

I'll not go back on you, in anycase.

To BACK THE FIELD (in thelanguage of betting) to bet infavour of the other horsesin the field against a singleone in particular. C.

To BACK UP to support. C.He prolonged Caesar's command,

and backed him up (supported him)in everything. FROUDE.

To BACK OUT to retreat cau-tiously from a difficult posi-tion ; to refuse after consent-ing. C.(He was) determined that Morris

should not back out of the scrape soeasily. SCOTT.She turned to Winterbourne,

blushing a little, a very little, "Youwon't back out?"she said. HENRYJAMES, JUN.

ON ONE'S BACK prostrate ;helpless. C.But here he was, on his back

WM. BLACK.The doctor staked his wig that,

camped where they were in themarsh, and unprovided with reme-dies, the half of them would be ontheir backs before a week. E. L.STEVENSON.

To GIVE THE BACK to leave orquit. C.Had even Obstinate himself but

felt what I have felt of the powersand terrors of what is yet unseen, hewould not thus lightly have given usthe back. BUNYAN.

To TURN ONE'S BACK UPON todesert ; forsake. P."Uncle," said Mrs. Kenwigs, "to

think that you should have turnedyour back upon me and my dearchildren." DICKENS.

Backbone. To THE BACK-BONE thoroughly ; staunchly ;essentially. C.

They told him solemnly tb*yhoped and believed, they.English to theCONWAY.Ballads and Poems of

(Macmillan) is Mr. Gto the backbone..manack, 1888.

Backstairs. BACKSTAIRS IN-FLUENCE private influence ofan unworthy nature ; under-hand intrigue at court. P.A backstairs minister is onewho is not trusted by thecountry, but is supportedby domestic influence in theking's household. For in-stance, the Earl of Bute wasdespised as a backstairs min-ister, because he owed hisposition to the favour ofGeorge the Third's mother.Which accusation it was easier to

get "quashed" by backstairs influ-ence than answered. CARLYLE.

Bacon. To SELL ONE'S BACONto sell one's body. C.

To the Kaiser, therefore, I sold

And by him good charge of the/whole is taken. SCHILLER

(translated by CARLYLE).Exp.I therefore sold my body to

the Emperor, who takes good careof it and me.

To SAVE ONE'S BACON toescape from personal injury,generally in an undignifiedway. F.But as he ran to save his bacon,By hat and wig he was forsaken.

COMBE.Exp. But as he ran to escape

bodily hurt, he lost his hat and wig.Jem drew a long breath, and said

brutally, yet with something ofsatisfaction, "You have saved yourbacon this time." READE.

Bad. To GO TO THE BAD tobecome debauched ; to sinkinto poverty and disgrace. C.(He) went, as the common saying

expressively phrases it, to the bad.Pall Mall Gazette.Those who do not prefer to return

to the fatherland richer in expe-rience, or who do not succumb todespair and go to the bad altogether,have recourse to charitable societies.L. KATSCHER, in Nineteenth Cen-

tury, 1887.

BagTo THE BAD in debt ; having

a deficit or loss. C.He was between 70 and 80 to the

bad -Pall Mall Gazette, 1884.BAD BLOOD angry and vin-

dictive feelings. P.Atthe battle of Poonah he regained

his authority, and whatever badblood had flowed between them waschecked bythe prospect of approach-ing danger. DE MAULEY, m Nine-teenth Century, 1886.

BAD DEBTS debts of which thereis no hope that they will everbe paid. P.Among his assets he had included

a number of bad debts (debts thatwere hopeless).

To GO BAD (of meat or food) tospoil. C.

It goes bad more readily thancooked butcher's meat. Daily News,1884.

Bag. BAG AND BAGGAGEcompletely ; leaving no pro-perty behind. P. The phrasewas originally used of the com-plete evacuation by an armyof an enemy's territory, andis now employed generally tosignify the wished-for depar-ture of an unwelcome guest.The Turks . . . their zaptiehs and

mudirs . . . their kaimakams andtheir pashas, one and all, bag andbaggage, shall. I hope, clear out fromthe province they have desolated andprofaned. GLADSTONE.Exp. TheTurks and everyTurkishfficial,

belongiprovinclated and p

This expression of Mr.Gladstone's has given rise towhat is known as the " bag andbaggage policy

" in relationto the Turks to drive themcompletely out of Europe.

Baked. HALF-BAKED silly ;weak in mind. S.Hampered withal by a daughter of

seventeen not quite right in herhead half-baked, to use the popularand feeling expression. BESANT.

Baker. A BAKER'S DOZENthirteen. P. See DOZEN.Formerly called a devil's

.

official, with all their property andngings, shall, I hope, quit theince (Bulgaria) they have deso-and profaned.

19 Ball

dozen, and associated withill-luck.

It is all very well foryou,who havegot some baker's dozen of little ones,and lost only one by the measles.BLACKMORE.

Ball. TO OPEN THE BALLto begin. P.Waltz and the battle of Austerlitz

are said to have opened the ball to-gether (commenced the operationsof the year together). BYRON." This will do," thought the Scot,

misled, like Continental nations, bythat little trait of ours. He openedthe ball (spoke first). READE.

TO LEAD UP THE BALL toopen a dance. P. Said of themost distinguished couple whooccupy the leading place.She did not object to her own

Jenny's leading up the ball at Mr.O'Neill's. MARIA EDGEWORTH.Mr. Thornhill and my eldest

daughter led up the ball. GOLD-SMITH.

BALLS or THE THREE GOLDENBALLS a name given to apawnbroker's place of busi-ness, of which three balls arethe sign. F.A pawnbroker from Alcester had

opened a branch establishment. . . .It was managed by a Mr. Figg. Mr.Figg's three balls stood out in themiddle of the cut. MRS. HENRYWOOD.Take my ticker (watch), and such

of your things as you can spare, andsend them to Balls. THACKERAY.

It is not generally known that thethree balls at the pawnbrokers' shopsare the ancient arms of Lombardy.The Lombards were the first money-brokers in Europe. C. LAMB.

TO HAVE THE BALL AT ONE'S FOOTor BEFORE ONE to be in a po-sition to command success ; tohave things in one's power. C.A pretty picture is so much

prettier in a gilt frame, and she willprobably begin life with the ball ather foot. G. J. WHYTE-MELVILLE.The crisis in George Dallas's life

had arrived the ball was at his.feet.-E. YATES.

TO KEEP THE BALL UP Or BOLL-ING to keep a conversationgoing ; to prevent an under-taking from nagging. C.He smiled when my lady smiled ;

returned well-rounded replies to her

Banbury 20 Barmecidequeries ; kept up the ball of conver-sation with the dignity of an am-bassador. MKS. E. LYNN LINTON.Exp. He spoke occasionally, in

order to maintain the conversation.If the Spaniards had not lost two

armies lately, we should keep up theball for another year (continue theenterprise for another year). WEL-LINGTON.

TO TAKE UP THE BALL to takeone's turn in speaking or inany social matter. C.Rosencrantz took up the ball.

GEORGE ELIOT.Exp. Rosencrantz took his turn

In the conversation.

Banbupy. To TAKE A CHILDTO BANBURY CROSS to swingit up and down on one's foot.F. Grown-up people oftenamuse children in this way,sitting on a chair or a sofa,and repeating the nurseryrhyme :

Ride a cock-horseTo Banbury Cross,T9 see an old womanRide on a white horse.With rings on her fingersAnd bells on her toes,She shall have musicWherever she goes.

She caught up little Miss Toodle,who was running past, and took herto Banbury Cross immediately.DICKENS.

Bang. To BANG THE BUSHto surpass anything that hasgone before.

"

My," said he,"if that don't bang

thebush ; you are another-guess chapfrom what I took you to be, any-how."HALIBU RTON.Exp. "Really," said he, "if that

does not exceed anything I have yetheard; you are quite a differentfellow from what I supposed you tobe, at any rate."

Banyan. BANYAN - DAY aday on which no meat isserved out for rations. Asea term.

Bap. THE BAB SINISTER thesign of illegitimate birth. P.In the days of chivalry, knightsof illegitimate birth carried thearms of their family markedwith a black diagonal baracross from the right uppercorner.

Why, Philip, mv ancestors wereprinces of royal blood when yoursstill herded the swine in thesewoods. I canshow more than thirtyquarterings upon my shield, each themark of a noble house, and I will notbe the first to put a bar sinisteracrossthem. H. R. HAGGARD.That was Paston Carew, a Clinton

with the bar sinister across theshield. MRS. E. LYNN LINTON.

To BAR OUT to refuse to admitthe masters of a school. P.Scholars in England frequentlyrevolted in this way.Revolts, republics, revolutions, mostNo graver than a schoolboys' bar-

ring out. TENNYSON.TO EAT FOR THE BAR. SeeEAT.

Bapg-ain. A WET BARGAINan agreement concluded bythe parties drinking liquortogether. F.The recruit took the condition of

a soldier, with a guinea to make it awet bargain. WINDHAM.Exp. The recruit enlisted, and re-

ceived a guinea that he might drink,on the conclusion of the agreement.

INTO THE BARGAIN beyond whathas been stipulated ; extra ;besides. C.If he studies the writings, say, of

Mr. Herbert Spencer into the bar-gain,he will be perfect. M. ARNOLD.

TO MAKE THE BEST OP A BADBARGAIN to bear adverse cir-cumstances in the best possibleway. P.Men had made up their minds to

submit to what they could not help,and to make the best of a bad bargain.FREEMAN.Exp. Men had resolved to submit

to the inevitable, and to bear theirbad luck with the best possible grace.

Bark. His BARK is WORSETHAN HIS BITE he uses stronglanguage, but acts with mild-ness. C.However, I dare say you have

learned by this time that my father'sbark is worse than his bite. SARAHTYTLER.

Barmecide. A BARMECIDEFEAST a banquet where thereis nothing to eat. P. Thename comes from the ArabianNights, where the story is

21 Beardtold of a rich man, Barmecide,who invited a friend to dinowith him. Dishes werebrought to the table in dueorder, but there were novictuals in them. The host,however, pretended to eat, andhis guest had the politenessto imitate him. Afterwardsa real feast was served toreward the man for his goodhumour.Tommy, outraged by the last glass

of claret, thought the permission,being of a hollow and Barmecidecharacter, was a natural ending to abanquet from which he rose morehungry than when he sat down.BESANT.A Barmecideroom, thathad always

a great dining-table in it, and neverhad a dinner. DICKENS.

Basket. To BE LEFT IN THEBASKET to be neglected orthrown over. F.Whatever he wants, he has only toask it,

And all other suitors are left in thebasket. BARHAM.

Bat. ON HIS OWN BAT onhis own account. S. Takenfrom the game of cricket.Titmouse has left Spanker and

Co., and is now on his own bat (inbusiness for himself).

Bath. Go TO BATH be abeggar. F.

" Go to Bath ! " said the baron.BARHAM.

Beans. To KNOW BEANS ; TOKNOW HOW MANY BEANS MAKEFIVE to be sagacious ; to beworldly-wise. F.I was a fool, I was, and didn't know

how many beans made five. I wasborn yesterday, I was. B. L. FAR-JEON.

Bear. To BEAR ONE HARDto be unfriendly to. P.

Caesar doth bear me hard.SHAKESPEARE.

To BEAR OUT A MAN to lendhim support ; to back him. P.Every one will bear me out in say-

ing that the markbywhich you knowthem is their genial and hearty fresh-ness and youthfulness of character.HUGHES.

TO BEAR A BOB Or A HANDto assist ; to join others inwork. C.We were so short of men that every

one on board had to bear a hand.K. L. STEVENSON.

TO BEAR DOWN UPON to ap-proach deliberately. C.As soon as they got on the Quarter-

deck Arthur perceived a tall, well-preserved man with an eye-glass,whom he seemed to know, bearingdown upon them. H. E. HAGGARD.

To BEAR IN MIND to remember ;recollect. P.

It will be borne in mind that Mr.Aubrey had given bail to a very largeamount. S. WARREN.

A BEAR LEADER one who actsas companion to a person ofdistinction. P.Once more on foot, but freed from

the irksome duties of a bear leader,and with some of his pay as tutorin pocket, Goldsmith continued hiahalf

-vagrant peregrinations throughpart of France and Piedmont andsome of the Italian states. WASH-INGTON IRVING.It was somewhat beneath the

dignity of a gentleman cavalier to actas bear leader to the joskins andsimpering city madams that came tosee the curiosities. G. A. SALA.

TO PLAT THE BEAR WITHto injure ; to damage. F.The last storm has played the bear

with my crops.A BEAR GARDEN a disorderly

gathering. C.Mr. Trollope visited the Chamber

whilst at Paris, and heard Soult andDupin. He thought it a beargarden. Temple Bar, 1887.

Beard. To BEARD THE LIONIN HIS DEN to attack adangerous or much-feared per-son boldly in his own quar-ters. C.Miss Masterman returned to the

inn for lunch, and then prepared forher momentous visit to the rectory ;for she had resolved to beard thelion in his den (attack her enemy inhis own house), and to denouncehim in the presence of his family asa hypocrite. Ctiambers's Journal,

Fierce he broke forth "And dar'stthou then

To beard the lion in his den,The Douglas in his hall?" SCOTT.

Beat 22

Beat. To BEAT ABOUT THEBUSH. See BUSH.

To BEAT THE BUSH to searchas sportsmen do when inpursuit of game. P.Mr. Maurice, again, that pure and

devout spirit of whom, however,the truth must at last be told, thatin theology he passed his life beatingthe bush with deep emotion andnever starting the hare Mr. Mauricedeclared that by reading between thelines he saw in the Thirty-nineArticles and the Athanasian Creedthe altogether perfect expression ofthe Christian faith. MATTHEWARNOLD.

To BEAT DOWN to cause aseller to reduce the price. C.Perhaps his patient would try to

beat him down (lower his profes-sional charge or fee), and Dr. Ben-jamin made up his mind to have thewhole or nothing. 0. W. HOLMES.

To BEAT A RETREAT to retire.C. Originally a military phrase,having reference to the beat-ing of the drums as a signfor making a retreat.She introduced Percy to him. The

colonel was curt but grumpy, andPercy soon beat a retreat. READE.

TO BEAT THE AIR to Strugglein vain. P.So fight I, not as one that beateth

the air. ST. PAUL (1 Cor. ix. 26).These men labour harder than

other men result, nil. This isliterally beating the air. READE.

TO BEAT UP THE QUARTERS OFto visit without ceremony ;

to " look up." F.Sunday coming round, he set off

therefore after breakfast, once moreto beat up:Captain Cuttle's quarters.DICKENS.

To BEAT GOOSE to thump thearms against the chest inorder to get warm. F.The common labourers at out-

door work were beating goose todrive the blood into their fingers.Times, 1883.

THAT BEATS THE DUTCH thatis astonishing. S.

It beats the Dutch (it is wonderful)how the thief can have got throughso small a hole.

To BEAT HOLLOW to vanquishcompletely. C.

BedThe Galatea was beaten hollow

(completely defeated) by the May-flower in the last international yachtrace.

TO BEAT THE DEVIL'S TATTOO.See TATTOO.

Beau. BEAU IDEAL highestconceivable type ; finest speci-men. P. French.My ambition is to give them a

beau ideal of a welcome. CHAR-LOTTE BRONTE.

Beauty. THE BEAUTY SLEEPthe sleep taken before mid-

night. C.A medical man, who may be called

up at any moment, must make sureof his beauty sleep. H. KINGSLEY.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST alovely woman with an uglymale companion. C. Theexpression is borrowed froman old nursery tale.Beauty and the beast was what

they called us when we went outwalking together, as we used to doevery day. H. R. HAGGARD.

BEAUTY is BUT SKIN-DEEPbeauty is a thing which canbe easily destroyed, and shouldnot, therefore, be valued toohighly. P.Marry awoman for her good quali-

ties ; beauty is but skin-deep.

Bed. As YOU MAKE YOUR BED,YOU MUST LIE ON IT you mustbear the consequences ofyour deliberate actions. C.I write not for those whose

matrimonial lot is the average oneneither very happy nor very miser-able, who, having made their bed,must lie on it but for those whoselot has turned out "all worse andno better." MRS. CRAIK (MissMULOCK)."Henry has gone to Allington to

propose to Miss Crawley," said Mrs.Grantly. "Gonej without speakingto me!" "He said that it was use-less his remaining, as he knew heshould only offend you." "He hasmade his bed, and he must lie on it,"said the archdeacon. A. TROLLOPE.

A BED OF ROSES an altogetheragreeable position or situa-tion. C.A parochial life is not a bed of

roses, Mrs. Mann. DICKENS.

BedfordshireBedfordshire. To BE FORBEDFORDSHIRE to be anxiousto retire to bed. F.

'Faith, I'm for Bedfordshire.SWIFT.

Bee. IN A BEE LINE followinga straight course, as a bee issupposed to do. P.I'm going to get home as soon as

I can-strike a bee line.-W. D.HOWELLS.

TO HAVE A BEE IN ONE'S BONNETto be crazy in a certain

direction. C.What new bee will you put under

your bonnet next, sir? G. A. SALA.That Crawley has got a bee m his

bonnet. A. TROLLOPE.

Been. YOU'VE BEEN (ANDGONE) AND DONE IT -you havecommitted an action thatmay have very serious conse-quences. S. A remark gener-ally made half in wonder,half as a warning.

I say, young fellow, you've beenand done it, you have. DICKENS.

Beep. To THINK NO SMALLBEER OF ANYTHING to esteemit very highly. F.Miss Arrowpoint coloured, and

Mr. Bult observed, with his usualphlegmatic solidity, "Your pianistdoes not think small beer of him-self." GEORGE ELIOT.

Beg1. To GO BEGGING or A-BEGGING (of things) to findno one to claim'; to be soplentiful as to be thoughtnot worth accepting. P.Generally said of things thathave been highly prized atother times.

]

beJLllIIUJ ^/WAiAViO MM _

guineas a year made fifty-six poundfive shillings English money, .alwhich was in mannergoinga-beggingGOLDSMITH.

To BEG THE QUESTION toassumethat which requires to beproved ; to take for grantedthe very point at issue. P."Facsimiles!" exclaimed the old

man angrily ;"

why not frankly saythat they are by the same hand aonce?"

Bell"But that is begging the whole

question" (assuming all that requiresto be proved), argued honest Dennis,his good and implastic nature lead-ing him into the self-same error intowhich he had fallen at CharlecotePark. JAMES PAYN.

Beggars. BEGGARS SHOULDNOT BE CHOOSERS those whoask for favours should sub-mit to the terms imposedupon them. P.

Bell. EIGHT BELLS soundedon board ship at noon, four,and eight o'clock.The unwelcome cry of " All star-

bowlines ahoy! eight bells, therebelow ! do you hear the news? (theusual formula of calling the watch)roused us. K. H. DANA, JUN.

TO BEAR THE BELL Or CARRYAWAY THE BELL to be victorin a race or other contest. P.The Italians have carried away the

bell from (have surpassed) all othernations, as may appear both by theirbooks and works. HAKEWILL.There are certain cases, it is true,

where the vulgar Saxon word is re-fined, and the refined Latin vulgar,in poetry as in sweat and perspira-tion ; but there are vastly more inwhich the Latin bears the bell.J. K. LOWELL.

To BELL THE CAT at greatpersonal risk, to render acommon foe harmless forevil. C. A phrase borrowedfrom a well-known fable toldupon one historical occasionwith great success.When James III. was king of Scot-

land, he irritated the old nobility bythe favour he showed to paintersand architects. One of the latter,named Cochran, who had succeededto the estates of the Earl of Mar, wasespecially hated by the nobles. At ameeting in the church of Lauderthey discussed how best to get rid ofhim. Lord Gray, afraid that thediscussion would lead tono practicalresult, told the story of the mice andthe cat. " A colony of mice ***cat.suffered'greatly from attacksa cat, who pounced upon them beforethey had time to escape. They weremuch concerned over the matter,and resolved to do something todefend themselves. A youngmouserose up and proposed that theyshould fix a bell round pussy'sneck, which would warn them of

Belt 24 Besther approach. This proposal waswarmly received, until an old mouseput the pertinent question, 'Butwhich of us will bell the cat?' Theorator had not thought of this, andwas speechless." Whenhad finished, ArchiAngus, a man noted forprowess and daring, rose upswore that he would bell the cat.He kept his word, captured Cochran,and had him hanged over the bridgeof Lauder. Afterwards he wasalways known as Bell-the-Cat.And from a loophole while I peepOld Bell-the-Cat came from thekeep. SCOTT."I'll tell you how we'll do it," ex-

claimed Mrs. Armyher hands : " we'll ask

. clappingm (the sus-

pected clergyman) to say grace atdinner to-night. Then we 11 see howhe takes that."" That's a capital idea !

"

cried Mrs.Percival Lott."What fun it will be-*t least I

mean, what an interesting momentwhen you put the question to him.""Oh, but, I shan't put It," said

Mrs. Armytage hastily. . . ."Mrs. and Miss Jennynge must

bell the cat "

"What have I to do with cats?"inquired Mrs. Jennynge wildly."I hate cats.""My dear madam, it is a well-

known proverb," explained Mrs.Armytage. "What I mean is, thatit is you who should ask Mr. Josce-line to say grace this evening."JAMES PAYN.

Belt. TO HIT BELOW THEBELT to strike another un-fairly. P. A pugilist is notallowed by the rules of boxingto hit his opponent under thewaist-belt. This belt is asignificant part of a boxer'sattire. The champion pugilistof England wears a prize -belt, which he must deliverto any one who vanquisheshim.To refer to his private distresses in

a public discussion was hitting be-low the belt.Exp. It was unfair, in a public

discussion, to refer to his., privatedistresses.

Ben. BEN TROVATO wellfound ; an ingenious inven-tion. P. Italian.If the tale is not true, at least it is

bentrovatodugeniouely constructed).

Benefit. WITHOUT BENEFITOF CLERGY During theMiddle Ages criminals whocould prove that they be-longed to the Church, evento the extent of being ableto recite a verse of Scripture,were allowed to escape punish-ment. This privilege wasknown as benefit of clergy.Notorious offenders often es-caped on this plea, like Will ofHarribee, who knew his neck-verse (see The Lay of the LastMinstrel). The phrase isnow used loosely, as in thefollowing :She would order Goody Hicks to

take a James's powder, without ap-peal, resistance, or benefit of clergy.THACKERAY.

Benjamin. BENJAMIN'S MESSa specially large portion.

P. For the origin see Gen.xliii. 34 : " But Benjamin'smess was five times so muchas any of theirs."

Berth. To GIVE A WIDEBERTH to give a ship roomto swing at anchor ; to avoid aperson. C.I have had letters warning me that

I had better give Ballinascroon awide berth if I happen to be in thatpart of Ireland. WM. BLACK.

Bess. BESS o' BEDLAM afemale lunatic vagrant. C.BESS is a contraction of Eliza-beth.Will you have the goodness to tell

me, miss, why you are dressed upafter that mad Bess of Bedlamfashion ? A. TROLLOPE.

Best. BEST MAN groomsman;the attendant on a bride-groom. P.

It was like asking a young gentle-man to be best man when he wantsto be the bridegroom himself.JAMES PAYN.

AT THE BEST taking the mostfavourable view possible. P.

I advise you not to accept thesituation. At the best (even in themost favourable state of affairs) youwill be a mere favourite, removableon the slightest whim of a capriciouswoman.

Bet

TO HAVE THE BEST OF AN ARGU-MENT to gain the advantagein an argument. P."In your argument yesterday,

Charles, the strange gentleman hadthe best of it" (was victor), said hiswife.

TO MAKE THE BEST OF ONE'SWAY to go as well as can bedone in the circumstances. P.With these awful remarks, Mr.

Kenwigs sat down in a chair, anddefied the nurse, who made the bestof her way into the adjoining room.DICKENS.

TO MAKE THE BEST OF BOTHWORLDS to manage so asto get the good things ofearth and be sure of a goodplace in heaven. P.There have been great captains,

great statesmen, ay, and great so-called Christians, seeking to makethe best of both worlds (being atonce worldly and heavenly in theiraspirations). SARAH TYTLER.

Bet. You BET I assure you.S. American.My father's rich, you bet. HENRY

JAMES, JUN.

Bete. BE"TE NOIRE pet aver-sion ; object of particulardislike. P. French.The ladies of the party simply

detest him -if we except MissThorneydyke, who cannot anord todetest anything in trousers. LadyPat, who is a bit of a wit, calls himher Ute. noire. FLORENCE MARRYAT.

Better*. FOR BETTER OR FORWORSE indissolubly, in mar-riage. C.Each believed, and indeed pretty

plainly asserted, that they couldlive more handsomely asunder; but,alas ! they were united for better or

MARIA EDGEWORTH.for worse.TO GET THE BETTER OF-overcome ; to vanquish ;be stronger than. P.I got the better of (overcame) my

disease, however, but I was BO weakthat I spat blood whenever I attempted to write.-H. MACKENZIE.

BETTER HALF a man's wife ; icomplimentary term for imarried woman. C."Polly heard it," said Toodle

jerking his hat over his shoulder in

25 Betweenthe direction of the door, with anair of perfect confidence in his bet-ter half.-DiCKENS.

Between. BETWEEN YOU ANDME AND THE POST Or THEDOOR-POST a phrase usedwhen anything is spoken con-fidentially. F."Well, between you and me and

the door-post, squire," answered hislearned visitor, "I am not so surethat Sir Anthony is quite the roseand crown of his profession.'BLACKMORE.But understand that the name of

Dangerous is to remain a secretbetween you and me and the post.G. A. SALA.The phrase is also found

in the more familiar formBETWEEN YOU AND ME AND THEBED-POST don't reveal a wordof what I say. F.

BETWEEN OURSELVES speakingconfidentially. C.Steyne has a touch of the gout,

and so, between ourselves, has yourbrother. THACKERAY.Exp. Steyne issomewhat troubled

with the gout, and so is your bro-ther; but I do not wish my wordsrepeated.

BETWEEN SCYLLA AND CHARYB-DIS. between two menacingdangers. Avoiding one, youfall into the other. P. Scyllawas a rock and Charybdisa whirlpool on the coast ofSicily, and the narrow passagebetween was very much fearedby mariners because of itsdouble danger. Now they arelooked on as harmless.You have your Scylla and your

Charybdis, as pastor of the con-gregation. If you preach the oldtheology, you will lose the youngmen ; and if you preach the new, youwill alienate the old men.

BETWEEN TWO FIRES subjectto a double attack ; a positionof peculiar danger in warfare.p.Poor Dawson is between two fires .

if he whips the child, its motherscolds him ; and if he lets it off, itsgrandmother comes down on him.

TO FALL BETWEEN TWO STOOLS.See STOOL.

BidBETWEEN WIND AND WATER.

See WIND.Bid. To BID FAIR to seem

likely ; to promise well. P.In the eastern counties the old

race of email farmers and yeomenhave well - nigh disappeared, orrather they bid fair to disappear.Chambers's Journal, 1887.

"Big. A BIG-WIG a person inauthority ; a high or powerfulperson. C."Then I will leave you, uncle,"

said Clare," to the task of telling

the big-wigs that there is nothingmore to be done or known downhere." EDMUND YATES.Sooner 9r later one of the big-wigs

will take it up, and the point will besettled one way or other. Murray'sMagazine, 1887.

Bird. A BIRD IN THE HAND isWORTH TWO IN THE BUSH asure advantage is better thana problematical advantage,even though the latter pro-mises to be twice as good. C.

A BIRD'S-EYE or BIRD -EYEVIEW a general view, suchas would be enjoyed by abird flying over a country. P.Viewing from the Pisgah of his

pulpit the free, moral, happy, flour-ishing, and glorious state of France,as in a bird-eye landscape of a pro-mised land. BURKE.Note. Pisgah was the mountain

east of the Jordan from the summitof which Moses was permitted tosee the promised land of Canaan.

TO KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONESTONE to effect two resultswith one expenditure oftrouble. C.Sir Barnet killed two birds with

one stone. DICKENS.BIRDS OP A FEATHER persons

of like tastes. C.Birds of a feather flock together.Exp. Persons of like tastes seek

one another's society.JAIL-BEBD a rogue who is

oftener in prison than out ofit ; a hardened offender. C.The jail-birds who piped this tune

were, without a single exception,the desperate cases of this moralhospital. READE.

BIRD OF PASSAGE one whoshifts from place to place. C.

26 BitNo one (here in Shanghai) seems

to be living his own life, but some-thing else something temporary;as if we were all expecting to gohome again in the course of theafternoon or the next day, and there-fore it does not much matter whatwe dp just for the few hours thatremain; or as if we were convictsdoing our time; or as if we werepolitical exiles, who might be re-called at any moment ; or as if wewere in some way birds of passage.BESANT.

A LITTLE BIRD WHISPERED IT TOME. A phrase playfully usedof something which has beenreported and is repeated. C.The reference is from theBible, Eccles. x. 20 : " Cursenot the king, no not in thythought ; and curse not therich in thy bedchamber : fora bird of the air shall carrythe voice, and that whichhath wings shall tell thematter.""What a wicked man you are!"

smiled Mrs. Jennynge, admiringly."A little bird told me you couldbe very severe when you pleased,though I refused to believe it."

It was evident from the colourthat came into Anastasia's face thatshe was the bird in question (shehad carried this report). JAMESPAYN.

Bishop. THE BISHOP HAS SETHIS FOOT IN IT the contentsof the dish are burned. F.A jocular reference to thezeal of bishops for burningheretics."Why sure, Betty, thou art be-

lt this cream is burnt too."y. madam, the bishop has set

witched : this cream is burnt too." Why. madam, the b

his foot in it." SWIFT.

Bit. A BIT OF ONE'S MINDa good scolding ; a seriousreproof. F."I shall have to tell her a bit of

my mind" (remonstrate sharplywith her), he said, as he steppedacross the close. A. TROLLOPE.

NOT A BIT OF IT by no means ;not at all. F." That's rather a sudden pull-up,

ain't it, Sammy?" .inquired Mr.Weller."Not a bit of it," said Sam.

DICKENS.

Bite 27 Bless

Bite. TO BITE THE THUMB AT.This was formerly a sign ofcontempt, often made use ofby those who wished to picka quarrel. C.I will bite my thumb at them:which is a disgrace to them, ifthey bear it. SHAKESPEARE :Romeo and Juliet.

Wear I a swordTo see men bite their thumbs?

RANDOLPH.Tis no less disrespectful to bite

the nail of your thumb, by way ofscorn and disdain. Rules of Civility,1678.

To BITE ONE'S LIPS to showsigns of disgust and mortifi-cation. P.The advocates on both sides are

alternately biting their lips (show-ing chagrin) to hear their C9nflictingmisstatements and sophisms ex-posed. MACAULAY.

To BITE THE DUST to fall inbattle. P.That day three thousand Saracens

bit the dust (were slain in battle).Black. A BLACK SHEEP an

ill-conducted person ; a mem-ber of society who is notconsidered respectable. C.I'm forbidden the house. I'm

looked upon as a black sheep apest, a contamination. EDMUNDYATES.

BLACK MONDAY the Monday onwhich school reopens. C.She now hated my sight, and made

home so disagreeable to me thatwhat is called by schoolboys BlackMonday was to me the whitest inthe whole year. FIELDING.

BLACKMAIL money extorted bythreats. P.Blackmail, I suppose, is an honest

man paving through his nose for thesins of his youth.

BLACK DRAUGHT a dose for-merly given by physicians torelieve stomach ailments. P.Go, enjoy your black draughts of

metaphysics. THACKERAY.TO BEAT Or PINCH ANOTHER BLACKAND BLUE to beat or pinchhim until his flesh is dis-coloured. C.

"

We'll go down arm in arm."" But you pinch me black and

blue," urged Gride. DICKENS.

BLACK AND WHITE written defi-nitely on paper in ink. C."I have found it all out ! Here is

his name in black and white;" andshe touched the volume she had justplaced on the table with impressivereverence. JAMES PAYN.

Blanket. A WET BLANKETone who discourages, who

causes others to become dis-heartened ; also, discourage-ment. C.I don't want (said Sir Brian) to be

a wet blanket. W. E. NORRIS.At home, in the family circle,

ambition is too often treated withthe wet blanket (discouraged).BESANT.

Blarney. To HAVE KISSEDTHE BLARNEY STONE to befull of flattery and persuasivelanguage. F. There is astone in the village of Blarney,near Cork, in Ireland, whichwas supposed to confer thisgift of persuasive speech onthose who touched it.You are so full of compliments

to-day that you must have kissedthe blarney stone.

BleSS. TO BLESS ONESELF tobe astonished. C.Could Sir Thomas look in upon us

just now, he would bless himself,for we are rehearsing all over thehouse. JANE AUSTEN.

TO BLESS ONESELF WITH inone's possession. F. Gener-ally used of coin, especiallyof silver coin, which peoplecrossed their palms with forgood luck.What ! you trumpery, to come and

take up an honest house withoutcross or coin to bless yourself with.GOLDSMITH.The lady hasn't got a sixpence

wherewithal to bless herself.DICKENS.

BLESS YOU an exclamation ofvarying significance. F. Com-monly used after sneezing,to avert evil consequences asuperstition common in Ire-land."Bless you!" murmurs Miss Sey-

mour under her breath the bene-diction being called forth by thesneeze, not the demand for mustard.RHODA BROUGHTON.

Blind 2Blind. To GO IT BLIND to

act without due delibera-tion. S.

Blindman. BLINDMAN'S BUFFan ancient game, still very

popular with children. One ofthe company is blindfolded,and the fun of the game con-sists in his efforts to capturesome one.Mr. Burchell, who was of the

party, was always fond of seeingsome innocent amusement goingforward, and set the boys and girlsto blindman's buff. GOLDSMITH.

Blithe. BLITHE BREAD fooddistributed among guests onthe birth of a child in thefamily. An old custom.Throughout three long jovial

weeks the visitors came and went,and every day the blithe bread waspiled in the peck for the poor of theearth. HALL CAINB.

Blood. BLOOD AND IRONmilitary compulsion ; the forceof armies. A phrase usuallyassociated with Prince Bis-marck Blut und Eisen.Mr. Carlyle has been heard to say

that Rhadamanthus would certainlygive Macaulay four dozen lasheswhen he went to the shades for histreatment of Marlborough. This isquite in character for the Scotchapostle of blood and iron. J.(JOTTER MORISON.

BAD BLOOD. See BAD.His BLOOD WAS UP he was

excited or in a passion. C.That is the way of doing businessa cut and thrust style, without

any flourish: Scott's style whenhis blood was up. CHRISTOPHERNORTH.

A PRINCE OF THE BLOOD anobleman who is a nearrelative of the royal family. P.He had a calm, exhausted smile

which as though he had been aprince of the blood (noble of thehighest rank) who had passed hislife in acknowledging the plauditsof the populace suggested theravages of affability. JAMES PAYN.

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATERkinship will cause a man to

befriend his relatives ; it is

Blownbetter to trust for kind treat-ment to one's kinsmen thanto strangers. P."I am aware there is a family tie,

or I should not have ventured totrouble you."

" Blood is thicker than water,isn't it?" A. TROLLOPE.

IN COLD BLOOD without passion ;deliberately. P.The suggestion of such a contin-

gency which, of course, meant totalfailure in cold blood (without anypassion) filled up the cup of theantiquary's indignation. JAMESPAYN.

BLUE BLOOD aristocratic de-scent. P.And the girl what of her? to

which side of the house did shebelong? To the blue blood of theClintons, or the muddy stream of theCarews? MRS. E. LYNN LINTON.The blood of the Bunkers has, in

yourself, assumed the most azurehue (become most aristocratic).BESANT.

TO MAKE YOUR BLOOD CREEPto fill you with awe or terror.P.Jinny Gates, the cobbler's daugh-

ter, being more imaginative, statednot only that she had seen the ear-rings too, but that they had madeher blood creep (inspired her withterror). GEORGE ELIOT.

BlOW. TO BLOW OVER topass off ; to be heard of nomore. P."Gracious me! an execution!"

said Lady Clonbrony ; " but I heardyou talk of an execution monthsago, my lord, before my son went toIreland, and it blew over; I heardno more of it." MARIA EDGE-WORTH.

To BLOW UP to scold ; toreprimand. F.

If I hadn't been proud of thehouse, I shouldn't be blowing youup. HUGHES.The captain was too "wide-awake"

'

i upon him at. blow up. K.

for him, and beginning uionce, gave him a grand bl ChewHere they lay, cheek by jowl with

^ life. DICKENS.Here was a doctor who never had

a patient, cheek by jowl with anattorney who never had a client.THACKERAY.

Cheese. To GET THE CHEESEto receive a check or a dis-

appointment. F. The phraseis said to have its origin in thehistory of Beau Brummel,the friend of George IV. Pre-suming on his acquaintancewith the Prince Regent, Brum-mel used to take the libertyof arriving late at formaldinners, and always expectedthat the party would awaithis arrival. On one occasionhe arrived in this fashion at theMarquis of Lansdowne's, butfound that the company werealready far advanced withdinner. The host, turning toBrummel, asked him if hewould have some cheese (alate course). The crestfallenlook of the Beau is said tohave given rise to the expres-sion,

" He got the cheese."THE CHEESE what is excellent

or first-rate. S.Ain't I the cheese, oh ! ain't I thecheese,

As I walk in the park with mypretty Louise? London Song.Exp.Am I not a fine fellow, etc.?

Chef. CHEF-D'CEUVRE a mas-terpiece ; the best work of thekind. P. French.The dishes were uncovered. There

were vegetables cooked most deli-ciously ; the meat was a chef-d'oeuvrea sort of rich ragout done to a turn,

and so fragrant that the very odourmade the mouth water. C. EEADE.

Cherry. To MAKE TWO BITESOF A CHERRY to divide whatis so small as scarcely to beworth dividing. C.Let us toss up for the seat ; there

is no use making two bites of acherry (the seat is too small toaccommodate both comfortably).

Chew. To CHEW THE RAGto be sullen and abusive. S.A phrase common in the army.

ChickenSee Notes and Queries, 7thseries, v. 469, vi. 38.He was chewing the rag at me the

whole afternoon.To CHEW THE CUD to ruminateon some memory. C.

I went dinnerless, unless the cudof sour and bitter thoughts which Ichewed might pass for the festivemeal that forms the nucleus of day'sdearest interests in most people'slives. RHODA BROUGHTON.

It is possible she was only pretend-ing to sleep, in order to chew thecud (enjoy the memory) of somesweet thought at greater leisure.JAMES PAYN.

Chicken. No CHICKEN notyouthful. C.But John Niel was no chicken, nor

very likely to fall in love with thefirst pretty face he met. H. R. HAG-GARD.

COUNT NOT YOUR CHICKENS TILLTHEY ABE HATCHED be SUFOthat a thing is actually inyour possession before youspeak of it as yours, or act asif it were yours. C.Butaren'twecounting ourchickens,

Tag, before they're hatched? If Tit-mouse is all of a sudden becomesuch a catch, he'll be snapped up ina minute. S. WARREN.

Child. FROM A CHILD frominfancy. P.From a child (since his infancy) he

has been delicate.CHILD'S PLAY something very

easy ; work demanding noeffort. P.

It's child's play to find the stuffnow. R. L. STEVENSON.

Chiltepn. To APPLY FORTHE CHILTERN HUNDREDSto resign a seat in Parliament.The hundreds (or districts)of Bodenham, Desborough,and Stoke, in Buckingham-shire, known as the ChilternHundreds, have attached tothem a stewardship, with theduty of keeping down therobbers who infested the woodsof the Chiltern Hills. Thisoffice is now a merely nominalone, but it is put to a strangeuse. When a Member of

48 ChokeParliament wishes to resignhis seat an impossible thingby law, unless he can dis-qualify himself he appliesfor this stewardship, an officeunder the Crown, the assump-tion of which requires resigna-tion of a seat in the House of^Commons. This practice datesfrom the year 1750.This letter was despatched on the

19th of January; on the 21st heapplied for the Chiltern Hundreds.TREVELTAN, in Life of Lord Mac-

aulay.Two days before he (Lord Shaftes-

bury) applied for the Chiltern Hun-dreds, he reintroduced the TenHours Bill into Parliament. Quar-terly Review, 1887.

Chime. To CHIME IN WITHto harmonize with. C.As this chimed in with Mr. Dom-

bey's own hope and belief, it gavethat gentleman a still higher opinionof Mrs. Pipchin's understanding.DICKENS.Perhaps the severest strain upon

Mr. Lincoln was in resisting a ten-dency of his own supporters whichchimed in with his own privatedesires. J. R. LOWELL.

Chip. A CHIP OF THE OLDBLOCK a child possessing thecharacteristics of its father.C."He will prove a chip of the old

block (a model of his father), I'llwarrant," he added, with a sidelonglook at Margaret. JAMES PAYN.

Chisel. FULLCHISEL in haste.American slang.They think they know everything,

and all they have got to do, to upHudson like a shot, into the lakesfull split (in a hurry), off to Missis-Hudson like a_shot

sippi, and down to New Orleans fullchisel (in haste). HALIBURTON.

To CHISEL to cheat or defraud.S.Why is a carpenter like a swindler?

Because he chisels a deal (cheatsmuch).Note. A pun is here made on the

word c/iiseiand on the word deal(wood).

Choke. To CHOKE OFF to getrid of in a summary way. C.

Indeed, the business of a war-nurseespecially is so repulsive that mostvolunteers were choked off at once.Cornhill Magazine, 1688.

Chop 49Chop. FIRST CHOP in the firstrank; first-class. F.You must be first chop (in the front

rank) in heaven. GEORGE ELIOT.He looks like a first-chop article.

HALIBURTON.To CHOP LOGIC to argue in a

pedantic fashion. P.A man must not presume to use

his reason, unless he has studied thecategories, and can chop logic (arguelikeaschoolman) bymodeand figure.SMOLLETT.He was angry at finding himself

chopping logic about this younglady. H. JAMES.

To CHOP UPON to meet sud-denly. C.I know not what my condition

would have been if I had choppedupon (chanced to meet) them.DEFOE.

To CHOP TARNS to tell stories.S.Described as a carpenter, but a

poor workman, Clara Martha, andfond of chopping yarns, in which hepoor

>f chopping yarns, itwas equalled by none. BESANT.

Chronicle. To CHRONICLESMALL BEER to register ornotify insignificant events. C.She was a wight, if ever such wight

To suckle fools and chronicle smallbeer. SHAKESPEARE.All the ne.ws of sport, assize, and

quarter-sessions was detailed by thisworthy chronicler of small beer.THACKERAY.

Chuck. To CHUCK UP (a) toabandon ; to discontinue ; tosurrender. S.Ain't you keeping company with

poor old Mrs. Lammas's daughter?unless perhaps you mean to chuckthe girl up now because you havebeen asked for once to meet womenof rank. JUSTIN M'CARTHY.

I (b) to give in or surrender.Sometimes corrupted intoJACK UP. S. Probably theword SPONGE is understood.See SPONGE.At the third round Joe the

Nailor chucked up (declared him-self beaten).

Chum. To CHUM UP WITH tomake friendly advances to. S.Kenny tried to chum up with (get

on friendly terms) the newcomer,but was only partially successful.

CleanCircumstance. CIRCUM-STANCES ALTER CASES it isnecessary to modify one'sconduct by the particular cir-cumstances or conditions ofeach case. P.London between August and

April is looked upon as a night-mare. But circumstances altercases ; and I see that it will be thebest and most convenient place foryou. MRS. HENRY WOOD.

" Suppose you had been sentencedto five hundred blows of a stick,sirrah" 'twas thus he put the caseto me logically enough" would youhave expected me to pay for thee incarcass, as now I am paying for theein purse?"'Circumstances alter cases," inter-

poses Mr. Hodge in my behalf.''Here is luckily no question ofstripes at all." G. A. SALA.

Claret. ONE'S CLARET JUGa slang term for the nose. Totap one's claret (jug) = to causea man's nose to bleed.He told Verdant that his claret

had been repeatedly tapped. Ver-dant Green, ch. xi.

Clay. THE FEET OF CLAY thebaser portion ; the lower anddegrading part. P. See Dan.ii. 33 : " This image's headwas of fine gold, his breastand his arms of silver, hisbelly and his thighs of brass,his legs of iron, his feet partof iron and part of clay."Chapter xxxii. of James Payn'snovel The Talks of the Town isheaded " The Feet of Clay,"a heading explained by thesecond sentence :Her Willie had become as dead to

her ; all .that was left of him was theshameful record that lay on the tablebefore her.Note. This means that the man

whom she so admired had provedthat he possessed base qualities.

Clean. To MAKE A CLEANBREAST OF ANYTHING to makea complete confession. C.For several days he had made up

his mind (resolved) that when heshould be questioned upon thesubject, he would earn the credit ofcandour and grace of womanlygratitude by making a clean

Clearbreast of it (confessing everything).BLACKMORE.

TO SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELSto run off. F.These maroons were runaway

slaves who had bid a sudden good-bye to bolts and shackles, whips androds, and shown their tyrants a cleanpair of heels. G. A. SALA.

To CLEAN our to ruin or renderbankrupt ; to take away allavailable money from. F."A hundred and forty pounds?"

repeated Mrs. Carruthers, in a terri-fied tone."

Yes, precisely that sum ; and Ihave not a pound in the world toexist on in the meantime. I amcleaned out, and that's the fact."E. YATES.

Cleap. To CLEAR our to gooff entirely ; to go away. C.But mercy on me! everybody

is clearing out. I shall let thesewomen get ten minutes' start ofme. FLORENCE MABBYAT."It would be a pity, sir, if we had

to clear out and run, said Maurice.Mas. E. LYNN LINTOX.

Climacteric. THE GRANDCLIMACTERIC the most criticalperiod in a man's life (sixty-three years of age). P. Multi-ples of 7 or 9 were considereddangerous years in a man's life,7, 9, 14, 18, 21, 27, 35, 36,49, etc. : 7 x 9 was thereforeeminently bad. Recognizedby Hippocrates.Our old friend was even now

balancing on the brink of an event-ful plunge (a proposal of marriage),which, if not made before "thegrand climacteric," it is generallythought advisable to postpone sinedie.G. J. WHYTE-MELVILLE.

Close. To CLOSE WITH toagree to. P.George thought he would close

with an offer that had been made(exchange) one

ty sheep for cowsks. C. READE.

s offer was at once closed withthe delighted rustic. W. E.

ORRIS.

Cloth. THE CLOTH clergy-men ; the position of a clergy-man. P.Denying himself this feat as un-

worthy of his cloth (position as a

50 Coachclergyman), he met a drunken sea-man, one of the ship's crew from theSpanish Main. HAWTHORNE.And for the sake of the poor man

himself too, and for his wife, andfor his children, and for the sake ofthe cloth. A. TROLLOPS.

Clothes. IN LONG CLOTHESstill a young infant. P.

Cloud. TO BE IN THE CLOUDSto dream of what is imprac-

ticable ; to build castles inthe air. C.Since his return from Oxford,

Arthur has been in the clouds (in-dulged in visionary fancies).

UNDER A CLOUD in disgrace.P.Though Caesar was not, for various

reasons, to be pronounced a tyrant,Cicero advised that he should beburied privately, as if his name wasunder a cloud. FROUDE.The greatest city of the world

exercises a strongpower of attractionover all manner of men under acloud. Nineteenth Century, 1887.

EVERT CLOUD HAS A SILVERLINING the darkest prospecthas some redeeming brightness;nothing is wholly dark. P."

Oh, even the Lapham cloud hasa silver lining," said Corey. W. D.HOWELLS.

Cloven. THE CLOVEN FOOTthe mark of an evil or devilishnature. C. See FOOT.Yet although the cloven foot