The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-10
ORIGIN OF POPULAR Phrases.
ITO scrape Acquaintance" Goes Back
20 ROme-"The Dickens Not the
Author.


Author.
From the Boston Globe.
There are popular sayings and express
sions which We hear every day. yet we
would ind ourselves at loss If called
upon to count for their origin.
For instance. the Dickens" or go to
the Dickens.' Dickens has no connec-
ton at all. as one might suppose. with
the celebrated novelist, but is a corrup-
ton Of the word 'deviIkins." meaning
little devils. In Scotland the word used
Is dalkins," with the same signifcation.
In old English viii be found many
olasphemous allusion under an apparently
harmless exterior. odds boddikinsi'
means Gods littIa BODY POUNDS"
Gods wounds; good graciousr' God is
gracious and 80 dear is no more nor
less than 20 Cod" from Deus.
IN cook your goose for you" Eric.
KING OF Sweden, coming tosa certain town,
besieged 1t, but, having few soldiers. was
oDllged to desist. The inhabitants in de-
rislon hung out from the walls goose on
a pole. Later Eric returned with rein
Iorcements, and in reply to the challenge
OF the heratds observed that he had come
10 cook their goose for them" and pro-
ceeded to take the town by storm and
make it hot for the inhabitants.
10 play gooseberry' to two lovers,
winch should rather run 'gooseberry
picker" is to make third and play pro-
priety, to act as the gooseberry picker.
who has TO undergo all the pains and PEN
alties attached to gathering a prickly
fruit, while the Others have the pleasure
of eating it,
Sending a person to Coventry" There
is tradition that at one time the civilian
in hl1,f Fnra s-E
entirely against any communication be-
tween their own party and the soldiery
quartered there, and if any of their women
folk trangressed their unwritten social
law and were caught speaking to any of
these sons of Mars they at once became
the object of town scandal. Hence being
sent 10 Coventry became a synonym for
exile from ordinary social intercourse.
GOOD wine needs no bush" means a
good thing wants no advertisement or puff
ing. Some time ago it was customary
10 hang an ivy bush as a sign outside tav-
ems or private houses where beer could
be had by strangers, and even at the
present time. in the good old town Of
Gloucester, when the hiring fairs come
round, may be seen the survival of the
institution.
ITO scrape acquaintance" This expres-
sion probably had an imperial godfather
in the shape of the Emperor Hadrian
who, when attending the bath, caught
sight of an old soldier of the imperial
guard making use of a tile in place of the
ordinary flesh brush to rub himself down
Hadrian made inquiries into the mans
condition, and finding him necessitous
sent him handsome present of clothes
and money.
The next time he went to the bath his
eyes rested on a dozen or so of the vet
Grams armed with broken tiles. working
away industriously on their bodies. where
upon he exclaimed, "Scrape on, GENTLE
men, but you won't scrape acquaintance
with mer
To grin like a Cheshire cat" or. as
is more frequently said, from ear to ear ;,
A particular pattern of stamp for the
butter pats is in general use amongst the
farmers of a certain agricultural district
In Cheshire the popular imprint was a cat
or peculiarly open countenance," hence
the expression.
To warm the cookies of your heart
means to produce a sense of comfort
within you The ventrlcles of the heart
are sometimes called "coochlee cords -
OF which the foregoing expression in
wolves a corruption for the one mart
and translation for the other.
10 take down peg means to take
the conceit out of a person, bringing him
down TO his proper level. The Saxons
in the days of St. Dunstan, We're wont
TO quarrel over their cups, and on the
saints advice small peg were inserted at
regular intervals in their drinking YES
sells, so that when more than one drank
from the same bowl none should exceed
his fair share.
Moreover, at this time, when the ca
pacity to empty large fagon at draft
was held in esteem and drinking con-
tests We're in favor, the depth of these
potauons was measured by these pegs
and the competitor whose draft brought
the surface of the liquio peg lower than
the effort of his rival was said to take
the other down peg.
Mind your p's and as, meaning to be
on your best behavior, has three sug-
gested origins:
First, that it is the outcome of the
writing masters injunction to his pupil.
to be careful in the formation of those
letters, to distinguish them from US and
g's; next, that it may be derived from
the formerly common custom of chalking
up beer scores on slate or board be-
hind the door, pints being indicated by
p's and quarts by as When such an ac-
count was growing beyond permissible
proportions it would be likely that the
landlord, or the customers gossips would
bid the offender mind his ps and as.
The third suggestion is that p's and as
are the anglicized version of pieds (de-
portmenO and queues (tails of hair).
The grace and the graceful arrangement
of these were distinguishing marks Of
the exquisites of France in the time of
the later Louis.