The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-21
COMMON PHASES.
GLANCE AT THE HISTORY OF SOME
HOUSEHOLD WORDS.
How the Dominion Got the Name of
Canada-Siihoulette OF
English Origin-Neddy, the Dom
key-Various Other Terms.

key-Various Other Terms.
There are many words and phrases
in everyday use in the English Ian
guage with the application of which
everyone is perfectly familiar, though
their origin is known to comparatively
few.
The well-known word "dun"-the
meaning of which is, indeed, too well
known by many-dates from about the
beginning of the century, when con-
stable named John Dun became cele-
brated as a first-class collector of bad
accounts. Others might fail to collect
a bad debt but Dun would be sure to
get it out of the debtor. 1t soon passed
into a current phrase that when a per
son owed money and did not pay when
asked, he would have to be 'dunned.
''Grog," the familiar name Tor sail
ors' mixture of spirits ana water. was
so called from Admiral Vernon, dis
tinguished British sailor. he always
wore a coat of ''grogram, rough KIND
of cloth, and was called 'Old Grog by
his sailors. He first introduced the "a
ton of spirits into the navy bill OF fare
and the mixttre at once received his
nickname.
Sandwiches" derive their name
from the Earl of Sandwich, the motor
ious Jenny Twitcher' Of George HIS
time. who was such an inveterate
gambler that, rather than pause IN ms
play for meals, he used to bid the
waiter to bring him meat between two
pieces of bread, which he ate at the
gaming table.
OF French Ancestry.
The way in which the word 'sil-
houte" came to be used to designate a
black outline picture is thus described:
EtienEe De Silhoute, famous French
minister of finance in the last century,
undertook to enforce economy in the
administration of government affairs,
but the idea was ridiculed by the DISCO
lutte mobiles, and one OF them in jest,
had a black outline of his face made
and showed it to his acquaintance,
pretending that SilhOute had made
him so poor that he could not afford to
have a better portrait made. The joke
took and silhOutes became the fashion.
The original of the word Canada is
very curious. The Spaniards visited
the country before the French, and
made their usual search for gold and
silver, but, finding none, they often
said to each other, AGA nada"-there
is nothing here. The Indians, who
watched their proceedings closely,
learned the words and their meaning.
Then the French came. and the IN
dams, who wanted none of their COM
pany, and supposed they were Span
iards bent on the same errand, were
anxious to get ri;i Of them by saying
"Aca NADIA" The French, knowing no
more of Spanish than the Indians, took
this often-repeated sound as the name
of the country, and gave it the name
of Canada.
There has been much question re-
garding the origin of the name straw
berry, which comes down from Anglo
Saxon times. The Latin name fra
gana," the fragant," is far more fit
ting for this best of berries. 1t is sup
posed that Strawberries were strung on
straw and sold by the "strawful," and
hence the name. School children now
frequently string raspberries in the
same way on a stiff stem Of grass or
straw
court is called the dock" most prob
ably from the Flemish "dokke," which
means a cage. The ratings usually
seen running along the top of the
woodwork of the modern dock are the
remains of what was once an iron cage
into which the criminal was thrust like
a wild animal During the middle
ages the cage" or iron framework in
which a condemned criminal was
sometimes hung up until he or she
died of hunger or exposure was also
called a ''dokke." A theory which de-
rives dock from the Gothic "dok."
deep or sunken place, is disposed of by
the fact that in almost all law courts
the accused person is usually placed in
the most conspicuous, and. consequent
y, somewhat elevated position.
Coined in London.
The familiar slang term uncle" ap-
piled to a pawnbroker, is nothing but
a poor pun on the Latin word "uncus,"
q. hook. PawnbrOkerS used a hook to
lift pawned articles to the upper
shelves before spouts were adopted.
Gone to TT : ''uncus'' is exactly equiva-
lent of the modern phrase cup the
spout" The French phrase, used in
the same connection, ga ma tante,"
does not mean ito my aunt's," but "to
the scoundrel's;'' ''tante" in French
"argot'' being the most reproachful
term that can be applied to man. In
called uncle" because the prisoners
are kept in pawn" by the govern
ment.
The origin of "windfall," in the sense
of good luck" dates from the times
of William the Conquerer. 1t was then
a criminal offenSe TO cut timber in the
forests. Only such wood could be
gathered as the wind had blown down;
hence a severe storm was hailed by the
peasants as so much good luck. In
old times even some OF the old nobility
were forbidden by the tenor of their
estates to cut down any trees on them
All the timber was reserved
for the use Of the royal navy, or any
other purpose to which the king might
see fit TO apply it. The occupant of the
land, however. might take the use Of
such as fell from old age or the effects
of the wind. Sometimes a good storm
in that way would double or treble
mobiles yearly income
The word ''canter." as applied to the
gait Of q horse. is an abbreviation Of
the words Canterbury gaIlcp." Il
name given to an easy gallop, in allu-
sion to the easy, ambling pace at
which the pilgrims rode to- Canterbury
to visit the shrines of d Beckett and
other martyrs. In SIMPSONS Fair
Maid of Clifton" 1888. he who person.
ates the hobby-horse speaks eff his
smooth ambles and Canterbury PAGES
More Curious Facts.
Another Illustration is the word
'neddy," applied to a donkey. 'Neddy''
is the same as ian heady," heady be-
ing used N the sense of 'thickhead,"
the colloquial translation of DUNN
Isopf." the German word for donkey
Of the human species. Neigh" comes
from the same root as mag" nag
being an animal that neighs.
The first French shoemal1ers were