The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1881-03-02

how many of the objects and events familiar to
us are thus miscalled. DR.. E. Gotham Brewer,
in his invaluable Dictionary of Phrase and
Fable" devotes a considerable space to the
consideration of this subject, and he is not the
only distinguished writer who has considered
it worthy Of his attention. A few of the most
common errors are these:
Irish stew is dish never seen in Ireland.
Turkeys do not come from Turkey, but from
North America, through Spain or India. The
French call them "dindon," i. c. Lade or cog
d'IJ,de, a term which is equally incorrect.
Turkey rhubarb neither grows in Turkey
nor is it exported from Turkey. 1t grows In
the great mountain chain between Tartary and
Siberia, and is Russian monopoly.
Turkish baths are not of Turkish origin, nor
are they baths, but hot-air rooms or therma.
In the code to a Mummy" is the query,
els Pompey's Pillar really misnomerF l
will answer that the noted Alexandrian shaft
was neither erected by Pompey nor yet to
Pompey, but either to Septimus Severus or
one of the Caliphs.
The tube rose is no rose, but the tuberous
polianth (Polianttus tuberosa.)
Again, even the great John Milton was in
error when he wrote
Thick as Autumnal leaves that strew the brooks jim
The trees of Vallambrosa, being pines, do not
fall thick in Autumn, and the brooks, conse-
uuently, are not strewed with them.
l am now writing with pen, and yet pen
means a feather, from the Latin word peand,
which signifies wing The expression, a
steel pen," is not by any means choice one.
German silver is not silver at all, nor was
the metallic mixture invented by a German,
but has been in use in China time out of mind.
Japan lacquer contains no lac at all, but Is
made from the resin of q kind OF nut tree
called dGdcdTOidcedS.
Brazilian grass does not come from Brazil,
or even grow in Brazil, nor is it grass at all.
1t consists of strips of palm leaf (Chdmde-
rops drgeated) and is chiefly imported from
Cuba.
Catgut is not the gut of cats, but of sheep.
Sealing wax is not wax at all, nor does it
contain a single particle Of wax. 1t is made of
shellac, Venice turpentine and cinnabar. The
last substance gives it its deep red color, and
the turpentine renders the shellac soft and
brittle.
To the lovers of cigarettes l would say that
rice paper is not made from rice; but from the
pith of Tung-tsau, or hollow plant, so called
because it is hollow when the pith has been
pushed out.
MGGlSCudulI 10 lOb pSbiAhSu SSH iooih
as the word implies, but is a composition of
silica, water and magnesia.
Gothic architecture is not the architecture
of the Goths, but the ecclesiastical style en-
ployed in England and France before the
Renaissance.
Dutch clocks are not of Dutch, but German
Deutsch) manufacture. This is very COM
mon mistake.
Arabic figures were not invented by the
Arabs, but by the Indians.
Blind worms are no more blind than moles
are; they have very quick and brilliant eyes,
though somewhat small.
BARON, IDIOT AND SLAVE.
These are very common words, and yet we
now use them in far different sense than
they were formerly employed.
Idiot means simply private person, one
not engaged in any public offices. Hence
Jeremy Taylor says, Humility is duty in
great ones, as we'll as in idiots F" (private per-
sons.) = The Greeks have the expressions, ga
priest or an idiot" Qayman), ga poet or an
idiot" prose writer.) As idiots were not
employed in public Offices, the term became
Synonymous with incompetency to fulfill the
duties thereof. Greek idiOtes.)
Baron properly means dOlt, from the Latin
6arO, Ga thorough fool.) 1t was term ap-
piled to Servian soldier, then to a military
chief, and ultimately TO lord. The reverse
Of this is seen III our word slave Ca servile
mentally which is the Slavonic word STAG
(noble, ilustrious); but the Slavi being con-
quered by the Romans, were reduced to the
hard condition of "hewers OF wood and draw
ers of water.
But probably the strangest corruption is
that of the word lDOlfS-bGRe. Bane is the
Teutonic word for all poisonous herbs. The
Greeks, mistaking baies for beans, translated
it kudmos, as they did hen bane (huoS-
kHdmOS.) Now lCoJfS-bdne is an aconite,
with pale yellow flower, and therefore
called white-bane to distinguish it from The
blue aconite. The Greek for white is teukcs,
hence leukOS-kudnuoS; but iuboS is the
Greek for wolf, and by bunder teukos-
kGdmoS (white-bean) got muddled into tHkos
kudm0S (wolf-bean.) Now science steps in
and makes confusion worse COMPOUNDED. Bota-
nists, seeing the absurdity of calling aconite
bean, restored the original word bane, but
retained the corrupt word lukoS "a wolff and
hence we get the name looy 'S-bdne for white
aconite.
CHINA AS A NAME FOR PORCELAIN
gives rise to the contradictory expressions,
British china, Sevres china, Dresden china,
Chelsea china, Dutch china, etc., like wooden
mie-stones, iron mile-stones, brass shoe
horns, steel pens, etc,
Black lead does not contain single particle
of lead, but is composed of carbon and iron.
Galvanized iron is not galvanized. 1t is
simply iron coated with zinc, and this is done
by dipping it in zinc bath containing muri-
attic acid.
Burgundy pictch is not pitch, nor is it manu-
featured at or exported from Burgundy. The
best is a resinous substance prepared for COM
mon frankincense, and brought from Hamburg;
but by far the larger quantity is mixture OF
resin and palm oil.
Prussian-blue does not come from Prussia,
but is the precipitate of the salt of protoxide
of iron with red prussiate of potass.
Salt is not salt at all, aud has long been
wholly excluded from the class of bodies de-
nominated as salts.
Whalebone is no bone at all, nor does it pos
sess any properties of bone. 1t is substance
attached to the upper jaw of the whale, and
serves to strain the water which the creature
takes up in large mcuthtuls.
Speaking of whales reminds me ofsperm oil,
which properly means "seed oil (Latin,
spermd)-from the notion that it was sperma-
ceti Cthe spawn or melt of a whale) The
spermaceti whale is the one that gives this
seed oil, . which is taken chiefly, but not
wholly, from the head.
Longitude and latitude, the great dimension
and the little or broad dimension of the earth.
According to the ancient notion, the world
was bounded on the west by the Atlantic, but
extended an indefinite length eastward. 1t
was similarly terminated on the south by the
tropic of Cancer, whence it extended north
ward, but this extent being much less than
that of east and west, was called the breath or
latitude.
Kensilgion Palace is not in Kensington at
all. hnt in the parish of St. Margaret. West