The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-13
COMMON EXPRESSIONS.
How They Originated and Came In
to Use.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.

From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
ITO feel in apple-pie order" is &
phrase which dates back to Puritan
times-to certain Hepzibah Merton
1t seems that every Saturday she was
accustomed to bake two or three dozen
apple pies. which were to last her
family through the coming week. These
she placed carefully on her pantry
shelves, labeled for each day of the
week, so that Tuesdays pies might not
be confused with Thursdays. nor those
presumably large or intended for
washing and sweeping days eaten
when household labors were lighter.
Aunt Hephzlbahs "apple-pie order
was known throughout the entire set
tlemen, and originated the well-known
saying.
1t was once customary in France,
when a guest had outstayed his well
cine, for the host to serve a cold
shoulder of mutton. instead of hot
roast. This was the origin of the
phrase. ITO give the cold shoulder"
None shall wear a feather but he
who has killed a Turk was an old
Hungarian saying, and the number of
feathers in his cap indicated how many
Turks the man had killed. Hence the
origin of the saying with reference to
a feather in ones cap.
In one of the battles between the
Russians and Tartars a private soldier
of the former cried out. Captain, I've
caught Tartar" Bring him along.
then" answered the officer. II can't.
for he won't let me- was the response.
Upon investigation it was apparent
that the captured had the captor by
the arm. and would not release him.
So, catching a Tartar" is applicable
to one who has found and antagonist
too powerful for him.
That far from an elegant expression
ITO kick the bucket" is believed to
have originated in the time of Queen
Elizabeth, when shoemaker named
Hawkins committed suicide by plac-
ing a bucket on table in order to raise
himself high enough to reach rafter
above, then kicking away the bucket
on which he stood.
The popular idea of the genesis of the
word news is that it is composed of
the initials of north. east, west and
south, which the early newspapers
printed as a headline" to show that
information was contained in the paper
from the four corners of the earth. AS
a matter of fact, the word appears first
in old English as news" or "newsy,"
the plural of new. 1t is not a native
English idiom. but a translation of the
French "nouvelles"-news. Another
superstition is that news represents the
paritive genitive of the Anglo-Saxon
"hwaet niwes," but this is not borne
out by old English examples.
Before you can say Jack Robinson"
owes its origin to foolish John Robin
son. who, when he called on his friends.
always was in such hurry that he
would be off again, without giving his
host more than time to pronounce his
name.
VIII n the Spanish armada came to
the coasts of England many of the
ships We've driven by the fierce attack
of Drake and Howard and the fury of
the elements north to the Helder river
and south to the Skelder river-the
Scheldt-hence the expression 'helter-
SHELTER"
The Latin word for hare is lepus. The
Norman knights who came into Eng
land with William the Conquerer pro-
nounced it lie puss," and "puss" the
rabbit and hare are called in England
to this day. From calling a hare and
rabbit 'puss" the name came to be APP
piled to cats. and so it is used in this
country and in England So, when you
call your house cat "puss, puss," you
are simply speaking decapitated Latin
60 to Halifax" That town was
place of special terror for rogues be-
cause of the first rude guillotine in
vented there by Mannaye for chopping
off felons' heads. Halifax law was that
the criminal should be condemned
first and inquired upon after"
Spick and span" comes from the
spikes" and "spanners"-the hooks
and stretchers for stretching cloth new
from the loom.
To dun a man for debt comes from
the memory of Joe Dun bailff of Lin
coin, who was so keen collector that
his name has become a proverb.
The expression He's a brick" is first
found in Plutarch. The whole phrase
is expressive of every form of admira-
ton. The Sparatans, quick-witted and
noted for their repartee, were early
trained in both schools. They were
men of few words. and fewer laws. and
embodied in short phrases their admi-
ration, dislikes or appreciation. Ly-
curgus was not only a man of few
words, but quick action. On being ask
ed, Should Sparata be inclosed?" an
invasion of the enemy being expected
during the time of war, he replied. "A
city is we'll fortified which has a wall
of men instead of brick" very clever
story is told of the diplomatic mission
from the court of Epirus. The Ambas-
sador, being shown over the city by
the King. expressed surprise that no
walls were built around Sparta for its
defense. "Wals?" cried the King.
lHOu CdnSI not nave looked CAREFUL
lyi Tomorrow we will go together and
i will show you the walls of Sparta"
On the following day the King led his
guest to where his entire army was
drawn up. Pointing with great pride
to the magnificent body of men, he
exclaimed: '"There thou beholdest the
walls of Sparta, and every man a
brick!"
Turning the tables" in the sense of
bringing a counter charge against an
accuser, has a classic origin. In the
days OF Augustus Imperator a regular
craze seized the men of Rome to COM
pete with one another for the possess
sion of the costliest specimens of
certain description of table made
for the most part of Maurt-
tana wood with ivory-"men-
arum insania," or table mani, as Pliny
called it, They were sold at NOSE ex-
travagant prices When the men ac-
cused the ladies of sumptuary extrav-
agance. the latter naturally retorted
by reference to the money squander-
ed by their lords on these tables, and
so turned the tables on them" by
throwing them, metaphorically, in
their teeth.
When the Horse Guards parade in
st. James Park, London. there is al
ways a lot of boys on hand to black
the boots of the soldiers or do other