Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-12-05
ODD ORIGIN OF WORDS
SOME THAT ARE NOW FAMILIAR ooe
TO ACCIDENT.
The Superstition of skipper "~''
"Schooner1-Where "Siihoue''e
From-How "Ouiz" Was Made-uii"'
} by. Originated With Arsoi~n

aSchoorers-Where "Silhouette cse
From-Hov "ouiz" Was Made-"AuiiA'
bv, Originated with Arabian Mothers
There are words all frequently use wnos,
histories and derivations are QUAINT any
mcmillan The schooner Is comparatNely
a modern craft and is a product OF hahhee !,
INGENUITY bluff old Ney England
skinner. CAPTAIN Andrew Robinson VINO
nrobablv brought more slaves to the COLO
pieS than molasses and other common I'M
nortations. one day came to the conclusion
tbot no could rig a boat that would De an
;mnrovement on the craft then i'll use Tor
coastwise shipping. Being superstitlous,
as most seafaring people are, he determined
70 let chance name his new boat. Ihere
we're many spectators at the launching,
some shaking their heads obviously, others
ridicnlinp and then others believing IN
the invention of the old captain. AS the
boat left the stays she plunged her nose IN
IN tbe water. came up again like cork
and skinned over the water like bird.
A hurst of admiration broke from the
crowd. and one of the onlookers exclalm-
cd see how she scoons!' Captain Rob-
inson reverently taking the cue said
she has been ever since, with the excep-
tion of the letter "h, J." which generally
manages somehow to get into words where
1t is not needed.
Another curious word, which has sig
nificant and historical origin, is silhouette.
Although this word is somewhat un-Eng-
lish. still it comes under the general ap-
,ropriation which the English speaking
people made of everything that would
serve them. One silhouette was min
.ster of state of France in 1859, critical
period with that country financially, which
came near eliminating in national bank
ruptcy. Silhouette is represented as being
q very wise and sagacious man, and in
politics he would now be termed a 're-
former"
silhouette and his doctrines became the
butt of all the wits of Paris, and many
lest was perpetrated on the minister of
state under the very nose of Silhouette.
With serious faces but laughing inwardly
persons wore short coats without sleeves,
and many other extravagances of like
nature were committed, among which was
one of particular note which created a
great deal of merriment at the time-in
fact so much so that it has been handed
down to us together with the name of the
great reformer as being the climax of the
pranks of the Partisan wits. All of the
portraits were made in black to represent
q profile of the face and bust similar to
shadow cast upon white paper by the aid
of a strong light, thus economizing color
ed paints and other expensive materials,
and this is our present Silhouette and all
that is left of him.
The youth speaks Of going to his ''hab-
erdasher." This word is among that class
that owe their origin to one of the most
common of sources-viz, corruption. The
small shopkeeperS of Germany had a Gus
tom in past ages of standing in the doors
of their shops and inviting an inspection
of their wares. Their common salutation
to every passerby who had the appearance
of being in the least susceptible was, "Habt
ihr dass, herr" C'Have you this, sir?')
which was, one may readily imagine cor
rupted into "haberdasher'' by rapid and
constant repetition.
Another word, "exchequer, has o pc
culiar derivation. In the time of the old
Normans there was established a court of
equity, or claims, before which was settled
the claims of the king upon the people, the
claims of the people upon the king and tho
claims of the people upon the people. Be-
fore the judge or presiding officer of this
court was table, upon which was check
cred cloth similar to chesshoard, which
was used as an assistant in counting, and
to observe this court in session it had the
appearance of game of checkers, and so
by common usage it became the court Of
exchequer, from which comes the word as
it is most commonly used now, meaning
principally treasury.
The word quiz is purely an accident.
or, more properly speaking, the result of
an lrishman's joke, and in reality has no
meaning. A wager was made between
some students of an old university that
one of them could not invent a new word
which in "a hours would be the talk of
all Dublin. There was much laughter at
the expense of the would be coiner of the
new word, but next morning upon rising
the new word was ut the expense of the
scoffers, for the letters q Il We're posted
on every wall and available space in Dub
lin, and thus the word became the talk of
the town and has since remained exactly
what it was when it was invented-a rid
die.
There is word in our language which,
oorrectIy speaking, means nothing what
ever, although its relative meaning is ia
miliar and dear to all. Who is there in
whom the word ''lullaby'' does not stir
some of the tenderest and dearest recol-
lections? This word "lullaby" comes to
us in sweet contrast as myth from the
starry plains of Arabia, polished and
rounded by the roll of the eternal ages.
As a consequence of Lilith, Adams con.
Sort forming an alliance with the evil
spirit, and thus falling from grace, in tho
course of time the name Lilith became
dreaded, and many fearful deeds were at
tributed to her. SO much so the Arabian
mother never dare leave her slumbering
child without commanding Lilith to be
gone and to do the little one no harm
The Arabic phrase invariably used had the
sound of Lilith by" As time progress
ed this was taken up and made the burden
Of the grooming, drowsy cummings of a
mother singing her baby to sleep and has
finally come down to us as the sweet, soft
lullaby. New York Herald
His Notes.
1t WAS said of Eica Cbap,o1lon D..