Countess de Lamotte
Partly by means of the queen's signatures, which were almost certainly
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country dance
A corruption of the Fr. contre danse; i.e. a dance where the "partners face each other> as in Sir Roger de Coverley.
country mile
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
country put
An ignorant country fellow.
country-captain
A spatch-cocked fowl, sprinkled with curry-powder. A favourite breakfast dish with the captains of country-ships.—Indian.
country-ship
A ship belonging to the East Indies, and trading from port to port in that country.
county brownie
A sheriff.
county family
A family belonging to the nobility or gentry with an ancestral seat in the county.
county palatine
Properly, the -dominion of an earl palatine (see PALATINATE), a county Over which tfre count had royal privileges^ Cheshire and Lancashire are the only Counties
county work
Said of any work that advances slowly.
county-crop
(i.e., COUNTY-PRISON CROP), haircut close and round, as if guided by a basin—an indication of having been in prison. Since short hair has become fashionable the expression has fallen somewhat into disuse. In the times when long hair was worn, a man with his hair cut as described was said to have had it done with a knife and fork.
coup d'essai
A trial-piece ; a piece of work; serving for practice.
coup d'etat
A state stroke, and the term is applied to one of those bold measures taken by Government to prevent a supposed or actual danger; as when a large body of men are arrested suddenly for fear they should overturn the Government.
coup d'oeil
A view, glance, prospect; the effect of things at the first glance; literally "a stroke of the eye.
coup de grace
The finishing stroke; the stroke of mercy.
coup de main
A sudden stroke, a strata- gem whereby something is effected suddenly; a coup.
Coup de pied de Tane
Literally, a kick from the ass's hoof; figuratively, a blow given to a vanquished or fallen man; a cowardly blow; an insult offered to one who has not the power of returning or avenging it. The allusion is to the fable of the sick lion kicked by the ass.
coup de theatre
An unforeseen or un- expected turn in a drama producing a sensa- tional effect; a piece of clap-trap, something planned for effect. Burke throwing down the dagger in the House of Commons (see DAGGER SCENE) intended a coup de theatre.
coup manque
A false stroke, a miss, a failure. Shoot dead, or don't aim at all; but never make a coup manqug.— OUIDA: Under Two Flags, ch. xx.
couple-beggar
A degraded person, who officiated as a clergyman in performing marriages in the Fleet Prison.
Courage is the measure of a Man, Beauty is the measure of a Woman
A person's character is judged by their bravery or moral strength, not physical appearance
Courage lost, all lost. (Strauss 1994, p. 675)
Losing courage leads to total failure
courage of one's convictions
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
court card
A gay fluttering coxcomb.
court cards
A corruption of coat card, so called because these cards bear the representa- tion of a clothed or coated figure, and not because the king, queen, and knave may be considered to belong to a Court.
Court Circular
The information con- cerning the movements and doings of Royalty and the Court generally, supplied to the newspapers by the Court Newsman. He gives reports of levees, drawing-rooms, state balls, royal concerts, meetings of the cabinet ministers, deputations to ministers, and so on. George III. in 1803, introduced the custom to prevent misstatements on these subjects.
court cupboard
A movable buffet to hold flagons, cans, cups, and beakers. Away with the joint-stools, remove the court- cupboard, look to the plate.— SHAKESPEARE: Romeo ana Juliet, i, 5.
court fools
From mediaeval times till the 17th century licensed fools or jesters were commonly kept at court, and frequently in the retinue of wealthy nobles.
court holy water
An obsolete Elizabethan term for fair speeches, which look like promises of favour, but end in nothing.
court holy water, court promises
Fair speeches and promises, without performance.
court martial
A court convened as circumstances may require to try a person subject to military law. In Great Britain such courts were instituted in consequence of the Mutiny Act of 1690.
court of assistants
A court often applied to by young women who marry old men.
Court of Chancery
The office where the Chancellor carried on his business — the Exchequer, or a branch thereof— thus came to be known as the Hanaper, and its officials as Comptrollers, Clerks, etc., of the Hanaper. In England these were abolished in 1842, but for many years in Ireland the official title of the Permanent Secretary to the Chancery Division and to the Lord Chancellor remained "Qerfc of the Crown and Hanaper.
Court of Conscience
Established for the recovery of small debts in London and other trading places in the reign of Henry VIII. They were also called Courts of Requests, and are now superseded by county courts. Why should not Conscience have vacation, As well as other courts o' the nation?
court of love
A judicial court for deciding affairs of the heart, established in Provence during the days of the Troubadours. The following is a case submitted to their judgment : A lady listened to one admirer, squeezed the hand of another, and touched with her toe the foot of a third. Query: Which of these three was the favoured suitor?
court of public opinion
The arena where public views and opinions shape reputations and decisions
Court of Record
A court whose proceedings are officially recorded and can be produced as evidence.
Court of Session
The supreme civil tri- bunal in Scotland. It dates from 1532, and represents the united powers of the Session of James I of Scotland, the Daily Council of James IV, and the Lords Auditors of Parlia- ment. Since 1830 it has consisted of an Inner and an Outer House; the total number of judges is thirteen, including the Lord President (or Lord Justice General) and the Lord Justice Clerk.
court plaster
The plaster of which the court ladies made their patches. These patches, worn on the face, were cut into all sorts of fanciful shapes, some even patching their faces with a coach and four, a ship in full sail, a chateau, etc. This ridiculous fashion was in vogue in the reign of Charles I; and in Queen Anne's time was employed as a political badge.
courtesy titles
Titles assumed or granted by social custom, but not of any legal value. The courtesy title of the eldest son of a duke is marquis', of a marquis is earl; of an earl is viscount. Younger sons of peers are by courtesy called lord or honourable, and the daughters are lady or honourable. These titles do not give the holders the right to sit in the House of Lords.
Cousin Jack
So Cornishmen are called in the western counties, and in places where they are working as miners.
Cousin Michael
The Germans are so called. Michel, in Old German, means "gross"; Cousin Michael is meant to indicate a slow, heavy, unrefined, coarse-feeding people.
couter
A sovereign. HALF-A-COUTER, half-a-sovereign. From the Danubian-gipsy word CUTA, a gold coin.
cove
A man, a fellow, a rogue. The cove was bit; the rogue was outwitted. The cove has bit the cole; the rogue has got the money. CANT.
cove
Or COVEY, a boy or man of any age or station. A term generally preceded by an expressive adjective, thus a "flash COVE," a "rum COVE," a "downy COVE," &c. The feminine, COVESS, was once popular, but it has fallen into disuse. Originally ancient cant (temp. Henry VII.), COFE, or CUFFIN, altered in Decker’s time to COVE. See Witts’ Recreations, 1654: "there’s a gentry-COVE here," i.e., a gentleman. Probably connected with CUIF, which, in the North of England, signifies a lout or awkward fellow.
covenant of salt
A binding agreement or promise
Covent Garden
A farthing.
Covent Garden
Captain Xavier, a principal character, is for ever repeating the same yarns, with variations. He was telling about one of his exploits connected with a cork-tree, when Pablo corrected him, "A chestnut-tree, you mean, captain." "Bah! " replied the captain, "I say a cork-tree." "A chestnut-tree," insisted Pablo. " I must know better than you," said the captain; "it was a cork-tree, I say." " A chestnut," persisted Pablo.
coventry
To send one to Coventry; a punishment inflicted by officers of the army on such of their brethren as are testy, or have been guilty of improper behaviour, not worthy the cognizance of a court martial. The person sent to Coventry is considered as absent; no one must speak to or answer any question he asks, except relative to duty, under penalty of being also sent to the same place.
coventry
"to send a man to COVENTRY," not to speak to or notice him. Coventry was one of those towns in which the privilege of practising most trades was anciently confined to certain privileged persons, as the freemen, &c. Hence a stranger stood little chance of custom, or countenance, and "to send a man to COVENTRY" came to be equivalent to putting him out of the pale of society.
cover one's bases
To prepare for all possibilities to avoid mistakes or criticism
cover one's feet
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
cover someone's ass
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
cover up
To hide or conceal the truth about something
cover-down
A tossing coin with a false cover, enabling either head or tail to be shown, according as the cover is left on or taken off. The cover is more generally called a CAP. This style of cheating is now obsolete. A man who cannot manage to cheat at tossing without machinery is a sorry rogue.
Coverdale's Bible
The first complete English Bible to be printed, published in 1535 as a translation out of Douche (i.e. German) and Latin by Myles Coverdale. It consists of Tyndale's translation of the Pentateuch and New Testament, with translations from the Vulgate, a Latin version (1527-8) by the Italian Catholic theologian, Sanctes Peginus, Luther's German version (1534) and the Swiss- German version of Zwingli and Leo Juda (Zurich, 1527-9).
covey
A collection of whores. What a fine covey here is, if the Devil would but throw his net!
cow
To sleep like a cow, with a **** at one's a-se; said of a married man; married men being supposed to sleep with their backs towards their wives, according to the following proclamation:
cow grease
Butter.
cow itch
The product of a sort of bean, which excites an insufferable itching, used chiefly for playing tricks.
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