Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-08-08
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 organisms 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 O
Greek word for finger, mean that
which points out SO oracle and orator
refer to what comes out Of the mouth.
Audience, audible, auscultatlon, the
auditing of accounts, originally after a
"hearing' of the officials, are traceable
TO the ear. Spirit means the breath
and is also found in conspire, Ito
breathe together" inspire, "to breathe
in" and even In perspire, "to 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 head master Of a
school, head revolution, take up
"arms" and prove to be q capital
that is, a headmost-soldier and the
chief head) Of the army
Corporal punishment is bodily pun
ishment; capital punishment Is pun
Isbment by decapitation, or taking OH
the head. A corporal-that Is, a 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
commander, compels the chieftains, or
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 header Into the
unknown sea OF politics. Among some
peoples one with the big head Is likely
to lose II. Under some the headship or
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 oil
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 well 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 II
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
rles 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-they 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
severe handicap, which was original
" so called from the jockeys putting
their hands into cap and drawing
lots for the places that their horses
were to have In the race F0Otstool
and foot rule sound alike but in the
first foot is the literal, In the second
the figrlratIve. 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
rldiculed before the footlights as
social footpad. living hand to mouth
existence at the expense Of the tax
payers. While they are insisting on
bis toelng the mark and he Is hanging
to his position by the toe nails, as the
saying Is. he may well 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
might I'm other days be turned over TO
the hcadsman. but there would be no
newspaper headlines proclalming that
fact. Only small headstone might
tell his fate to the pedestrians, or foot
passengers. going by.-New York Trib'
Rabbit Shooting In France.
LIE Sport is answerable for much
exhibition OF humor on the part or
nation like ours. where killing for run
ia brought to perfection, and the story
of the Englishman who went rabbit
shooting with two Frenchmen In Nor
mandy may or may not be true. They
set out. eager for the chase; they sight
cd rabbit. and up went the English
mans gun to his shoulder. mo, no; do
not shootr' cried his companions.
4That is Mimi We never shoot NJ
flu