“We don’t want to fight, but, by Jingo, if we do,We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, we’ve got the money too.”
“We don’t want to fight, but, by Jingo, if we do,We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, we’ve got the money too.”
“We don’t want to fight, but, by Jingo, if we do,We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, we’ve got the money too.”
“We don’t want to fight, but, by Jingo, if we do,
We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, we’ve got the money too.”
For a time the Jingo Party was in the ascendant.
Joachims-Thaler.See “Thaler.”
Jockey.The diminutive of Jock, which is the Scottish form of Jack or John, expressive of a servant. The first jockeys engaged in horse racing were boys, on account of their light weight; hence the term.
Joe Miller.A stale joke, corresponding to the modern “Chestnut.” Joe Miller was a witty comedian whose sayings were compiled by John Mottley in the reign of James II. Until about a hundred years ago this was the only book of jests extant, and everyone who wished to “set the table in a roar” freely drew upon it.
Joey.The popular nickname of Mr Joseph Chamberlain, of Fiscal Policy fame.
Johannis.From Johannisberg, near Wiesbaden. This name is literally “John’s Rock,” on which stands the famous castle.
John Audley.An old showman’s phrase, which still obtains in what is called a portable theatre. As soon as a sufficient crowd for another “house” has collected outside, the money-taker, or the showman himself, calls out at the door “John Audley!” (originally it was the question “Is John Audley here?”) as a hint to the performers to finish quickly and dismiss the audience. This, it is said, was the invention of Shorter, the comedian, while he was playing in booths at country fairs.
John Bull.The Representative Englishman, bluff, long-suffering,and open-hearted. This national nickname was derived from a satire of the same title published by Dr John Arbuthnot in 1721.
John Carpenter Street.After the founder of the City of London School, which occupies one side of this modern thoroughfare, having been removed hither from Bow Lane in 1882. John Carpenter was town clerk of the city of London in the reigns of Henry V. and VI.
John Chinaman.Ever since the outbreak of the gold fever in California a Chinaman in that part of the United States has been addressed as “John,” the Transatlantic generic name for a man-servant, corresponding to the old English Jack.
John Doe and Richard Roe.Fictitious names, which prior to 1852, when they were abolished, appeared in every legal process of ejectment in place of the names of the real parties.
John Dory.The name of this fish is a corruption of the FrenchJaune-dorée, yellow, golden, relative to the colour.
Johnnies.Overdressed, empty-pated scions of good families who spent their surplus cash upon burlesque actresses, and hung about for them at the stage door when the “sacred lamp of burlesque” burned brightly at the Gaiety Theatre. Since “Jack” was the generic name for a man or servant, so one distinguished for the possession of more money than brains was, and is still, dubbed a “Johnnie.”
John of Gaunt.Properly of Ghent, his birthplace, in Flanders.
John o’ Groat’s House.Formerly the most northern habitation on the mainland of Scotland, said to have been that of Johnny Groat, for the accommodation of travellers who wished to cross the ferry to the Orkney Isles. Its site may now be recognised by a green knoll.
Johnson’s Court.Although the greatlexocographerlexocographer, Dr Johnson, spent ten years of his life in this FleetStreet court, it was not named after him, but after another Johnson, whose property it was, and who also resided in it.
John Street.In the Adelphi, after the Christian name of one of the brothers Adam. In Piccadilly, after one of the family names of the Berkeleys, the ground landlords.
Joiner.The provincial term for one who in London is called a “Carpenter.” Literally a joiner of wooden building materials.
Joint Ring.Another name for a “Gimnal Ring.”
Joint-Stock Company.So called because the stock is vested jointly in many persons.
Jonathan’s.The original name of the Stock Exchange, after a coffee-house keeper whose house was the rendezvous of the earliest dealers in stock.
Jollies.The sailors’ nickname for the Marines, because they are about as useful to a ship as the “Jolly Boat” which floats behind it.
Jolly Boat.A corruption of “Jawl boat,” from the Danishjolle, a small boat.
Jordan.Expresses the Hebrew for “the flowing.”
Journeyman.An artisan who hires himself out to labour, conformly to the Frenchjour, day, a day labourer.
Juan Fernandez.After the navigator, who discovered it in 1567. On this isle Alexander Selkirk was the sole inhabitant from September 1704 until February 1707. Daniel Defoe made this adventurer the hero of his celebrated story “Robinson Crusoe.”
Jubilee Plunger.The sobriquet of Ernest Benzon, who lost £250,000 on the turf in two years after embarking upon his betting career in 1887, the Jubilee year of Queen Victoria’s reign.
Judd Street.The property of Sir Andrew Judd, Lord Mayor of London in 1551. By his will he bequeathedit to the endowment of a school at Tonbridge, his native place.
Judges’ Walk.So called because a number of judges and barristers of the King’s Bench made themselves temporary habitations in tents on this breezy height of Hampstead during the Great Plague.
Jug.Thieves’ slang for prison. See “In the Jug.”
Juggins.A fool, a reckless fellow, so called after a noted character of this name, who about twenty years ago squandered his whole fortune by reckless betting on the turf.
Juggler.From the Frenchjougleur, a jester or miscellaneous entertainer who was the invariable companion of a troubadour during the Middle Ages.
Julep.An American spirituous beverage, also a preparation to make medicines less nauseous. The word is derived from the Arabicjulab, rose-water.
July.In honour of Julius Cæsar, who was born in this month.
Jump a Claim.A Far West expression meaning to deprive another of his lawful claim; literally to jump into his diggings and take possession.
Jump on it with both Feet.The Transatlantic mode of saying “I’ll denounce it to the utmost of my power.”
Jump the Game.An Americanism for running away from one’s creditors.
June.The sixth month of the year; that of growth, agreeably to the Latinjuvenis, young. The Romans dedicated it to the “Juniores,” or young soldiers of the State.
Jungfrau.Two reasons are assigned for the name (German, “The Maiden”) given to this, one of the highest peaks of the Bernese Alps. Firstly, because of the unsullied purity and dazzling whiteness of the snow with which it is eternally clad; secondly, owing to the fact that, its summit being inaccessible, no man has ever conquered or ravished this mountain maiden.
Junk.A seaman’s term for rope ends and also the salt beef served out on board ship. The word is derived from the LatinJuncus, a bulrush, out of which ropes were anciently made. In the second sense of the term the toughness of the meat is sarcastically implied.
Jury.From the Latinjurare, to swear.
Jury Mast.Properly “Joury Mast,” from the Frenchjour, day, because it is only a temporary mast put up to replace one carried away by stress of weather.
Justice is Blind.An expression derived from the allegorical representation of Justice, who, holding the scales, is blindfolded. See “Scales of Justice.” This really had its origin in the custom of the ancient Egyptians, who conducted their trials in a darkened chamber, in order that the prisoner, the pleader, and the witnesses being alike unseen, the judges could not be moved to undue sympathy, and their judgment might be the more impartial.
Justice Walk.In this portion of Chelsea resided a London magistrate whose name has not been handed down to posterity.
Juteopolis.The name given to Dundee on account of its staple industry.
Jutland.The land of the Jutes.
Juveniles.In theatrical parlance the lovers’ parts. The principal stage lover’s part, such asRomeo, is called the “juvenile lead.” Other young men’s parts, that do not call for love making on the stage, are styled “walking gentlemen.”
Kaaba.The stone building inside the great Mosque at Mecca; said to have been erected over the spot where Adam first worshipped after his expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The name is Arabic for “square house.”
Kaffraria.The country of the Kaffirs or “unbelievers,” from the Mohammedan standpoint. This term was applied not only to the natives south of Abyssinia and the desert regions of Africa, but also to the people of a country in Central Asia east of the Hindu Cush known accordingly as Kafiristan.Kaiferis Arabic for “infidel,” and the suffixstanexpresses the Persian for “country.”
Kailyard.Scottish for cabbage garden.
Kaisar.The German form of the title of the Roman Emperors, “Cæsar.”
Kalmucks.A Western corruption of the nativeKhalmick, or “Apostates,” the name given to this large family of the Mongolian race because they rejected the doctrines of Buddha. It was these Kalmucks who, under the name of “Huns,” descended upon Europe in the fourth century.
Kamptulicon.From the GreekKampto, to bend.
Kansas.The Indian name for the river, signifying “smoky water”; afterwards applied also to the state.
Keble College.A memorial college at Oxford of the Rev. John Keble, author of “The Christian Year,” whose death took place in 1866.
Keelhaul.To haul under the keel of a vessel from stem to stern by means of ropes on either side. This was the most dreaded, because the most dangerous, punishment meted out to seamen or apprentices by tyrannical captains in former times. Readers of Captain Marryat’s “Snarleyyow, or the Dog Fiend” will recollect what that meant to the hapless victim.
Keeping Crispin.An old phrase for the shoemakers’ annual holiday on the Feast of St Crispin, their patron saint, 25th October. In some parts of the country we hear of it in connection with what passes elsewhere under the name of “Cobblers’ Monday.”
Keep it Dark.The reference was originally to treasure kept in a place of concealment.
Keep on Pegging at it.See “Peg Away.”
Keep the Ball Rolling.An expression derived from the game of Bandy, in which the two sets of players, armed with hooked sticks, continually sent the ball rolling to opposite goals.
Keep the Pot Boiling.The antithesis of a hand-to-mouth existence; meaning the command not only of something for the stock pot but also needful fuel.
Keep the Wolf from the Door.By paying one’s way others will prosper likewise, and ravenous creditors clamouring at the door for their just demands will be non-existent. The wolf is represented by a greedy landlord hungering for his rent, or, failing that, the household goods.
Keep your Nose to the Grindstone.To continue hard at work without cessation. If a tool is not held close to the grindstone the stone will go round all the same, but the tool does not get sharpened. So a man may loiter over his work, but the actual accomplishment is nil.
Keep your Pecker up.Have courage, and hold your head erect.Peckeris slang for the mouth, in allusion to fowls which peck their food--in other words, they strike at it with thebeak.
Keep your Weather Eye open.Be on a sharp look-out in the right direction. A sailor looks towards the wind in order to forecast the weather.
Kendal.Expresses the dale of the River Ken.
Kendal Green.Green cloth made at Kendal in Westmoreland, for which this town was long famous. The cloths produced here still bear the name of “Kendals.”
Kennington.The town which grew up in the king’s meadow. Henry VIII. had a rural retreat erected here.
Kensington.Described in Anglo-Saxon records asKynsington, or king’s meadow town.
Kensington Gore.After Gore House, the residence of the Countess of Blessington, that occupied part of the site of the Royal Albert Hall.
Kent.Called by the Romans Cæsar Cantium after theCantii, who peopled thisKenn, headland or corner, of Albion’s Isle.
Kentish Fire.The name given to rapturous volleys of cheers, such as that which distinguished the Kentish men when they applauded the “No Popery” orators in 1828-9.
Kentish Man.A native of the county of Kent, west of the Medway.
Kentish Town.A corruption of “Kantelowes Town,” built upon the manor of the same name. The modern spelling of this family name is “Cantlowes,” which is that given to a street on the south side of Camden Road.
Kent Street.Leads out of London to the great Kentish highway to Dover. At one time the landlords in this street took away the front doors of tenants who were more than a fortnight in arrears of paying their rent. This, styled a “Kent Street Ejectment,” was found effectual in getting rid of unprofitable tenants.
Kentucky.Indian for “long river.”
Keppel Street.From the “Admiral Keppel” at the corner of this street and Fulham Road.
Kerchief.See “Handkerchief.”
Kersey.From Kersey, in Suffolk, once famed for its woollen manufacture.
Kettledrum.A rounded drum, so called from its shape; also the name given to a tea party, both on account of the noise made by the guests, and because the hostess metaphorically beats them up at the time of sending out her invitations. See “Drum.”
Kettle of Fish.See “Pretty Kettle of Fish.”
Kew.Styled in ancient documents Kay-hoo, meaning aquay on ahoooroe, which expressed the Danish for an island; also a spit of land at the mouth of a river or creek.
Keystone State.Pennsylvania, geographically considered as seventh among the thirteen original states of the Union.
Khaki.Expresses the Hindoo for “colour of cow dung.” This term came into prominence during the South African War, when all British uniforms were made of materials of this hue, so as to make our troops less conspicuous to the enemy.
KhanKhan.Expresses the Persian, from a Tartar word, for a lord or prince.
Khedive.From the Persiankhidiw, a king. In the Turkishkhadivthe title expresses a ruler one grade removed from a Sultan.
Kicker.An Americanism for one who at a public meeting objects to a proposal.
Kick the Bucket.An expression derived from the primitive mode of a man hanging himself by standing on a bucket, and then kicking it aside. The “drop” in this case could not have been a long one.
Kidnap.Not only is this word accepted English in the absence of a more refined equivalent, but it is also made to do service in the case of an adult taken away against his will. Kid, of course, expresses a young goat, and is slang for a child. The second portion of the term is likewise slang, fromnab, to steal.
Kidney Bean.The coarse bean shaped like a kidney.
Kiel.From the Danishkeol, a ship.
Kilbride.The church of St Bride or Bridget.
Kilburn.Expresses thekil, or cell, of “one Godwynne, a holy hermit,” beside thebourn, or brook.
Kildare.From the Celtickildara, the cell or hermitage among the oaks. A monastery was founded here by St Bridget towards the close of the fifth century.
Kilkenny.Thekil, or church, of St Kenny or Canice in connection with the ancient abbey dedicated to St John.
Killarney.A corruption of “Killeaney,” from the church of the Dominican monastery on the banks of the River Leane.
Kindergarten.Expresses the German for a children’s garden or playground. The system of juvenile education so called aims at self-tuition by means of toys and games.
Kinetoscope.The name originally given to our modern “living pictures,” from the Greekkinetikos, “putting in motion.” See “Mutoscope.”
King Charles Spaniel.The small species of “Spaniel” which was such a favourite with Charles I.
King Edward’s Grammar School.A superior academical institution founded and endowed for the tuition of Latin and Greek grammar by Edward VI.
King Edward Street.After Edward VI., the “Boy King,” founder of Christ’s Hospital, or Blue Coat Grammar School, hard by.
Kingfisher.The king of fisher birds that dive into water for their prey, so called on account of its gay plumage.
King James’s Bible.The Authorised Version ordered to be prepared and given to the people by James I.
King-maker.Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, so called because he was instrumental in placing both Edward IV. on the Yorkist and Henry VI. on the Lancastrian side on the throne after espousing their individual cause.
King of Bath.The sobriquet of Richard Nash, also known as Beau Nash, who for more than half-a-century was Master of Ceremonies at the fashionable Assembly Rooms of Bath.
King’s Arms.An inn sign, originally representing the counterfeit presentment or royal arms of an individualsovereign, but now a mere name, which must have done duty alike in honouring a long line of monarchs.
King’s Bench.Anciently the superior Court of Law presided over by the King in person, when he sat on an oaken bench. Wherever he went in state this Court followed him. Judges and magistrates are still said to occupy the Bench.
King’s College.At Cambridge, founded in 1441 by Henry VI. In London, the foundation by a royal charter of George IV. in 1828.
King’s County.In honour of Philip of Spain, the husband of Queen Mary. The original name was Ossaly.
King’s Cross.So called from a statue of George IV. set up here at the accession of that monarch, and taken down in 1842 to make way for the Great Northern Railway terminus. It is highly probable that an ancient cross stood on the same spot, since, quite apart from the fact that Queen Boadicea was defeated by the Romans at Battle Bridge hereabouts, it was in this neighbourhood too that King Alfred waged a sanguinary conflict with the Danes.
King’s Evil.The name given to scrofula, from the old superstitious idea that it could be cured by the touch of a king or queen.
Kingsgate Street.So called from the gate through which James I. passed across the meadows to Theobalds in Hertfordshire, his favourite hunting seat.
King’s Head.See “King’s Arms.”
Kingsland.This district marked the southern limits of the ancient royal domain of Enfield Chase.
King’s Lynn.Anciently called “Lynn Episcopi,” being the property of the Bishop of Norwich. At the dissolution of the monasteries Henry VIII. sequestered this estate, and gave the town the name of Lynn Regis, or King’s Lynn. The wordLynnis Celtic for “pool.”
King’s Own Men.The 78th Foot, so called from their Gaelic motto: “Cuidichr Rhi” (Help the King).
King’s Road.In compliment to Charles II., who caused this highway between Chelsea and Fulham Palace to be made passable.
Kingston.The capital of Jamaica, after William III., in whose reign (1693) it was founded.
Kingston-on-Thames.From the ancient stone on which seven of the Anglo-Saxon kings were crowned. This interesting relic is now enclosed with iron railings near the Town Hall.
Kingstown.Originally “Dunleary,” the name was changed in honour of the visit of George IV. in September 1821.
King Street.That in Covent Garden, after Charles I., in whose reign it was laid out. In St James’s, after James I. In Cheapside, in honour of Henry IV., who passed down it to open the new Guildhall. At Westminster, because this was the direct road between the Court and the Abbey.
Kingsway.The name given by the London County Council to the new thoroughfare from Holborn to the Strand opened by King Edward VII. in 1905.
King William Street.In the city, after William IV., who performed the inaugural ceremony of declaring the London Bridge open for traffic, 1st August 1831. The street of the same name west of the Strand was newly laid out in his reign as a direct thoroughfare to Leicester Square.
Kirkcudbright.Expresses the Celtic for “the Church of St Cuthbert.”
Kirkdale.The church in the dale or vale of Pickering.
Kirke’s Lambs.The nickname bestowed upon the 2nd Foot, under the command of Captain Kirke, during the “Bloody Assizes,” and having for their badge the Paschal Lamb.
Kirschwasser.German for “Cherry Water,” this beverage being distilled from the juice of the black cherry.
Kiss-me-Quick.The name of a small bonnet popular in England midway during the last century. Though of the “coal scuttle” pattern it did not extend beyond the face, and was chiefly worn by ladies going to parties or the play.
Kiss the Place and make it better.The expression, commonly employed by mothers and nurses to pacify children when they have hurt themselves, is a survival of the days of the sorcerers, who pretended to cure a disease by sucking the affected part.
Kiss the Scavenger’s Daughter.See “Scavenger’s Daughter.”
Kit.A soldier’s outfit, which he carries on his person when on the march. The name is derived from the Dutchkitte, a wooden beer-can strapped on the soldier’s belt.
Kit-Cat.The name given by artists to a three-quarter length portrait, and also to a canvas measuring 28 by 36 inches, in allusion to the portraits of uniform size, and all painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller, to suit the dimensions of the apartments occupied by the famous Kit-Cat Club. This club was long held at the house of a pastrycook called Christopher Cat in Shire Lane, Fleet Street (now Serle’s Place), after whom, familiarly styled “Kit-Cat,” it took its name. His own mutton pies were the staple refreshment, from which circumstance such pies were until quite modern times also called “Kit-Cats.”
Kleptomania.The name given to an impulsive desire to steal or appropriate that which is ready to hand; so called from the Greekkleptes, thief, andmania, madness.
Knacker.From the Icelandicknakkr, a saddle; hence a dealer in and slaughterer of old horses.
Knapsack.From the Dutch and Germanknappen, to bite or chew, andzak, a sack. Like the original German and Dutch forms of this receptacle for asoldier’s necessaries on the march, the Swiss still carry a bag made of goatskin.
Knave.From the Germanknabe, a boy. The tricks peculiar to a boy no doubt caused this term to be applied to a deceitful or otherwise reprehensible fellow. The knave in a pack of cards represents, of course, the knight or servant to the king and queen.
Knife-board.The advertisement-board on either side of an omnibus roof, so called on account of its fancied resemblance to the domestic knife-sharpener. On the old-fashioned omnibuses the roof passengers sat back to back, with their feet touching the “knife-board,” and it was facetiously said they thereon sharpened their wits.
Knife and Fork Tea.See “High Tea.”
Knight.From the Saxonknicht, a servant, which is the origin also of the modern Germanknecht, a man-servant.
Knight Bachelor.One who in the days of chivalry forswore marriage until he had performed some feat of valour, and so merited renown.
Knight Banneret.A knight hastily created on the field of battle in recognition of signal bravery. This was done by tearing off a streamer from a banner and handing it to him as a token of investiture.
Knight Errant.One who went forth in quest of adventures, more particularly to win the admiration of fair ladies, by rescuing them, in common with the weak and oppressed, from the feudal lords whose rapacity in those barbarous ages knew no bounds. The worderrant, like its modern equivalenterrand, was derived from the Latinerrare, to wander. It was in ridicule of this system of knight-errantry that Cervantes wrote his immortal romance “Don Quixote.”
Knight of the Yard Stick.An Americanism for a draper’s assistant or a retail dry-goods salesman; what in England people often style a “Counter Jumper.”
Knightrider Street.The place of assembling of theknights of old on their way in procession to the Smithfield tournaments.
Knightsbridge.Tradition has it that two knights who went to receive a blessing from the Bishop of London at Fulham Palace suddenly quarrelled, and fought a deadly combat on the bridge which anciently spanned the Westbourne where now stands Albert Gate. A public-house close by, demolished within the last three years, bore the sign of “The Fulham Bridge.”
Knights Hospitallers.The Second Order of Knights of the Crusades, who founded and protected the hospital at Jerusalem for the accommodation of pilgrims to the Holy Places. When at a later period they erected a larger hospital in connection with the church dedicated to St John the Baptist, they assumed the title of “Knights of St John of Jerusalem.”
Knights of Malta.The Knights Hospitallers who, having taken Rhode Island, were at length expelled therefrom by the Turks, and took up their establishment permanently at Malta.
Knights of St John of Jerusalem.See “Knights Hospitallers.”
Knights of the Road.Highwaymen, who were always good horsemen.
Knights Templars.The military Order of Knights of the Crusades, styled “Soldiers of the Temple.” Their aim was to wrest the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the Saracens, and maintain it through futurity.
Knights Teutonic.An independent Order of Knights of the Crusades composed of nobles from the cities of Bremen and Lubeck for the protection of German pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Knickerbockers.The people of the city of New York. When Washington Irving wrote his “History of New York” he assumed the name of Diedrich Knickerbocker, in allusion to the wide breeches worn by the early settlers of the colony, then called by them New Amsterdam; hence the application of the term“Knickerbockers” to knee-breeches generally. New York is known as “The Knickerbocker City.”
Knocked into a Cocked Hat.Prostrated or completely flattened out like a cocked hat, which, as its name implies, could be cocked or carried under the arm.
Know-nothings.A secret society in the United States pledged to the checking of foreign immigration and political influence by foreigners which came into existence about the year 1848, and finally split upon the slavery question in 1860. When asked what its party or political aims were, all the members merely replied: “I don’t know; I know nothing.”
Knows the Ropes.Said of one who thoroughly understands his calling. A naval phrase, since a sailor must know all the ropes belonging to his ship.
K’nucks.In Canada the name given to French Canadians; elsewhere to Canadians generally. It has been stated on the authority of an intelligent French Canadian, by way of accounting for the origin of this term, that “the word ‘Cannuck’ is a corruption of ‘Connaught,’ the name we usually apply to the Irish, who are mostly emigrants from that province of Ireland.”
Kohinoor.A famous diamond which came into the possession of Queen Victoria on the annexation of the Punjaub in 1849. Its name expresses the Hindoo for “Mountain of Light.”
Kolis.The nickname of the 51st King’s Own Light Infantry, from the initials of their regimental name.
Koordistan.Pursuant to the Persianstan, the country of the Koords, “fierce, strong.”
Kopeck.A Russian copper coin of the value of three-eights of an English penny. So called fromkopye, the native term for a lance, because this coin originally had upon it the representation of a lancer on horseback.
Kops Ale.A non-alcoholic ale brewed from the best Kentish hops, and not to be distinguished by appearances from the intoxicant. The name was chosen as a near approach to Hops Ale.
Koran.ProperlyAl Koran, Arabic for “the book,” “the reading,” or “the thing to be read.”
Koumiss.A Mongolian term for an intoxicating beverage made by the Kalmucks from camels’ or mares’ milk by fermentation and distillation. “Koumiss” is the popular Russian beverage.
Kraal.The Kaffir term for a collection of huts shaped like a beehive and arranged in circular form, a native South African village.
Kremlin.The citadel of Moscow, so called from the Russiankrem, a fortress.
Krems White.A pigment extensively produced at Krems in Austria.
Kreuzer.A copper coin of Germany conspicuous for akreuz, or cross, on its reverse side. Its value was the sixtieth part of a gulden or florin.
Krupp Gun.After its inventor, and made at the famous Krupp Steel works at Essen in Germany.
Kümmel.The German name for a beverage, expressive of “Carraway,” from the seeds of which it is made.
Kummerbund.A Hindoo term for waistband. It became current in England two or three years ago during the excessively hot weather, when waistcoats were discarded, and the trouser tops concealed by a brilliant blue or scarlet sash.
Kurdistan.See “Koordistan.”
Kursaal.A place of entertainment at Southend-on-Sea. The name is German, literally “Cure-hall,” expressive of the public assembly-room at a “Kurhaus,” or hydropathic establishment, corresponding to the pump-room at a west of England health resort.
Kyrle Society.A modern society having for its aims the improvement of the homes of the poorer orders. It originated with the Misses M. and O. Hill in 1875, and was formally inaugurated by Prince Leopold a couple of years later. The title of the society was derived from John Kyrle of Ross, Herefordshire,whose artistic tastes and benevolent disposition contributed to the happiness and well-being of the people on his estate and all the country round about.
Labadists.A sect of Protestant mystics founded in the seventeenth century by Jean Labadic of Bourg, Germany.
La Belle Sauvage Yard.The yard of the famous coaching inn of the same name. The history of this sign was curious. Kept by Isabelle Savage, it bore the name of “The Bel Savage”; but its sign was a bell suspended within an iron hoop at the top of the usual “Ale Stake.” Hence its proper name was “The Bell in the Hoop.” When in the year 1616 John Rolfe brought his Virginian bride Pocohontas to London, the story of his remarkable adventures had anticipated his arrival, and people spoke of this Indian heroine as “La Belle Sauvage.” It was odd that these strangers within our gates should put up at the “Bell Savage,” and the association resulted in the change of title on their account.
Labrador.Called by the Portuguese navigatorsTierra Labrador, “cultivatable land.”
Lackland.The surname of King John, who, owing to his thriftlessness, was left entirely without provision at the death of his father, Henry II.
Laconics.Terse and pithy replies, so called from the Lacons, which was the name applied to the Spartans, from the country whence they came. When Philip of Macedon sent this message to the Spartan magistrates: “If I enter Laconia I will level Lacedæmon to the ground,” the reply was briefly: “If.”
Lacrosse.This name was given to the game by Charlevoix, who, seeing it played by some Alonquin Indians with a stick between Quebec and Three Rivers, called itle jeu de la Crosse.
Ladbroke Grove.This, with the square of the same name, was built upon by the Ladbroke family, who acquired the lease of the land for the purpose.
Lad Lane.A name frequently met with in connection with the old coaching inn, “The Swan with Two Necks.” It was a corruption of “Our Lady Lane,” so called from a statue of the Virgin.
Ladrones.Expresses the Spanish for “thieves,” the name given to those islands by Magellan because the natives made off with the stores he had landed.
Ladybird.A pretty species of beetle resembling a bug, and anciently called “Our Lady’s Bug.”Bugis the accepted American term for a beetle.
Lady Day.The Feast of Our Lady, otherwise of the Annunciation to the Virgin (25th March). Prior to 1752 this was also the first day of the New Year; now it figures as Quarter Day, when rents and taxes have to be paid.
Lady Freemason.The Hon. Elizabeth St Leger, niece of Sir Anthony St Leger, who founded the stakes named after him at Doncaster Races, and daughter of Lord Doneraile of Dublin. Chancing to overhear the proceedings at a Lodge held at her father’s mansion she was discovered, and, as the only way out of an unprecedented dilemma, initiated to the craft. No other female has ever been made a “Freemason.”
Lager Beer.The German “lager bier” is simply stock beer, the liquor being kept in alager, or cellar, until it is sufficiently ripened for consumption. All over the United States the demand for “Lager” is enormous.
Laid on the Shelf.A phrase implying that one’s period of usefulness has been passed. The allusion is to books read and clothes laid aside as of no further use.
Laid up in Lavender.Something put away very carefully, as a good housewife preserves linen strewn withlavender in a press against moths. At times we hear the expression allusive to an article put in pawn.
Lake Erie.See “Erie.”
Lake Huron.See “Huron.”
Lake Ontario.See “Ontario.”
Lake School of Poets.A term applied byThe Edinburgh Reviewto the imitators of Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey, who communed with Nature in the Lake District of Cumberland and Westmoreland.
Lake Superior.The uppermost and principal of the five great lakes of North America.
Lake Winnipeg.See “Winnipeg.”
La Marseillaise.See “Marseillaise.”
Lambeth.A corruption of “Lamhithe,” the Anglo-Saxon for mud haven, or a muddy landing-place.
Lambeth Palace.The historic residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury.
Lamb’s Conduit Street.After William Lambe, a wealthy clothworker, who at his own cost built “a faire conduit and standard” in the fields here off Holborn in 1577.
Lamb’s Wool.A rural beverage of roasted apple juice and spiced ale. It received its name from the SaxonLa Mæs Ubhal, or “Feast of the Apple Gathering.” Fromlammas oolits further corruption was easy.
Lame Duck.The name given to a member of the Stock Exchange who cannot meet his liabilities on settling day. Instead of walking erect, like a man of strict integrity, he ducks his head, and waddles off, well knowing that he has been black-boarded and struck off the list of members.
Lammas Day.The ancient name for the first of August, when every parishioner brought to church a loaf made of new wheat. The name expresses the Anglo-Saxon for “loaf mass,” and the bread was a gift of first-fruits to the clergy. Its modern equivalent is the “Harvest Festival.”
Lamp-black.So called because this pigment was at first obtained by burning resinous matter over the flame of a lamp.
Lancaster.The RomanLunecastra, or fortified camp on the Lune.
Lancaster Gun.After the name of its inventor.
Lancastrians.During the Wars of the Roses the partisans of the House of Lancaster in the contest for the crown of England as opposed to the House of York.
Lancers.This dance received its name from a company of Lancers who went through the evolutions of a quadrille on horseback about the year 1836.
Landau.After Landau in Germany, where it was first made.
Landes.Expresses the French for heaths. The people of this marshy and, in parts sandy, district walk on long stilts.
Landgrave.The Anglicised form of the Germanlandgraf, count, a ground landlord.
Land o’ Cakes.Scotland, which has always been celebrated for its oatmeal cakes.
Land of Green Ginger.A square at Hull where, as popularly thought, green ginger was anciently landed from the river and sold in open market. The name is, however, a corruption of “Greenhinger,” being the land owned by Moses Greenhinger, a boat builder, who lived in Whitefriargate in the seventeenth century. This is proved by a letter of Sir Willoughby Hickman, a candidate for the borough in 1685. Therein he states that a coach took him from the waterside to the George Inn, “at the corner of the land of Moses Greenhinger.”
Land of Promise.The name of a short street in Hoxton, so called, sarcastically no doubt, because it leads to the workhouse.
Land of Steady Habits.Connecticut, so called on account of the excellent moral character of the people.
Land of Sundown Seas.Alaska. “Sundown” is an Americanism for sunset, just as “Sun-up” is for sunrise.
Land o’ the Leal.The Scottish heaven, or “Dixie’s Land”; according to the Baroness Nairne’s ballad the wordLealmeans faithful.
Land of the Midnight Sun.Norway.
Landscaper.Local slang in the eastern counties for a tramp, vagrant, or “Loafer.”
Land Shark.The name given by sailors to a boarding-house keeper in a seaport town who preys upon them by systematic overcharges.
Landwehr.The German equivalent for our volunteers, or soldiers for land defence. The termwehrmeans bulwark, defence.
Lane.Actors refer to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, as “The Lane,” the playhouse of Londonpar excellencesince the palmy days of the Drama.
Langbourn Ward.From the long bourn or stream, of which now no trace remains.
Langholm Place.After the mansion and grounds of Sir James Langham, which occupied what is now the street of the same name.
Laodicea.This ancient city was so called after Laodice, the queen of Antiochus Theos, who founded it.
Lap Dog.One literally nursed in the lap of luxury. Mothers of families are strangers to such pets.
Lapsus Linguæ.Latin for “a slip of the tongue.”
Largess.From the Latinlargitso, to give freely, through the Frenchlargesse. This word meant originally a fee or present bestowed upon a butler or head servant by a departing guest. In its modern acceptation it is a distribution of money amongst a number rather as a matter of policy or necessity than from choice.
Lascar.The generic name for an East Indian seaman, though it really expresses the Persian for a soldier,fromlashkari, a camp-follower. Lascars were first employed by the East Indiamen homeward bound. Nowadays all Asiatic sailors, of whatever nationality, are called Lascars.
Lasso.From the Spanishlazo, a noose.
Latakia.A Turkish tobacco, so called from the place (the ancient Laodicea) where it is produced.
Latch-string is always out.An Americanism for a hearty welcome at all times, without need for a formal invitation. The allusion to the latch-string means: “You have only to walk in, like any member of the family.”
Lath.A subdivision of land while certain portions of Eastern England were held by the Danes, so called from the Norse “Lathing,” a law assembly.
Latins.See “Italy.”
Latin Vulgate.The Roman Catholic Bible authorised by the Council of Trent in 1546. This translation of the Scriptures was made by St Jerome from the Greek into the Latin or vulgar tongueA.D.405.
Latitudinarians.The opposers of the High Church party, and also of the Puritans, during the Restoration period. Modern Latitudinarians are those who hold very broad views in regard to orthodox doctrine.
Laugh and grow Fat.In allusion to Democritus, “The Laughing Philosopher,” who waxed fat, and lived to be 109 years old.
Laughing Philosopher.Democritus of Abdera, from his habit of humorously exposing the absurdities of his countrymen, whose stupidity, he declared, was proverbial; the feeble powers of mankind, contrasted with the forces of nature, likewise aroused his contempt.
Laugh in your Sleeve.Anciently the sleeves of all outer garments were very wide, and when a person covered his face with his hand there was always a suspicion that he was making merry at someone else’s discomfiture.
Laugh on the wrong Side of your Face.A person may preserve a grave countenance while listening to a story, and at the same time wink significantly to a bystander on the opposite side of the speaker. The expression means that if, for his insolence, he received a castigation, both his eyes would be made to wink or blink.
Laundress.The exclusive designation of a housekeeper or caretaker of bachelor chambers in the Temple. This is because during the Crusades a great many women of the town followed in the train of the Knights Templars to the Holy Land for the purpose of washing their linen. It afterwards transpired that, as a rule, they acted also as mistresses to the Knights, and had tents set apart for them even within sight of Jerusalem. Historians tell us too that, though a religious Order, the Templars did not scruple to introduce these women into their London house after their return from the seat of warfare, and this irregularity, in fact, led to their suppression by Edward II. in 1313.
Laundried.An Americanism for “washed,” in relation to household or personal linen. This, when one comes to look into the word, is correct English, meaninglawn dried.
Lavender.From the Latin verblavare, to wash, because this shrub yields an essential oil employed in medicine and perfumery. Laundresses also use it for preserving newly washed linen against moths.
Lavender Water.A scent produced from the essential oil of lavender, spirits of wine, and ambergris.
Lawing.An Americanism for “going to law.”
Lawless Parliament.See “Parliament of Dunces.”
Lawn.The finest linen, which has been bleached on a lawn instead of the usual drying ground. The greensward called a lawn received its name from the Celticallawnt, a smooth, rising ground.
Lawrence Lane.From the Church of St Lawrence, at its foot, in Gresham Street.
Law Sakes.An American corruption of the phrase “For the Lord’s sake!” which, current among the Puritans of New England, found its way in this new form into neighbouring states.
Laws, Laws-a-me.A corruption of “Lord, have mercy on me.”
Lawyer.From the old EnglishLawwer, literally “lawman”; the suffix is allied to the Latinvir, man.
Lawyer’s Treat.A phrase implying that each shall pay for his own drinks. A lawyer never treats his clients at a refreshment bar; they defray the cost between them.
Lay-by.The name given to an article, generally clothing, purchased on the weekly instalment system, and laid by on a shelf until the whole amount has been paid off.
Lazar-house.The old name for a poor-house, in allusion to Lazarus, who picked up the crumbs under the table at the mansion of Dives. On the Continent such an institution is styled a “Lazaretto.”
Lazarists.An Order of missionaries founded by St Vincent de Paul, so called from their headquarters in Paris, the Priory of St Lazare, between 1632 and 1792.
Lazzaroni.The beggars of Naples, and originally all the poorest people of that city who had no regular habitation save the streets. Their name was derived from the common refuge, the Hospital of St Lazarus.
Leadenhall Street.After the edifice known as the Leadenhall, the first in London ever roofed with lead, built in 1419 by Sir Simon Eyre, and presented to the city for the purposes of a granary in time of scarcity.
Leading Article(orLeader). There are three reasons for this term applied to a large-type newspaper article. It is supposed to be written by the chief of the literary staff, the editor; it leads off the foreign and all other important news on the inside pages of the paper; and it is intended to lead public opinion according to the party views maintained by the journal in question.
League of the Cross.The title of a modern crusade among the Roman Catholics for the total suppression of drunkenness.
Leamington.The town in the meadow on the banks of the Leam.
Leap Year.That which every fourth year leaps to the total of 366 days by adding a day to the month of February.
Leather Lane.From “The Old Leather Bottle,” now modernised, at the corner of this lane and Charles Street.
Leave some for Manners.A dinner-table phrase, which had its origin in the ancient custom of making an offering of a portion of the viands to the gods.
Lebanon.From the Hebrewlaban, white; expresses “the white mountain.”
Lee.A variant of the Anglo-Saxonleaandley, “meadow” or “pasture land.” This word enters into many river and place-names.
Leech.The old name for a medical man in the days when bleeding the patient, no matter what his ailment might be, was the common practice.
L. E. L.The literary pseudonym, formed from the initials of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the poetess.
Leg and Star.A corruption of “The Star and Garter.” This, of course, arose when a painted device, instead of a mere title, served as an inn and tavern sign.
Legend.An Americanism for a written or printed notice. The term has latterly come into use in England relative to a tradesman’s shop announcement.
Legitimate Drama.That which is dependent upon its intrinsic literary and constructive merits, quite apart from scenic effects.
Leg Stretcher.A Far Western expression for a drink. This arose from the common travellers’ exclamation while the stage coach was waiting for the mails: “I’ll get off a bit, and stretch my legs.”
Leicester.TheLeirecastraof the Romans, being the fortified camp on the Leire, now called the Soar.
Leicester Square.Originally Leicester Fields, from the town mansion built on its east side by Robert Sidney, Earl of Leicester, in 1636.
Leipsic.Expresses the Slavonic for linden or lime tree town, fromlipa, lime-tree.
Leman Street.Properly “Lemon Street,” from a wharf at the Thames side, where, before the construction of the docks, lemons were landed and sold.
Lemon Sole.The species of sole found on the south coast of England; really a mud sole, from the Latinlima, mud.
Lent.From the Anglo-Saxonlencten, the spring. The word has the same origin as “lengthen,” since at this season of the year the lengthening of the days becomes perceptible.
Lent Crocking.A popular old-time diversion of the schoolboys on Shrove Tuesday. The ringleader, having knocked at a house door and recited a garbled set of verses, to the effect that he had comea-shroving, his companions kept up an incessant din with old saucepans and kettles until they were paid to go away.
Leonine Verses.Those which rhyme both in the middle and at the end of each line, so called after Leoninus, a canon of St Victor in Paris midway in the twelfth century.
Let the Cat out of the Bag.To disclose a trick unwittingly. The illusion is to a very old device at country fairs of selling a cat for a sucking pig. One pig only was exposed to view; all the others were supposed to be ready tied up for carrying away. If, on occasion, a purchaser insisted on untying the sack before paying for it, the cat leapt out, and the fraud was discovered. As to the other victims who had taken away theirs on trust, they were forced to admit, because their sack contained no sucking pig, that they had been “sucked in.”
Levant.An Italian term for the Orient or East--i.e.all those parts of the Mediterranean eastward of Italy. The word is also used in the sense of to depart, and a defaulter was said to havelevanted, or gone to the Levant. This was in allusion to the “Grand Tour” which all scions of the nobility were expected to make on reaching their majority.
Levee.A French word applied to a royal reception, fromlever, arising, because in former times such a function took place in the King’s bed-chamber at the hour of rising.
Levellers.The primitive Radicals or Socialists of the time of Charles I. and long afterwards; their plea was that all men should be on a common level in regard to office-seeking. Also the original name of the “White Boys” in Ireland, who commenced their agrarian outrages by levelling the hedges and fences on enclosed lands.
Leviticus.That book of the Old Testament which sets forth the laws pertaining to the priests or Levites, the descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah.
Lewisham.FromLeesham, the home or family settlement in the meadow. See “Lee.”
Leyden.OriginallyLugdunum, the Latinised form of the Celticllwch, a morass, anddun, a hill, fortress.
Leyton.The town in the lea or meadow.
Leytonstone.A corruption of “Leytonstowe,” the stock or wooded place in the vicinity of a meadow.
Lhassa.A Tibetan word for “full of gods.”
Liberal.The modern designation of the Progressive or “Whig” Party. This arose out of Lord Byron’s political magazine,The Liberal, in 1828, though the name was not formally assumed until the agitation for the Reform Bill in 1831.
Liberator.The surname of Simon Bolivar, who established the independence of Peru.
Liberia.An independent republic of free Negroes on the west coast of Africa. The word is derived from theLatinLatinliber, free, and the Celtic suffixia, country.
Library.From the Latinlibrarium, a bookcase, throughliber, a book.
Lifting.This technical term in the printing trade, because type is lifted out of the columns prior to distribution, or, as may happen in a newspaper, to be held over until the next issue for want of space, has come to be applied by journalists to literary theft. Facts, anecdotes, or jokes stolen from a contribution submitted to an editor on approval are said to have been “lifted.” One newspaper, too, often “lifts” matter from another without acknowledgment.
Light.A journeyman printer’s term for “credit.” Derived from the old saying: “He stands in a good light with his neighbours.” The boast: “My light is good,” has about it little to find fault with.
Liguorians.Another name for the Redemptorists or Preachers of the Redemption, an Order founded by St Francis Liguori in 1732.
Like a Thousand of Brick.An Americanism for very heavily, as if a waggon-load of bricks had been dumped down on one.
Lille.ProperlyL’Isle, the island.
Lima.A Spanish corruption of the Peruvian Rima, the name of the river on which it is situated.
Limavady.From the IrishLeim-a-madha, “The Dog’s Leap.”
Limehouse.A corruption ofLimehurst, or wood of lime-trees.
Lime Street.Where lime was sold in ancient times.
Limoges.Anciently called “Lemovica,” from theLemovices, the people who settled in this portion of Gaul.
Lincoln.OriginallyLlyn-dun, the Celtic for “Pool hill,”or the town built on the eminence overlooking the Swanpool, which was not drained until the eighteenth century. When the Romans established themselves here they called itLindum Colonia, or the colony beside the pool. Of this name, therefore, Lincoln is a softened abbreviation.
Lincoln College.Founded at Oxford by Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln, in 1427.
Lincoln’s Inn.Anciently the town mansion of the Earls of Lincoln, built by Henry de Lacey, Earl of Lincoln, in the fourteenth century.
Line of Business.A theatrical phrase for the special kind of parts in which an actor is experienced. One who plays the “Juveniles” would not be entrusted with an “Old Man’s” part, and so forth.
Liner.A steamship belonging to a regular line or service of fast sailers--e.g.the Cunard Line.
Lingo.Slang for language, derived from the Latinlingua, the tongue.
Lingua Franca.A common language along the Mediterranean shores, being a mixture of French and Italian. See “Lingo.”
Linoleum.A floorcloth, into the manufacture of which linseed oil enters largely.
Linseed Lancers.The nickname of the Army Medical Corps.
Lion.An ancient inn sign derived from the heraldic device of a particular monarch, or it might be, the Lord of the Manor. According to the colour of the animal in that device, so the name of the inn, after a mere name was substituted for the painted representation, came to be designated. Hence “Red Lion,” “Black Lion,” etc.
Lion and Key.A corruption of “The Lion on the Quay,” by way of distinguishing an inn or tavern from other Lions in the same seaport.
Lion Comique.The name bestowed upon GeorgeLeybourne and other music-hall vocalists of his class in days when comic singing was very different to what it is now. The modern type of vocal comedians is, happily, not “lionised” in the strict sense of the word.
Lionise.See “Lion of the Season.”
Lion of the Season.Adistinguisheddistinguishedmusical executant or other celebrity, generally a foreigner, at whose shrine society metaphorically worships while his fame is at its zenith. The expression is the outcome of the anxiety of the country folk in former days to see the “London Lion” at the Tower. Hence to “lionise,” make the most of a “stranger within our gates.”
Lion Sermon.This is delivered once a year at the Church of St Katherine Cree in commemoration of Sir John Gayer’s miraculous escape from death by a lion when he found himself separated from his companions in the African desert. He bequeathed the sum of £200 a year to the poor on condition of this sermon being annually preached.
Lisbon.AncientlyOlisipoorUlyssippo, after Ulysses, who, visiting Portugal with Lucus, is traditionally stated to have laid the foundations of the city.
Lisson Grove.Formerly Lidstone Green, a corruption of “Ossulton Green,” the name of a Hundred cited in Domesday Book. Ossulton Street in the Euston Road preserves the name in the original form.
Litany.See “Rogation Days.”
Little Bit of All Right.A popular expression meaning “Just the thing I wanted,” or “It couldn’t have happened better.”
Little Britain.From the ancient residence of the Dukes of Brittany.
Little Corporal.The name bestowed upon Napoleon I., at the commencement of his military career, from his rank and low stature.
Little John.The real name of this Sherwood foresterwas John Little, but Robin Hood playfully inverted it because its owner was a tall, strapping fellow.
Little Man.The affectionate sobriquet of the late Mr Alfred Beit, the “Diamond King,” on account of his diminutive stature.
Little Mary.A modern euphonism for the stomach, popularised by J. M. Barrie’s successful comedy of this title.
Little too Thick.The antithesis of a “thin” story; one so crowded with extraordinary statements that it is hard to grasp or credit.
Little Turnstile.The lesser turnstile on the north side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields, set up to prevent sheep from straying into Holborn.