Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1881-10-20
Hartford CouTant
Origin of Popular Phrases.

| Dead as a herring.-rhis phrase may be
traced to the fact that the herring is an ex-
tTemely delicate FISH. Whenever il is taken
| out of the water. even though 1t seems TO
have no hurt, II gives a squeak and immedl-
ately expires, and though il be thrown in
stantly back into the water il never recoy-
| ers.
Gone where the woodhine twlneth.--lt Is
very common in New England States to see
the trough, spout" which leads the water
from the caves, entwined in the claspers of
the woodhne J. Fisk, Jr., gave the above
phrase in answer to a question concerning a
certain sum Of money. lie wished to con
vey the idea that it had gone up the spout.
Let slip the dogs Of war.-ln Shakes
peare's play. Julius C'esar," act ILL.,, scene
l., twent, five lines from the end, occurs the
above expression. Antony is soliloquizing
as to the outcome Of the murder Of Ciesar.
And C9sar's spirit shall in
these confines cry havoc" and let
slip the dogs Of war"
Hobson's choice.-Tobias Hobson was
the first man in England who let out hack
ney horses. When a man came for horse
he was led into the stable where there was a
great choice, but he obliged him TO take the
horse which stood next 10 the stable door,
so that every customer was alike well served
according to his chance. Hence it became
a proyerb, when what ought to be Your eec-
ton was forced upon you, to say "Hobson's
choice"
By the skin Of my teeth.-lt is found in
Job Mn. 20: NV bone cleayeth TO my
skin and 10 my flesh; and | escaped with
the skin Of nv teeth
To point a moral. etc
He lett nsme at which the world grew pale,
To point moral or adorn II tale
Written by Samuel Johnson. in speaking Of
Charles MI. Of Sweden, in The VANITY Of
Human Wishes"
The stslc is the man.-This famous saw
is generally quoted one Of Burfon's hut
II appears that the words thus attributed
to Button are not Button. at all, but per
version OF one Of his phrases. which occurs
in his dissertation sur lie STYLE. His
words are, lie style est de phomme, and
not lie style, cesi phomme."
The pen i, mightier than the sword
Bulwer's famous saving, which he puts into
I the month of 'Richelleu." that 1.-THE pen Is
mghtier than the sword is not original, at
least not in the idea \ number of letters
written bv Oliver Cromwell have recently
been found among the family papers Of the
descendant Of one Of his captains with the
device Of a sword crossing pen upon them,
and the legend. Ten to one the feather
beats the ron
Don't crowd the mOurners This express
SION originated with one Micr prisoner in
Mexico The captured Texans overpowered
their guard at Rancho SalnIo and escaped,
but we're afterward captured and compelled
b, them to draw lot, number Of beans
werr placed in a hat. every tenth bean being
a black one. The man who drew a black
bean was to be executed next morning. One
Of the unfortunates who had drawn a black
bean vas Jo>tied accidentally by fellow
captive, Who was crowding up to try his
luck The Jo,tlcd party, whose fate was
already sealed. ilughIngly remarked: Go
slow don't crowd the mourners, boys"
Though lost 10 sight. to mem ~ dear
Th.> .tuc has frequently been quoted. and IN
almost ,srrN instance il j. added that is au-
thor,n.p J, unknown. \ correspondent in an
issue 81 the St Louis GIobe OF 1873 asserts
that an author named Ruchven JENKINS
wrote the following IN l7Ol, and published
1t IN 10. Greenwich Magazine.
Sw,. thrart, goodbye the fiuttering sail
l. -pTfa1 10 NAi mc lar from thee
AMI -oon before the fay'ring gale
VI, ship shall bound upon the sea.
Perrhance all dc-oiaie and fOrorn
These eyes shall miss thee many 4 year
Bul uutorgotten every charm.
Though lost 10 sight, 10 mem'ry dear.
sweetheart, goodbye, one last embrace.
q. cruel fate. true souls u sever:
Yet. in this hearts most sacred place
Thou, thou alone shall dwell forever.
And stll shall recollection trace
In fincy's mirrors every year,
EArh smile. each te1r from that face,
Though lost TO sight, 10 mem'ry dear.
Whom the gods love die young.-Quoted
by Byron in has Don Juan, canto q, il2;
but the ancient author is Accius Piautlus
Marcus, the greatest Of Roman comic poets.
lie vas born in Unhria about 2j4 B. c.
His history is profoundly obscure, and, ac-
cording to Cicero, he died lS4 b. {.
Twenty of his comedies are still extant out
of the twenty -one enumerated by Nacco,
and are scarcely less popular among the
moderns than they were during his life
time.
lie tempers the wind to the shorn lamb
This passage originally occurs in Sterne's
Sentimental Journal" in the touching cpl
sode Of Poor Maria and her Goat" near
Mou!lns, France.