running water
Preserved but no longer current.
No enchantment can subsist in a living stream; if, therefore, a person can interpose a brook betwixt himself and the witches, sprites, or goblins chasing him, he is in perfect safety. Burns's tale of Tarn a? Shanter turns upon this superstition.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “running water” mean?
No enchantment can subsist in a living stream; if, therefore, a person can interpose a brook betwixt himself and the witches, sprites, or goblins chasing him, he is in perfect safety. Burns's tale of Tarn a? Shanter turns upon this superstition.
Is “running water” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.