Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-07-02
ORIGIN OF POPULAR PHRASES.
..nEAn AS 4 HERRING. =

pain, it gives squeak and Immediately
expires, and though it be thrown instant
~ back into the water it never RECEIVERS.
"GoNE WHERE THE wooDBINE TWIN
ETH"
1t is very common in the New Eng
land States to see the trough, or "spout,"
which leads the water from the caves,
entwined in the claspers Of the woodbine.
J. Fisk, Jr., gave the above phase in
answer to question concerning GER
tain sum of money. He wished to con-
vey the idea that it had gone up the
spout.
''LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR"
In Shakspeare's play of Julius Cesar,
Act III, scene |, twenty-five lines from
the end, occurs the expression. Anthony
is soliloquizing as to the outcome of the
murder Of Caesars 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 hackney horses.
When man came for horse he was led
into the stable where there was a great
choice, but he obliged him to take the
horse next to the stable door; so
that every customer was alike well
served, according to his chance. Hence
it became proverb, when what ought
to beyonr selection was forced upon you,
to say "Hobson's choice a.
Shy THE SKIN OF MY TEETH"
Is found in Job xix, 20: "My bane
cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh,
and am escaped with the skin of my
teeth"
THE STYLE Is THE MAN.
This famous expression is generally
quoted as one of Buttons; but it appears
that the words thus attributed to Button
are not Bufon's at all, but perversion
of one of his phrases, which occurs in his
"Dissertation sur lie style" His words
are. ale style est de rhomme," and noa
''Le style, c'est l'homme."
DON'T CROWD THE MoURNERs."
This expression originated with one of
the Mer prisoners in Mexico. The cap
tured Texans oyerpowered their guard
at Rancho Salado and escaped, but were
afterwards captured and compelled to
draw lots. 4 number of beans were
placed in a hat. every tenth bean being
| black one. The man who drew black
bean was to be executed next morning.
| One of the unfortunates, who had al
ready drawn a black bean, was jostled
accidentally by fellow captive who
was crowdins up to try his luck. The
! jostled party, whose fate was already
sealed. laughingly remarked: $50
slow: dou't crowd the mourners, boys"
"THE PENIS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD"
Buiwer'S famous saying, which he puts
! into the mouth of Richetieu, that the
pen is mighGier than the sword is not
original. at least not III the idea. A
number OF letters written by Oliver
Cromwell have recently been found
among the family papers of the descend
ants Of one OF his captains, with the de-
vice Of a sword crossing a pen upon
them, and the legend Ten to one the
feather beats the iron.
"THoUGH LOST TO SIGHT TO MEMORY
DEAR"
This line has frequently been quoted,
and IN almost every instance 1t is added
that its authorship is unknown. A cor.
respondent in an issue of the St. Louis
Globe OF 1873 asserts that an author
named Roonven Jenkyne wrote the fol
lowing in l701, and published it iu the
Greenwich Magazine:
Sweet heart, good bye the fiutteriNg sal!
l. spread TO watt lnt TAR from thee;
And loon before the fav ring gale
: My ship shall bound upon the sea.
Perchance all desoae and torlorn,
Those eyes shall miss thee many year,
Blu; unfocg0tten every charm,
Though lost to sight. to meln'ry dear
Sweet heart good bye one last embrace,
O. cruel fate, true souls tn sever;
Yet il this hearts most sacred place
Thou, thou alone shall dwell forever
And still shall recollection trace
In fancy's mirror ever near,
Each smile, each tear that from that face,
Though lost 10 sight, TO memry dear
WHOM THE GODS LOVE Ole YOUNG"
Quoted by Byron IN his Don Juan
canto 9Th. 4l2. but the ancient author il
Acmus Plantlus Marcus, the greatest o
Roman comic poets. He was born i'll I'm
bria about 254 B. C. His history is pro
foundry obscure. and, according to Cice
y 70. he died lS4 3. C. Twenty of hi
comedies are still eXtant, out of twenty
= one enumerated by Vacco, and ar
scarcely less popular among the modern
than they We're during his lifetime.