The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-06-14
THE BIRTH OF WORDS
A WEALTH OF EXPRESSIONS FROM
THE HUMAN BODY.
More Than Four Hundred Words In
Our Language Are Related to the
Hand Alone and Almost as Many
Are Derived From the Head.

| Are Derived From the Head,
The human body-its limbs, fingers,
toes, mouth, nose, ears, head and some
of the internal organs-has originated
hundreds Of words In one of the
large dictionaries more than 400 are
found related to the hand alone and
almost as many to the head.
Index, indicate, predicate, from a
Greek word for finger, mean that
which points out. So oracle and orator
Audience, audible, auscultation, the
auditing of accounts, originally after a
'hearing" Of the officials, are rraceable
to the ear. Spirit means the breath
and is also found in conspire, ito
breathe together" inspire, "to breathe
ln," and even in perspire, Ito breathe
through" impeachment is something
against the foot. Ell, the cloth meas
ure, is the length of the forearm. The
hair in capillary attraction means the
power exerted through the capillary or
halrlike tubes.
The heart (cordis) is to be observed
In cordial, or heartening, drink; a
cordial, or hearty, manner; the core Of
an apple. Dents in wood or metal get
their name from their resemblance to
tooth marks. The tongue sticks out in
several words, like language and lin
guist.
In some countries anybody may rise
by his own merits to be somebody,
even to the "head' Of the nation or Of
the church; be a head master of
schoc!, head g revolution, take up
earns" and prove to be a capital
that is, a Observation-Disclosures and the
chief 0eaD of the army.
| Corporal punishment is bodily pun
| ishment; capital punishment is pun
ishment by decapitation, or taking o.
the head. A corporal-that is, cap
Oral-means the same as captain-that
| is, the head Of body of foot soldiers.
A colonel is one who has been crown
ed. The commander in chief, or head
headmen Of the enemy, to capitulate-
that is, surrender according to an
agreement that is divided into capitu-
las, or little heads, or chapters.
A heady and headstrong ruler some
times makes people wish he was head
less. TO make Roadway against his
foes he may have to rush headlong into
difficulties or take a header into the
unknown sea Of politics. Among some
peoples one with the big head is likely
to lose it. Under some the headship Of
the ship Of state does not make head
way against the head winds of events
or around the ''cape," or headland, just
ahead. He may plunge into trouble
over head and ears, and his opponents
have to put their heads together to
head him off, so as to prevent a head
on collision with another nation. Some
men hate to be treated as deadheads
at political headquarters or as so many
head of cattle or as mutton heads or
cabbage heads, cabbage itself being
from an old Spanish word meaning
head.
Some men '.play their hand" for all
there is in it. Some stretch out the
glad hand to every one Some keep
hand in glove with those engaged in
underhand proceedings as we'll as with
those who have climbed to high places
hand over hand. When the right man
says Hands OFF, even his right hand
man would not lay hands on what was
forbidden. The clock hands tell us If
we are beforehand or behindhand.
A handsome man originally was one
who used his hands skillfully and so
was graceful and probably, therefore,
good looking. Although every one car
ries a palm in his hand, people no
longer, with palms in their hands, well
come their heroes. One may have his
finger in too many pies and tread on
too many toes. Ones chirography,
manuscript, handwriting-theya are all
| one-may be rather coarse, but his fine
hand is detected in many public docu-
ment and so arouse opposition to his
handling the funds. This might prove
a severe handicap, which was original
~ so called from the jockeys putting
their hands into a cap and drawing
| lots for the places that their horses
We're to have in the race Footstool
and foot rule sound alike, but in the
first foot is the literal, in the second
the figurative, use of the word.
| Though the politician put his best
foot forward he may find his foothold
getting insecure and begin wondering
what's afoot. His coachman, mount
| ing the footboard, may be insolent; his
footman, contemptuous; his chef. or
head cook, neglectful. He may be
ridiculed before the footlights as a
social footpad, living hand to mouth
existence at the expense of the tax
payers. While they are insisting on
his toeing the mark and he is hanging
to his position by the toe nails, as the
saying is, he may we'll wish he was
! back on his native foothills.
Were he arrested he might be hand
cuffed and letters, or feeters, placed
upon his feet. He might not even have
an opportunity Of making mouths or
showing his teeth at his enemies. He