Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-03-06
Origin OF Popular Phrases.

In Fine.--The word fine, which is
now found only in this construction,
seems, at first glance, to be Latin, and
ought, if so, to be pronounced as dis
syllable, after the analogy of in pace,
IN nuce, sine. die, and other Latin ex-
pressiUhs, which have been borrowed
into our language. The word is, how
ever, really English, and, therefore,
mohosyilable. Fine is not the ablative
Of the Latin word ,fnis. but is that
word anglicized, and spelled, after the
uniform English photography, with a
final Q silent, as In the words line, pine.
which are also of Latin derivation. but
not of Latin infection. The word was
once used In other constructions than
the one given above. For example,
Benedick says:
| l will not do them fthe lasiiesl the wrong 10
mstrust any.
VIII do myself the right to trust none,
And the fine Is, will Hive n bachelor.
Mach idu AJof Nothing. l.,
Both Shakespeare and Milton use the
word tineless, where We would now say
endless:
roor and content Is rich. and rich enough;
nut titlicS, HuefeSS. poor as winter
To him that ever fears he shall be poor.
--Hhptto. H5. ..
The Harp of 4Eolus. - .Eolus, the
ancient god of the winds, was tabled
to have his habitation on the Lipari
islands, between Italy and Sicily.
From him is named the harp whose
sounds are called forth by the applause
of the air on strings. 1t is possible that
hn instrument of this kind was known
in ancient times, for the Talmudists
say that the kinnor or harp of David
sounded of itself when the north wind
fell upon it. But the merit of the in
vention, in the form it now takes, is
due altogether to modern times.
The sound is peculiar; the wild and
weirdlike melody, the gradual advances
and retiring of the aerial tones, can be
fifty described only by the instrument
itself. When tile breeze which vibrates
the strings of the harp freshens, the
sounds swell on the ear until they al
most scream through the house; then,
as the breeze lulls. the notes recede in
the distance, becoming more and more
delicate and tender till they can be
only family distinguished as they die
away like the plaintive wailing of q
spirit. Thomson, in the Castle OF
Incidence" gives beautiful account
of the music of the Eolian harp:
Each sound 1t gives. to ianguishment inclined,
| Lulls the weak bosom and Induces ease,
Aerial music in the warblipg wind
Al distance rising oft, by small degrees
Nearer and nearer comes, till DER the trees
1t hangs and breathes such soul-dissolving airs
As oft, alas! with soft petition. please,
| Emit ngied deep in its enchanting airs
The listening heart forgets all duties and all
| cares
! -Cdnto L.. sfanza 80.
Washers. As an additional contri-
button to the now much-mooted subject
as to the origin of the word masher, we
would suggest that it is by no means OF
modern birth, but comes from phrase
in play written by Beaumont and
Fletcher, Mashed in Love-" where
mashed is rsed as an alteration Of the
word meshed.
"A Tinker's DAM expression
is frequently used, but its meaning is
known to but few. Here is an explana-
ton: A tinker's dam is dam of dough,
or other suitable material, constructed
by a tinker to confine his molten solder
to the business in hand; and, inasmuch
as when tinker's dam has once served
its purpose it possesses little or no com
mercial value. the phrase has come to
be frequently used and almost univer-
sally understood as the synonym oil
worthlessness.
That's the Ticket. This slang ex-
preston corresponding in meaning to
| the above is corruption of That's
the etiquette that's the proper mode
of procedure. Etiquette is the French
word for ticket, and its present mean-
ing in English arose from an old custom
of distributing tickets, or etiquette,
upon which the ceremonies to be ob.
served at any formal proceedings were
duly set forth. The modera word
programme" exactly corresponds te
the old etiquette.