the six-foot way
The strip of ground be- tween two parallel sets of railway lines.
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the skeleton at the feast
The thing or person that acts as a reminder that there are troubles as well as pleasures in life. Plutarch says in his Moralia that the Egyptians always had a skeleton placed in a prominent position at their banquets.
the slippery slope
The broad and easy way "that leadeth to destruction.
the small of the back
The slenderer narrower part, just above the buttocks.
The Socratic method
The method of •conducting an argument, imparting informa- tion, etc., by means of question and answer.
the soldier's friend
An official appointed by the authorities at the various pension boards to assist soldiers in making out and presenting their claims to pensions, etc.
The son of Austerlitz
When Napoleon fought the Russians and Austnans at Auster- litz (Dec. 2nd, 1805), a brilliant sun suddenly burst through and scattered the mists, thus enabling him to gain an overwhelming victory. Napoleon ever after looked upon this as a special omen from heaven.
The Song of Songs
The Canticles, or the Song of Solomon, in the Old Testament.
The Spanish Ennius
Juan de Mena (d. 1456), born at Cordova.
The Spanish Main
Properly, the northern coast of South America, going westward from the mouth of the Orinoco to the Isthmus of Panama, or a bit farther; the wwz/w-land bordering the Caribbean Sea, called by the Spanish conquerors Tierra Firme.
the spear-side
The male line of descent, called by the Anglo-Saxons spere-healfe. Cp. SPINDLE-SIDE.
the sport of winds
All these, upwhirled aloft, Into a Limbo large and broad, since called The Paradise of Fools.
The Spread Eagle
The arms of Germany ; to indicate that German wines could be obtained within.
the squeaky wheel gets the grease
Those who complain or speak up are more likely to get attention and help
the squeaky wheel gets the oil
Those who complain or speak up are more likely to get attention or help
the squirts
Diarrhea.
The St
Swithin of France is St. Gervais (q.v.; and see MJ&DARD).
the staff of life
Bread, which is the support of life. "Bread," says he, "dear brothers, is the staff of life.' —SWIFT: Tale of a Tub, iv. Shakespeare says, "The boy was the very staff of my age." The allusion is to a staff which supports the feeble in walking.
the standard of living
A conventional term to express the supposed degree of comfort or luxury usually enjoyed by a man, a family, or a nation: this may be high or low according to circumstances.
The Standing Fishes Bible
An edition of 1806 in which Ezek. xlvii, 10, reads: "And it shall come to pass that the fishes [instead of fishers] shall stand upon it, etc.
The Statute of Labourers
An attempt made in 1349 to fix the rate of wages at which labourers should be compelled to work. It followed the "Black Death," and decreed that the men must work for their former employers, and at the old wages.
The Stfan of Usk
So Henry Vaughan, the Silurist (1622-95) was called, having given one of his volumes of verse this name — Olor Iscanus.
the sticking-place
The point at which a screw becomes tight; hence, the point aimed at. Shakespeare's use of the word is probably an allusion from the peg of a musical instru- ment, which is not much use unless it is actually at the "sticking-place.
the strawberry leaves
A dukedom; the honour, rank, etc., of a duke. The ducal coronet is ornamented with eight strawberry leaves.
the streets are paved with gold
A place offers abundant opportunities and wealth
the stroke that broke the camel's back
The final event in a series that leads to a collapse or failure
The Sun and the Rose
The cognizance of the House of York. The Swan with Three Necks. See SWAN.
The Sun of Righteousness
Jesus Christ. (Mai. iv, 2.) To have heen out in the sun, or to have the sun in one's eyes. To be slightly inebriated. To make hay while the sun shines. See HAY.
the sun sets on something
Something comes to an end or reaches its final stage
The Swan of Avon
Shakespeare; so called by Ben Jonson in allusion to his birthplace,
The Swan with Two Necks
The emblem of the Vintners' Company, and an old tavern sign. Necks is a corruption of Nicks.
The Sword of God
Khaled Ibn al Waled (d. 642), the Mohammedan conqueror of Syria, was so called for his prowess at the battle of Muta.
The Sword of the Spirit
The Word of God (Eph. vi, 17). To put to the sword. To slay. Your tongue is a double-edged sword. Whatever you say wounds; your argument cuts both ways. The allusion is to the double- edged sword out of the mouth of the Son of Man — one edge to condemn, and the other to save (Rev. i, 16).
The Tabard Inn
The inn whence pilgrims from London used to set out on their journey to Canterbury; it was on the London estate of the abbots of Hyde, and lay in the Southwark (now Borough) High Street, a little to the south of London Bridge. It and its host, Harry Baily, are immortalized in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
the tavern
New Inn Hall.—Oxford University.
the terrorists will have won
society has been significantly altered by fear or restrictions
the thin red line
British infantrymen in action. The old 93rd Highlanders were so described at the battle of Balaclava by W. H. Russell, because they did not take the trouble to form into square; their regimental magazine is named The Thin Red Line.
the thing
The style, the proper proportion. Application varied. A good appearance, a decent dinner, or a fair bottle of wine, is said to be "the THING," sometimes "the correct THING."
the thing
The proper thing to do; as, "It's not the thing to play leap-frog down Bond Street in a top-hat and spats.
the thing is
Used to introduce a fact or explanation
the thing of it
The main point or essential aspect
The Thirty Tyrants
The thirty magistrates appointed by Sparta over Athens, at the termination of the Peloponnesian war. This "reign of terror," after one year's continuance, was overthrown by Thrasybulos (403 B.C ).
The Thracian dog
Zoilus (4th cent. B.C.), the carping critic of ancient Greece. Like curs, our critics haunt the poet's feast, And feed on scraps refused by every guest; From the old Thracian dog they learned the way To snarl in want, and grumble o'er their prey. Prrr: To Mr. Spence.
The three Graces
In classical mythology, the goddesses who bestowed beauty and charm
the three greater mysteries
In ecclesiastical language, the Trinity, Original Sin, and the Incarnation.
The Three Kings
A mediaeval sign, in allusion to the three kings of Cologne, the Magi (q.v.). Many public-house signs of this period had a reference to ecclesiastical matters, usually be- cause they were church property or on church land, Such, for instance, are The Mitre, Abbey ; Priory, and Lamb and Flag.
the three primitive languages
The Persians say that Arabic, Persian, and Turkish are three primitive languages. Legend has it that the serpent that seduced Eve spoke Arabic, the most suasive language in the world; that Adam and Eve spoke Persian, the most poetic of all languages; and that the angel Gabriel spoke Turkish, the most menacing.
the three tongues
Those in which, the inscription on the Cross were written, viz. Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. In the Middle Ages it was considered that a thorough knowledge of these was necessary before one could begin to understand theology.
the three-legged mare
An obsolete slang term for the gallows, which at Tyburn was a triple erection in triangular plan.
The Threefold Man
According to Diogenes Laertius, the body was composed of (1) a mortal part; (2) a divine and ethereal partr called the phren; and (3) an aerial and vapor- ous part, called the thumos.
The Thunderbolt of Italy
Gaston de Foix, Due de Nemours (1489-1512), nephew of Louis XII, was so called because of his brilliant campaign in Italy (1512).
The To-remain Bible
In a Bible printed at Cambridge in 1 805 Gal. iv, 29, reads : "Perse- cuted him that was born after the spirit to remain, even so it is now." The words "to remain" were added in error by the composi- tor, the editor having answered a proof- reader's query as to the comma after "spirit" with the pencilled reply "to remain" m the margin.
the tongue of the trump
The spokesman or leader of a party. The tongue of the trump to them a'.
the trade
Usually the liquor trade, more particularly those engaged in the brewing and
The Treacle Bible
A popular name for the Bishops' Bible (#.v.), 1568, because in it, Jer. viii, 22, reads: "Is there no tryacle in Gilead, is there no phisition there?" Cp.
The Tree of Liberty
A post or tree set up by the people, hung with flags and devices, and crowned with a cap of liberty. In the United States poplars and other trees were planted during the War of Independence, "as symbols of growing freedom.
the treeness of the tree
The essential qualities that compose a tree; in the absence of which a tree would cease to be a tree. Hence, the absolute essentials of anything. The phrase is evidently modelled on SterneTs "Corregiosity of Corregio" (Tristram Shandy III, xii).
The Triple Thread
Brahmimsm. The ancient Brahmins wore a symbol of three threads, reaching from the right shoulder to the left. Faria says that their religion sprang from fishermen, who left the charge of the temples to their successors on the condition of their wearing some threads of their nets in remembrance of their vocation; but Osorius maintains that the triple thread symbolizes the Trinity.
the triumph of wit
Or Ingenuity displayed in its Perfection, being the Newest and most Useful Academy, Songs, Art of Love, and the Mystery and Art of Canting, with Poems, Songs, &c., in the Canting Language, 16mo. J. Clarke, 1735.
The truth shall set you free, or The truth will set you free
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
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