The promise of Odin
The most binding of all oaths to a Norseman. In making it the hand was passed through a massive silver ring kept for the purpose; or through a sacrificial stone, like that called the "Circle of Stemus.
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The Proof Bible
The revised version of the first impression of Luther's
the proof of the pudding is in the eating
Results are more important than plans or appearances
The Protestant Pope
Clement XIV. He ordered the suppression of the Jesuits (1773) and was one of the most enlightened men who- ever sat in the chair of St. Peter.
The Prussian Quadrilateral
The old for- tresses of Luxemburg, Coblentz, Sarrelouis, and Mayence.
the quality
high social class or prestige
The Queen of Bohemia
In honour of James I's daughter Elizabeth, who married the King of Bohemia.
The Queen of Hearts
Elizabeth (1596-1662), daughter of James I, the unfortunate Queen of Bohemia, so called in the Low Countries from her amiable character and engaging manners, even in her lowest estate.
The Queen of Heaven
The Virgin Mary. In ancient times, among the Phoenicians, Astarte; Greeks, Hera; Romans, Juno; Hecate; the Egyptian Isis, etc.
The Queen of Love
Aphrodite, or Venus. Poor queen of love in thme own law forlorn To love a cheek that smiles at thee in scorn! Venus and Adonis ; 251.
The Queen's English
See ENGLISH. The Queen's Pipe, A name given in Queen Victoria's reign to a furnace at the Victoria Docks for destroying (by the Inland Revenue authorities) contraband and worthless tobacco, etc.
the queen's keys
An old legal phrase for the crowbars, hammers, etc., used to force an entrance so that a warrant could be executed.
the quick and the dead
The living and the dead
The R months
See under OYSTER. The three .R's. Reading, writing, and arith- metic. The phrase is said to have been origi- nated by Sir William Curtis (d. 1829), who gave this as a toast.
the rabbit died
a pregnancy test is positive
The Rag
The Army and Navy Club. "The rag," of course, is the flag. "By the way, come and dine to-night at the Rag," said the major. — Truth. Queer Story, April 1st, 1886.
The Ram and Teazle
A public-house sign, in compliment to the Clothiers' Company. The ram with the golden fleece is emblematical of wool, and the teazle is used for raising the nap of wool spun and woven into cloth.
The Ram feast
Formerly held on May morn- ing at Holne, Dartmoor, when a ram was run down in the "Ploy Field" and roasted whole, with its skin and fur, close by a granite pillar. At midday a scramble took place for a slice, which was supposed to bring luck to those who got it.
The ram of the Zodiac
This is the famous Chrysomallion, whose golden fleece was stolen by Jason in his Argonautic expedition. It was transposed to the stars, and made the first sign of the Zodiac.
The Red Book of Hergest
A Welsh manu- script of the 14th century, containing the Mabinogion, poems by Taliesin and Llywarch Hen, a history of the world from Adam to 1320, etc. It is now the property of Jesus College, Oxford.
The Red Dragon
The cognizance of Henry VII or the principality of Wales.
The Red Hand of Ulster
See ULSTER. Red-haired persons have for centuries had the reputation of being deceitful and un- reliable— probably owing to the tradition that Judas Iscariot (q.v ) had red hair.
the relish
The sign of the Cheshire cheese.
the rest is history
What happened after that is well-known or easily guessed
the rest is silence
The last words of the dying Hamlet (Hamlet, v, 2).
The rest is silence. (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
the rest of something
the remaining part of something
the rest of the world
All countries and people except one's own
The Rev
Charles Caleb Colton (credited as the author of these freaks) offered £100 to anyone who could explain the matter except on supernatural grounds. No one, however, claimed the reward. Colton died 1832.
The Revised Version
A revision of the Authorized Version commenced under a resolution passed by both Houses of Con- vocation in 1870 by a body of twenty-five English scholars (assisted and advised by an American Committee), the New Testament published in 1881, the complete Bible in 1885, and the Apocrypha in 1895.
the rich get richer and the poor get poorer
Wealth tends to concentrate among those already wealthy
the right to bear arms
The right to use an heraldic device, which can be obtained only by direct grant from the College of Heralds (and the payment of certain fees), or by patrimony, i.e. direct descent from one on whom the grant has been conferred. In either case a small annual licence must be paid if the coat of arms is used in any way, such as on one's carnage, silver, or stationery. A person having such right is said to be armigerous.
The Ring
A phrase used in Australia in the early 19th century to describe a goaprf™ most hard-bitten convicts at the Norfolk Island penitentiary, who exercised an evil in- fluence over their fellows. This use of the word ante-dates by some" 30 years its employment m U.S.A.
The ring of Amasis
A ring with the same story as that of Polycrates. See below.
The ring of Innocent
On May 29th, 1205, Innocent III sent John, King of England, four gold rings set with precious stones, and ex- plained that the rotundity signifies eternity — remember we are passing through time into eternity; the number signifies the four virtues which make up constancy of mind — viz.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. (William Blake)
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions
Good intentions do not guarantee good outcomes
the roaring game
So the Scots call the game of curling. Roast To roast a person is to banter him un- mercifully; also, to give him a dressing-down. Shakespeare, in Hamlet, speaks of roasting "in wrath and fire.
The Roman Empire
The Empire established on the ruins of the Republic by Augustus in 27 B.C., and lasting till A.D. 395, when it was divided into the Western or Latin Empire, and the Eastern or Greek.
The Roman senate
Romulus instituted a senate consisting of a hundred elders, called
the root of the matter
Its true inwardness, its actual base and foundation.
The Rope- walk
Former barristers slang for an Old Bailey practice. Thus, "Gone into the rope-walk" means, he has taken up practice in the Old Bailey.
The Rose
A symbol of England, as the Thistle is of Scotland, and the Shamrock of Ireland.
The Rose and Crown
One of the "loyal" public-house signs. The Rose of the Quarter Sessions. A corrup- tion of La Rose des Quatre Saisons.
The Rosin Bible
The Douai Bible (q.v.). 1609, is sometimes so called, because it has in Jer. vni, 22: "Is there noe rosin in Galaad." The Authorized Version translates the word by "balm," but gives "rosin" in the margin as an alternative. Cp. TREACLE BIBLE below.
The Rowley Poems
Certain poems written by Thomas Chatterton (1752-70), and said by him to have been the work of a 15th-century priest of Bristol named Thomas Rowley, who, in fact, was purely fictitious. Chatterton began to write them before he was 15, and after having been refused by Dodsley, they were published in 1769. Many f prominent con- noisseurs and litterateurs, including Horace Walpole, were hoaxed by them.
The Royal Arms of England
The three lions passant gardant were introduced by Richard Cceur de Lion after his return from the third Crusade; the lion rampant in the second quarter is from the arms of Scotland, it having first been used in the reign of Alexander H (1214-49); and the harp in the fourth quarter represents Ireland; it was assigned to Ireland in the time of Henry VIII; before that time her device was three crowns.
the royal game of goose
The game re- ferred to by Goldsmith (Deserted Village, 232) as being present in the ale-house —
The Royal Oak
See OAK-APPLE DAY. Sir Philip Sydney's Oak, near Penshurst, was planted at his birth in 1554, and was commemo- rated by Ben Jonson and Waller.
The Royalist Butcher
Blaise de Montluc (1502-77), a Marshal of France, distinguished for his cruelties to the Protestants in the reign of Charles IX.
the rubber meets the road
When a plan or idea is put into action and its effectiveness is tested.
The Sacred College
The College of Car- dinals (q.v.) at Rome.
The Sacred Heart
The "Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus" owes its origin to a French nun of the 17th century, St. Mary ^ Margaret Alacoque, of Burgundy, who practised devo- tion to the Saviour's heart in consequence of a vision. The devotion was sanctioned by Pope Clement XII in 1732, and extended to the whole Church by Pius IX in 1856. It is observed on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi.
The Sacred War
In Greek history, one of the wars waged by the Amphictyonic League in defence of the temple and oracle of Delphi.
The Sacred Way
See VIA SACRA. The Sacred Weed, Vervain (see Herba Sacra), or — humorously — tobacco.
The Salic Law
A law derived from the Salic Code limiting succession to the throne, land, etc., to heirs male to the exclusion of females, chiefly because certain military duties were con- nected with the holding of lands.
the salt of the earth
Properly, the elect; the perfect, or those approaching perfection (see Matt, v, 13).
The Salutation and Cat
The "Salutation" (which refers to the angel saluting the Virgin Mary) is the sign of the house, and the "Cat" is added to signify that arrangements are made for playing cat or tipcat.
the sand-man is about
A playful remark addressed to children who are tired and "sleepy-eyed." Cp. DUSTMAN.
the sands are running out
Time is getting short; there will be little opportunity for doing what you have to do unless you take advantage of now. Often used in reference to one who evidently has not much longer to live. The allusion is to the hour-glass.
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