The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1889-10-25

The Sources from Whence Was Derived
Some of Our Everyday Expressions.
The common phrase, Catching Tar
tar" says Grose, the antiquarian, arose
out of the adventure of an Irish soldier
in the imperial service. During battle
with the Turks he called out to a COM
rade that he had caught Tartar.
"Bring him along" was the reply. "He
won't come," declared Paddy. "Then
come yourself" rejoined his comrade.
"Ah, but he won't let me-" replied Pad
dy. Instead of capturing tho Tartar the
Tartar had captured him.
quitting tho cart before tho horse"
means to begin to do thing at the wrong
end. The phrase is very old and is quot
ed by Lucian, great Greek writer, who
lived almost 1,7O0 years ago. 1t is sur
prising how frequently search for the
origin of phrases lands us among the an
cient Greek or Latin writer's. For i'll
stance, the couplet,
Ho who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day,
Is almost invariably declared to have
originated with Butler, the author Of
"Hudibras." It is really Greek proverb,
and mention is made Of it by Tertullian.
AS early as the beginning of the Second
century Latin writer, Aulus Gellius,
puts it into the mouth of Desmosthenes
as an excuse for his cowardice at Chero-
nea.
"Begging the question" is supposed to
be modern phrase born of the many
political discussions which occur in con-
gress. 1t is known in logical disputa-
tions as "the petition Of tho principle"
almost literal translation of Latin
phrase. begging the question" was
first used by Aristotle. birds Of a
feather flock together" is also from the
Latin. Translate this sentence from
Plautus, "Pares cum paribus facilime
congregantes," and you'll have 1t almost
literally.
The expression "Mind your P's and
Q's" is said to have various derivations.
In old times the score Of the ale house
customer was kept on a slate, or was
chalked on the door of cupboard, the
P and 9 standing for pint and quart. The
score was settled for and wiped out every
Saturday night. II tho customer was
dilatory in making settlement, he wa
reminded Of his P's and Q's. It has beer
inferred that the word tick, equivalent
to credit, arose from the tick or mari
which indicated each glass Of ale. Others
date the phrase to the time when perukel
were in fashion. The toupee was the ar
tificial lock of hair, and the queue th'
pigtail. The phrase was "Mind youl
toupees and your queues" An old riddl,
gives color to this explanation. "Wht
is the best person to keep the alphabet il
order?" was the comndrum. The answer
was "a barber, because he ties up th'
queues and puts tpupees in order"
may be that this old riddle suggested tn
more modern one Of "When does black
smith set the letters of the alphabet II
quarrelingT' "Wlnen he makes poke
"a poke ~ and shovel (shove ~"
"Blind as beetle" is a phrase as ia
miliar as it is false. The insect, In it
rapid flight in summer, often strikes tn
faces Of those that are walking, whicl
led to the erroneous impression that 1t
blind. Collins refers to this freak Of tn
| U00Gl6 Ill lll5 ou0 w IfCAIuks
And Oft he rises In the twilight path,
Against the pilgrim bprne in needless hum.
The poet, however, wastoo much Of q,
entomologist to imp,ne blindness to tn
insect.
carrying the war into Africa" mean
to retaliate upon an enemy by adoptin
his own tactics. It grew out Of the bal
tie of wits between Scipio and Hanniba
The latter, q Carthaginian leader, led hi
} army into Italy, and for several yea,
, continued to threaten Rome and Ia
waste the surrounding country. Scipie
the Roman general, saw the necessity 9
getting rid of Hannibal and his forces
So he led an army into Africa and threat
ened Carthage, thus making it necessar
. for Hannibal to return home for It's de
/ fense.
"Cimmerian darkness" is derived fror
the traditions concerning the Cimmerii
people Of Italy who lived in caves nea
Lake Averno. From those gloomy hal
itations, 80 inaccessible to the rays Of Il,
sun, the Sybils gave out their oracles.
The old proverbial expression, "Dea
as a door nail, had very simple origir
In olden times the doors were supple
with knockers instead of bells. Th
: knocker itself, in order TO make tn
> necessary noise, was made to strike on
piece Of iron inserted in the door, an
this piece Of iron was called the mail,
So many blows rendered the nail "mult
8 morte," as Virgil says, abundant
dead," every deadr' In Shakespeare
: "Henry w" Falstaf says: "What!
r the old king dead?" Pistol replies: "a
I nail in door,"
Escaped with the skin Of his teeth,
/ is from the twentieth verse Of the MIN
a teenth chapter of Job.
= According to the historian Macaula.
the expression, "The gray marc is Il
= better horse" originated in the prefe
. ence given to the gray mare Of Flande
over the fine coach horse Of England.
! Frank q. Stauffer in Detroit Free Rsee