Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-10-17
aftisfellaneu,1s geading.
ORIGIN OF COMMON WORDS.

ORIGIN 0F COMMON WUkDS.
FL SmilIar Expressions Derived From Un-
expected Sources.
1 was lately asked by an ambitious
school girl to assist in her researches
into the original meaning of various
words and terms, some of them in
daily use. 1t was interesting work.
well calculated to repay investigation.
1t is curious fact that one word
parlor- originated in the French nun
neries. It came from the verb parlor,
to speak. The parlor was the room
in the convent where the nuns were
permitted to see and speak to visitors
through grating. Coteries from the
Latin quot-how much, how many.
Originally a coterie meant number
of merchants who combined for some
particular adventure or speculation,
each furnishing his quota of goods or
money and receiving his quota of
profit. In our day it has come to
mean circle of particular friends, or
a meeting for social or literary purpo-
ses. The origin of the Stock Ex-
change is given in the London Times
of July Is, 1773-"Yesterday the bro
kers and others at New Jonathan's
came to a resolution, that instead of
it's being called New Jonathan's,' it
should be called the Stock Exchange,
which is to be wrote over the door.
The brokers then collected six pence
each, and christened the house with
punch" Ogilvie tells us that the
common expression, "to cotton to
one" is United States talk, and signi-
fies to take liking to one, literally
"to stick to him as cotton wool does
to Clothes"
The United States is held RESPONSE
BILE for the word "bogus," which is
said to be a corruption of the name,
Borghese. About the year 1887 an
individual of this name flooded the
west and southwest with counterfeit
bills on fictitious banks. The name
Borghese was soon cut down by his
victims TO the shorter one of bogus.
Very soon not only Borghese bills
but all others of like character, were
called "bogus currency" In the time
of King James I, the word "bombast"
meant sort of padding of cotton and
silk, that was used to stuff out the
enormously large breeches that were
then in fashion. Hence bombast in
our time means anything written or
spoken in a high-sounding, inflated
way. 1t seems that there is a fashion
in diseases as we'll as in clothes and
furniture. In 1850 bronchitis came to
the front as the affliction la mode,
just as appendicitis has in the last two
or three years. In December, 1851,
Jonn Leech published sketch enti-
tied, "Scene From the Last New
Fashionable Disease, Bronchitis"
The word "quiz," originated in a
wager made by Dublin theatrical
manager, that word unknown and
conveying no meaning should be on
everybody's tongue inside of "a hours.
He Immediately caused "quiz" to be
posted or chalked on all the walls of
Dublin. He won the wager.
"Mind your P's and Q's" is thought
by some authorities to have come
from the old custom of chalking up
behind the doors of ale houses the
amounts due from customers, pints
and quarts being represented by the
letters P. and @. Other authorities
think that the term originated in the
printing office, from the similarity of
the p's and q's in small Roman type,
so the apprentice printer had frequent
ly to be told to mind his p's and as.
"Nine days wonder" dates back to
the reign of Lady Jane Grey as queen
of England, which lasted just nine
days.
The game of tenpins was originally
ninepins. But in the United States it
was gambling game, and therefore in
some states prohibited by law. 1t was
an easy matter, however, for the dev-
olees of the game 10 add another pin.
Under the name of tenpins it has had
an uninterrupted career.
Hitaluten was thought to have origi-
mated in the western states, and at first
meant anything spoken in high flown,
bombustic manner.
The beginning of the use of the
terms "high church" and Glow church"
that we hear so frequently in these
days, dates back to Cromwell's time.
The people of the fenny part of Cam
brldgeshire were nearly all dissenters.
The old parish churches were situated
on the surrounding hills, and were
called by the dissenters the high
churches, while their places of wor-
ship were in turn called low churches.
Who would ever think that "Hey,
derry down" came from Druidical
chant, Hal down in, deri danno, mean
ing "Come, let us hasten to the oaken
grove 7" Blackwood's Magazine of
July, 1878, says it has been so traced.
And the word magazine, as applied
to these monthly publications is a
marked example of the way some
things have wandered from their raj
son d'etre. Edwards says: "The
original idea of a magazine, to be
periodically published, was that it