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Laws traditionally said to have been compiled by Martia, wife of Guithelm, great-grandson of Mulmutius, who established in England the Mulmutine Laws (<?.v.). Alfred translated both these codes into Saxon-English. Guynteline . . . -whose queen, ...
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
The Capetians reigned over France till 1328, when they were succeeded by the House of Valois; but Capet was considered the family name of the kings, hence, Louis XVI was arraigned before the National Convention under the name of Louis Capet.
Very intoxicated indeed; a drunken man "sobered" by drinking more.
A military term for a strict disciplinarian: from the name of a French general, famous for restoring military discipline to the French army. He first disciplined the French infantry, and regulated their method of encampment: he was killed at the siege of Doesbourg in the year 1672.
A gambling term, which means the doubling of a stake every time you lose; so that when you win once you win back all that you have lost. So called from the fact that, as in all fair games you must win once, you have a safe hold of fortune. The difficulty is to obtain a bank large enough to do this effectively, or having the bank to find any one who will follow you far enough, in a fair game.
A title conferred on anyone who Joses his health or life through his devotion to science; especially Claude Louis, Count Berthollet (1748-1822), who tested in his own person the effects of carbolic acid on the human frame, and died under the experi- ment.
The title of the dea ex machinâ evolved from trades-unionism at Sheffield, to the utter destruction of recalcitrant grinders. She is supposed to do all the "blow-ups," steal all the bands, and otherwise terrorize over victims of the union.
Secret republican societies in France. The name was adopted by the Republican party because Ravaillac was instigated to assassinate Henri IV (1610) by reading the treatise De Rege et Regio Institu- tione, by Mariana.
It was said to have been translated to Fiumein Dalmatia in 1291, thence to Recanati in 1294, and finally to a plot of land belonging to a certain Lady Lauretta, situated in Italy, 3 m. from the Adriatic, and about 14 SSE. from Ancona, round which the town of Loretto sprang up. The chapel contains bas-reliefs showing incidents in the life of the Virgin, and a rough image which is traditionally held to have been carved by St. Luke.
A mysterious and unexplained abandonment or disappearance
Marijuana.
Name used by Helen Sensburg in Nazi propaganda broadcasts to British troops in North-west Europe, 1944-45. Her melting voice made her programmes very popular with the British, but without the results for which she hoped.
Shakespeare being under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth, and knowing her jealousv, would not, of course, praise openly her rival queen; but in the Midsummer Night's Dream (ii, 1) composed in 1592, five years after the execution of Mary, he wrote these exquisite lines: —
Cannabis.
twin sisters and former child actresses
One million sterling. See PLUM.
A gun.
Never mind, no consequence.—Anglo-Chinese.
A sham sore above the elbow, to counterfeit a broken arm by a fall from a scaffold.
Widespread destruction on a large scale
Bartholomew) : "Nurse, nurse, what murder! what blood! O! I have done wrong: God pardon me.
When the leader of the House of Commons goes through the doleful operation of devoting to extinction a number of useful measures at the end of the session, for want of time to pass them. Vide Times, 20th July, 1859: Mr. C. Foster, on altering the time of the legislative sessions.—Parliamentary Slang.
The slaughter of the male children of Bethlehem "from two years old and under," when Jesus was born (Matt. ii, 16). This was done at the command of Herod the Great in order to cut off "the babe" who was destined to become "King of the Jews.
Greatly.
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
A Freemason who has been raised to the third degree.
See SENTENCES. Master of the Rolls. See ROLLS.
The winner; the con- queror in a battle.
A baker.
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
One who pawns his clothes to purchase liquor.
A comprehensive and detailed plan to achieve a goal
A meal concocted of left-overs, and so called from the fact that the cooks of H.M.A.S. Perth served a scratch hot meal during the Battle of Matapan, March 28th, 1941.
A relationship or partnership that is very bad or unlikely to succeed
The term a coster or low person applies to a friend, partner, or companion; "me and my MATE did so and so," is a common phrase with a low Londoner. Originally a sea term.
Mother.
In 1625 a stone was found near Siganfu with a cross on it, and containing a list of the Materenes of India and China.
That which Is essential in order to carry proof.
A labourer in one of Her Majesty’s dockyards. Common elaboration of the word MATE.
head
Chiron, who at death was converted into the Sadler's Wells (near Islington, London) There constellation.
The sugar-stick, or arbor vitae.
The current situation or problem that needs attention
Something that is expected or routine
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
inevitable or likely to happen soon
Thomas, the apostles; also of St. Longinus, St. George, St. Adalbert, St. Barbara, St. Michael, and several others.
"Culture," he said, "is the passion for sweetness and light, and (what is more) the passion for making them prevail" {Preface to Literature and Dogma). The phrase was used by Swift (Battle of the Books, 1697) in an imaginary fable by ^Esop as to the merits of the bee (the ancients) and the spider (the moderns).
A pronouncedly Protes- tant version published in 1537 as having been "truly and purely translated into English by Thomas Matthew," which was a pseudonym, adopted for purposes of safety, of John Rogers, an assistant of Tyndale.
Magdalen College, Oxford. This is the old English pronunciation of the word.
Crying drunk: perhaps from Mary Magdalene, called Maudlin, who is always painted in tears.
In spite of him. "'Tis merry in hall when beards wag all" — i.e. when feasting goes on.
Extremely drunk, or soundly beaten.
The fist.
A fist, that with which one strikes as with a mall.—Pugilistic.
mother
To beg; "MAUNDERING on the fly," begging of people in the streets.—Old Cant. MAUNG, to beg, is a term in use amongst the gipsies, and may also be found in the Hindoo vocabulary. MAUND, however, is pure Anglo-Saxon, from MAND, a basket. Compare BEG, which is derived from BAG—a curious parallel.
Asking or begging. CANT:
The weight of a new penny is one-third of an ounce avoirdupois, and it is legal tender up to twelve pence.