the good is the enemy of the best
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
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the good things about something
The positive aspects of something
The Goose and Gridiron
A public-house sign, properly the coat of arms of the Company of Musicians — viz. a swan with expanded wings, within a double tressure [the gridiron], counter, flory, argent.
The Goose Bible
The editions of the Genevan Bible (<?.v.) printed at Dort; the Dort press had a goose as its device.
the gospel of wealth
The hypothesis that wealth is the great end and aim of man, the one thing needful.
The Gradual Psalms
Ps. cxx to cxxxiv in- clusive; probably so called because they were sung when the ascent to the inner court was made by the priests.
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
Alternative form of the grass is always greener on the other side.
The Great Bible
Coverdale's revision of his own Bible of 1535 (see COVERD ALE'S BIBLE above), collated with Tyndale's and Matthew's, printed in Paris by Regnault, and published by Grafton and Whitchurch in 1539. It is a large folio, and a splendid specimen of typography. It is sometimes called "Cromwell's Bible," as it was undertaken at his direction, and it was made compulsory for all parish churches to purchase a copy.
The Great Duke
The Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), also called "the Iron Duke," a name later given to a famous battleship (1913).
The Great Prophets
Isaiah, Jere- miah, Ezekiel, and Daniel; so called because their writings are more extensive than the prophecies of the other twelve.
The Great White Way
The name formerly applied to Broadway, the theatrical district of New York City.
the greatest lie
In Heywood's Four PV, an interlude of about 1543, a Palmer, a Par- doner, a Poticary, and a Pedlar disputed as to which could tell the greatest lie. The Palmer said he had never seen a woman out of patience; whereupon the other three P's threw up the sponge, saying such a falsehood could not possibly be outdone.
The Green Howards
The official name, since- 1920, of the Yorkshire Regiment, the l$Tth of the line, named after Sir Charles Howard, colonel from 1738 to 1748. Green was the colour of the regimental facings.
The Green Knight
In the old romance, Valentine and Orson, a Pagan who demanded Fezon in marriage but, overcome by Orson, resigned his claim.
The Green Man
The late gamekeeper of the lord of the manor turned publican. At one time these servants were dressed in green.
The Gregorian Calendar
A modification of the Julian, introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, and adopted in Great Britain in 1752, This is called "the New Style." See GREGORIAN YEAR.
the grey mare's tail
A cataract that is made by the stream which issues from Lochskene, in Scotland, so called from its appearance.
the half of it
only a part of the whole story or situation
the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
Mothers have significant influence on their children's development and future
the handbags come out
a fight or argument breaks out, especially among women
The Happy Valley
The home of the Prince of Abyssinia in Johnson's tale of Rasselas (1759). It was a Garden of Peace, completely isolated from the world, and replete with every luxury; but life there was so monotonous that the philosopher Imlac and the Prince Rasse- las were glad to escape.
the hard way
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
The Hare and Hounds
In compliment to the sporting squire or lord of the manor.
the hare and the tortoise
An allusion to the well-known fable of the race between the hare and the tortoise, won by the latter; and the moral, "Slow and steady wins the race.
The He Bible
In the two earliest editions of the Authorized Version (both 1611) in the first (now known as "the He Bible") Ruth in',.
the heart sees farther than the head
Intuition is often more perceptive than rational thinking
the heavenly bodies
The sun, moon, stars, and so on. The seven bodies (of alchemists) . The seven metals supposed to correspond with the seven "planets.
The heel of Achilles
The vulnerable or weak point in a man's character or of a nation. Aching Void, An. That desolation of heart which arises from the recollection of some cherished endearment no longer possessed.
the hell you say
An expression of strong disagreement or surprise
The hero of the Nile
Horatio, Lord Nelson (1758-1805). Nimbus (mm/ bus) (Lat., a cloud). In Chris- tian art a halo of light placed round the head of an eminent personage. There are three forms ; (1) Vesica piscis, or fish form {ep. ICHTHUS), used in representations of Christ and occasion- ally of the Virgin Mary, extending round the whole figure; (2) a circular halo; (3) radiated like a star or sun.
the high seas
The open sea, the "main"; especially that part of the sea beyond "the three-mile limit,'* which forms a free highway to all nations.
The Hill of Scandal
So Milton calls the Mount of Olives, because King Solomon built thereon "an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab . . . and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon" (I Kings id, 1).
The hind of Sertorius
Sertorius was invited by the Lusitanians to defend them against the
The Hole in the Wall
Probably so called because it was approached by a small passage or "hole" between houses standing in front of the tavern.
The Holy See
The Papacy, the papal jurisdiction and court.
the hon
SOCIETY OF NEWMAN'S HOTEL.
The Hoose
A familiar name for Christ Church, Oxford, the London Stock Exchange, and the deliberative bodies in various forms of government:
the horns of a dilemma
See DILEMMA. To come (or be squeezed) out at the little end of the horn. To come off badly in some affair; get the worst of it ; fail conspicuously.
The Horse and Chains
A favourite sign for an inn at the foot of a hill, signifying that a chain-horse is kept.
The Horse and Groom
Where a stallion was kept for stud purposes.
the horse bolted
The horse shot off like a bolt or arrow.
The House of God
Not solely a church, or a temple made with hands, but any place sanctified by God's presence. Thus, Jacob in the wilderness, where he saw the ladder set up leading from earth to heaven, said, "This is none but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Gen. xxviii, 17).
The House of Plantagenet
Henry II and the English kings descended in the direct male line from him, viz.
The Hundred Years War
The long series of wars between France and England, beginning in the reign of Edward ILL, 1337, and ending in that of Henry VI, 1453.
The Hungry Forties
A term appUed to the period prior to the repeal of the Corn Laws by Sir Robert Peel in 1846, when, owing to the high price of food, distress was very common, among the poor.
the husband is always the last to know
A husband is often the last person to find out about his wife's infidelity or marital problems
the ice-blink
The name given by mariners to a luminous appearance of the sky, caused by the reflection of light from ice. lif the sky is dark or brown, the navigator may be sure that there is water; if it is white, rosy, or orange- coloured, he may be certain there is ice. The former is called a "water sky," the latter an "ice sky.
The Idle Bible
An edition of 1809, in which "the idole shepherd" (Zech. xi, 17) is printed " the idle shepherd." In the Revised Version the translation is "the worthless shepherd.
the ignorant always adore what they cannot understand
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
The Immortals
The forty members of the French Academy; also the name given to a body of 10,000 foot-soldiers, which constituted the bodyguard of the ancient Persian kings, and to other highly trained troops.
The Imperial Machiavelli
Tiberius, the Roman emperor (42 B.C. to A.D. 37). His political axiom was: "He who knows not how to dissemble knows not how to reign." It was also the axiom of Louis XI of France.
the important thing
The most significant or crucial aspect of a situation
the incense of sweet spices
Prayer, which nses to heaven as incense.
The innocent seldom find an uncomfortable pillow – William Cowper, English poet (1731–1800)
The innocent have a clear conscience and thus sleep well
The Interim of Augsburg
A Concordat drawn up by Charles V in 1548 to allay the religious turmoil of Germany. It was a pro- visional arrangement, based on the Augsburg Confession, and was to be in force till some definite decision could be pronounced by the General Council to be held at Trent. The Interim of Ratisbon was a similar temporary arrangement, resulting from the Diet of Ratisbon (1541).
The Ireland Forgeries
One of the most famous of literary forgers was William Henry Ireland (1777-1835), the son of a bookseller and amateur antiquarian. When only 17 young Ireland produced a number of seemingly ancient leases and other documents purporting to be in the handwriting of William Shake- speare, among them being a love-letter to Ann Hathaway, enclosing a lock of hair.
The Irish Atticus
George Faulkner (1700- 75), bookseller, publisher, and friend of Swift; so called by Lord Chesterfield when Viceroy of Ireland.
The Iron Cross
A Prussian military decora- tion (an iron Maltese cross, edged with silver). It was instituted by Frederick William III in 1813 during the straggle against Napoleon, and was remodelled by William I in 1870, with three grades, in civil and military divisions. In World War I some 3,000,000 Iron Crosses were awarded; there are no figures for World War II.
The Iron Devil
Said to be a corruption of "Hirondelle" (the swallow).
the iron entered into his soul
When anguish or annoyance is felt most keenly.
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