the king is dead, long live the king
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
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The King of Men
A title given both to Zeus and Agamemnon.
The King of Rome
A title conferred by Napoleon I on his son Francois Charles Joseph Napoleon, Duke of Reichstadt (1811-32), on the day of his birth. He was called UAiglon (the young eagle) by Edmond Rostand in his play.
The King of the Border
A nickname of Adam Scott of Tushielaw (executed 1529), a famous border outlaw and chief.
the king of the herrings
The Chimcera, or sea-ape, a cartilaginous fish which accompanies a shoal of herrings in their migrations.
The King's Ell-wand
The group of stars called "Orion's Belt.
The King's Oak
The oak under which Henry VIII sat, in Epping Forest, while Anne (Boleyn) was being executed.
The King's peace
The general peace of law- abiding subjects; originally the protection secured by the king to those employed on his business.
The Kmg over the water
The name given by Jacobites to James II after his flight to France; to His son the Old Pretender (James III), and to his grandsons Charles Edward the Young Pretender (Charles III), and Henry, Cardinal of York (Henry DO.
the labourer is worthy of his hire
Workers deserve fair payment for their work
The Ladies' Rock
A crag under the castle rock of Stirling, where ladies used to witness tournaments.
The Lady Freemason
Women are not ad- mitted into freemasonry, but the story goes
The Lady of the Lake
In the Arthurian legends, Vivien, the mistress of Merlin. She lived hi the midst of an imaginary lake sur- rounded by knights and damsels. See LANCE- LOT.
The Lady of the Lamp
A name given to Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) because she went the rounds of the hospital wards in the Crimea carrying a lighted lamp.
The Lamp of Pheebus
The sun. Phoebus is the mythological personification of the sun.
The Lamp of the Law
Irnerius the Italian jurist was so called. He was the first to lecture on the Pandects of Justinian after their discovery at Amalfi in 1137.
The Land o' the Leal
The land of the faithful or blessed; a Scotticism for a hypothetical land of happiness, loyalty, and virtue, hence heaven, as in Lady Nairn's song —
The Land of Cakes
Scotland, famous for its oatmeal cakes. Land o' cakes and brither Scots. — Sums.
The Land of Nod
To go to the land of Nod is to go to bed. There are many similar puns, and more in French than in English.
The Land of Steady Habits
A name given to the State of Connecticut, which was the original stronghold of Presbyterianism in America and the home of the notorious Blue Laws (q.v.).
The land of the free, and the home of the brave. (Francis Scott Key])
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
the last drop makes the cup run over
A small addition can cause a situation to become too much to handle
The last English Maecenas
Samuel Rogers (1763-1 855), poet and banker. Maelstrom (maTstrom) (Norw., whirling stream). A dangerous whirlpool off the coast of Norway, between the islands of Moskenaso and Varo (in the Lofoten Islands), where the water is pushed and jostled a good deal, and where, when the wind and tide are contrary, it is not safe for small boats to venture!
the last fool never dies. (14th century)
There will always be someone foolish enough to repeat a mistake
the last of pea-time
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
the last straw
"Tis the last straw that breaks the camel's back." There is an ultimate point of endurance beyond which calamity breaks a man down.
the last time
on the most recent occasion
the last trump
The final end of all things earthly; the Day of Judgment. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. — 1 Cor. xv, 51, 52.
the last will be first, and the first last
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
The Lat
Rem acu tetiglsti (You have touched the thing with a needle), refers to the custom of probing sores.
The Latin cross
Formed thus: f- The Greek cross has four equal arms, thus: -K
The Latin races
The peoples the basis of whose language is Latin; i.e. the Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Rumanians, etc.
The Laughing Cavalier
Name given to the famous portrait of an unknown gallant, by the Dutch painter Franz Hals, now in the Wallace Collection, London.
The law is an ass (from English writer Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist)
The law is unjust or stupid
the law of supply and demand
The economic statement that the competition of buyers and sellers tends to make such changes ir^price that trie demand for any article in a given market will become equal to the supply. In other words, if the demand exceeds the supply the price rises, operating so as to reduce the de- mand and so enable the supply to meet it, and vice versa.
The League of Nations
A league, having headquarters at Geneva, formed after the close of World War I, largely through the exertions of W'oodrow Wilson, President of the United States 1913-21, whose action was, however, repudiated by the United
The learned Tailor
Henry Wild, of Norwich (1684-1734), who mastered, while he worked at his trade, the Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Chaldaic, Syriac, Persian, and Arabic lan- guages.
The Leda Bible
The third edition (second folio) of the Bishops' Bible (#.v.), published in 1572, and so called because the decoration to the initial at the Epistle to the Hebrews is a startling and incongruous woodcut of Jupiter visiting Leda in the guise of a swan. This, and several other decorations in the New Testament of this edition, were from an edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses', they created such a storm of protest that they were never afterwards used.
the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
Different parts of an organization are not coordinating with each other
The legend is that St
Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, who died 862, desired to be buried in the church-yard of the minster, that the "sweet rain of heaven might fall upon his grave.
the length of the Flemington straight
a very short distance
the leopard does not change his spots
A person's nature does not change
The Leopolita Bible
A Polish translation of the Vulgate by John of Lemberg (anc., Leopolis) published in 1561 at Cracow.
The Lesbian Poets
Terpander, Alcseus, Anon, and Sappho, all of Lesbos.
The Lesbian rule
A flexible rule used by ancient Greek masons for measuring curved mouldings, etc.; hence, figuratively, a pliant and accommodating principle or rule of con- duct.
The letter of Pythagoras
The Greek upsilon, Y; so called because it was used by him as a symbol of the divergent paths of virtue and vice.
The Leviathan of Literature
Dr. Johnson (1709-84). Levitation is a term applied to the phenomenon of heavy bodies rising and floating in the air. It is frequently mentioned in the Hindu scriptures and other writings, and it is a not- uncommon attribute of Catholic saints.
The liberties of the Fleet
The district immediately surrounding the Fleet, the old debtors* prison in the City of London, in which prisoners were sometimes allowed to reside, and beyond which they were not allowed to go. They included the north side of Ludgate HiU and the Old Bailey to Fleet Lane, down the lane to the market, and on the east side along by the prison wall to the foot of Ludgate Hill.
the light is on but nobody is home
Someone appears to be aware or active but is actually not intelligent or responsive
The light of Thy countenance
God's smile of approbation and love. Lift up the light of Thy countenance on us. — Ps, iv, 6.
the line
In the British Army all regular infantry regiments except the Foot Guards, the Rifle Brigade, and the Marines are line regiments.
The Lions Bible
A Bible issued in 1804 contains a great number of printers* errors of which the following are typical: Numbers xxxv, 18, "The murderer shall surely be put together" instead of "to death"; 1 Kings viii, 19, "but thy son that shall come forth out of thy lions" instead of "loins"; Galatians v, 17, "For the flesh lusteth after the Spirit" instead of "against the Spirit".
the little stranger
A new-born infant. The stranger that is within thy gates. See PROSELYTES.
The London Season
The part of the year when the Court and fashionable society generally is in town — May, June, and July.
the long pull
The extra quantity of beer sup- plied by a publican to his customer over and above the pint or half-pint ordered and paid for. Under the restrictions imposed during World War I this was abolished by order, as it is a form of "treating.
the longest day must have an end
Every difficult situation will eventually come to an end
the longest journey starts with a single step
Major accomplishments begin with small initial efforts
the longest mile is the last mile home
The final part of a journey is often the most difficult
the love of money is the root of all evil
Synonym of money is the root of all evil.
the lucky bone
The small bone of a sheep's head; prized by beggars and tramps, as it is supposed to bring luck for the whole day on which it is received.
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