Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-12-23
CATDH PHRASES.
The Origin of Three Familiar Ones Given
Below.

"a BIRD IN THE HAND is WORTH TWO IN
Thu BUSH.
VIII Somers, the celebrated jester to
! Henry Will, happened to call on Lord
Surrey, whom he had often, by we'll
timed jest, saved from the kings dis
pleasure, and who, consequently, was
always glad to see him. He was on
this occasion ushered into the aviary,
where he found my lord amusing him.
self with his birds. Somers happened
to admire the plumage of kinghsber.
SPY my lady, my prince Of wits, will
give ii to you" viii skipped about
with delight, and swore by the great
Harry be was most noble gentleman.
Away went Will with his kingfsher,
telling all his acquaintances whom he
met that his friend Surrey, had just
presented him with 1t. Now, it so hap
pened that Lord Northampton, who had
seen the bird the day previous, arrivee
at Lord Surveys just as VIII SomerS
had left, with the intention OF asking
the bird of Surrey for present to a
lady friend. Great was his chagrin on
finding the bird gone. Surrey, how
ever, consoled him with saying that he
knew Somers would restore IL if he
Surrey promised him two some other
day. Away went u messenger TO the
prince Of wits, whom be found in rap
lures with his bird, and to whom he de-
livered his lords message. Great was
Wills surprise, but he was not to be
bamboozled by even the monarch him
self. "Sirrah," said VIII, tell your
master that | am much obliged for his
liberal offer OF TWO for one, but that /
prefer one bird in hand TO two in the
BUSH"
IAN AK TO GRIND"
The phrasa .sAn-s~ 10 grind >, L-s
Franklin, but it really belongs to
Charles Miner (l7S0-1s65), and occurs
in an essay entitled who'll Turn the
Grndstone?" originally contributed to
the WiIkesbarre Cleaner, a country
newspaper in the interior OF Pennsyl-
vania, 10 1911. The author says that
when he was little boy ne was accost-
ed one cold winter morning by man
with an AK on his shoulder. my pref
ty boy" said he, "has your father a
grindstone?" Eyes, sir" said l. "You
are fine little fellow" said he. "Will you
let me grind my ak upon it?" Pleased by
the compliment of "fne little fellow"
the gentleman's bidding was done by
the boy, water being procured for MIN
and the grindstone kept in motion uutil
the boys hands were bistered, the
smiling gentleman keeping up his fiat
terry meanwhile. Before the grinding
was done the school bell rang, and after
the ak had the proper edge on 1t the
man ungraciously exclaimed: Now,
You little rascal, you've played the tru-
ant; scud to school, or you'll rue It,"
The author says he felt very much
wounded, and never forgot the incident,
and ever after ward when he saw one
person fatteripg another he said to
himself: THAT man has an ak to
grind"
The essay, 1t will be seen, is initiated
from Franklin's Don't Pay Too Much
for Your Whistle :
EUREKA.
Eureka is from a Gre elk word mean
Ing 81 have found it," Archimedes was
consulted by Hero, King Of Syracuse,
/ in regard to good crown suspected OF
being alleged with silver. How was the
| fraud, II any, 10 be detected? Inc ma
thematician pondered over the matter,
and was still bordering, well nigh hope
less OF solution, when he got into bis
bath. The bath was full and over
flowed. Then the thought occurred to
him: Exactly as much water must
overflow as was equal in volume TO
the size OF his body. Quick as
lightning came another thought: II he
put the crown into vessel Of water and
weighed the overflow, then put into the
water piece Of pure gold weighing ex-
actly as much as the crown, the over
flow should weigh exactly as much In
one case as in the other, provided the
crown was pure. Electrified by the
thought, he leaped from the bath and
ran through the streets shouting: "Eu-
reka! Eurekap This test proved that
the smith had, infact, cheated the king.
The cry is now Familiarity used as an ex.
clamation of triumph at discovery Oh
supposed discovery. 1t is the motto oil
the State Of California, In alluslon to the
) discovery Of gold there.