Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-20
Things You Want to Know Origin Phrases s' S'"'''

rushed out In pursuit Of the boar lie was
killed in the encounter.
The term "pin money" had its origin
when pins were first invented and they
were very expensive. In the fourteenth
century the makers were allowed to sell
them only on the first and second days OK
January. II became the custom 10 give
women at their marriage certain sum
of money for buying pins, and the phrase
pin money" has been retained to signify
an allowance Tor a woman's personal eN-
penditures.
The expression there is no royal road
to learning" dates back to the Third CEN
fury before Christ. Ptolemy Softer, after
wards king Of Egypt, was the pupil OF
the famous mathematician Euclid and when
the royal youth asked II geometry could
not be made a little easier the reply was
the famous epigram.. We are indebted to
Archimedes, another famous mathematician
of antiquity for two phrases. 1t was ne
who said; Give me lever long enough
and prop strong enough and can, SIM
gle-handed, move the world" Archimedes
was also probably the original absent
minded" mathematician on whom jokes
have been based for more than 1000 years.
on one occasion, Hero, the king Of SYRIA
cuse, suspecting that goldsmith had sub
stituted some other metal for pure gold in
certain coin, asked Archimedes TO find
out IL his suspicious were well founded.
Archimedes, not being an alchemist, was
| greatly troubled. While thinking over the
matter one day he went to his bath, which
| happened to be full TO the brim, As he
got in it occurred TO him that as much
| water would run out as equalled his bulk
| He then saw that II he put the coin In
| a full pail of water and weighed the over
| flow and then took a piece OF pure gold
the same weight as the coin and put 1t
! in the same vessel, ,refilled, that the same
amount OF water should flow out lie was
so overjoyed that he ran out OF the public
bath and started for home without waiting
to put on his clothes, crying through the
streets "Eurekal Eurekal 1 have found 1t!
have found lt!" on this discovery Arehi-
modes based his law of specific gravity.
The expression "windfall,' meaning good
luck dates from the time of William the
Conqueror in whose reign 1t was a criminal
! offense to cut down timber In the forests.
When a heavy windstorm came and blew
down trees the peasants were allowed TO
pick up the fallen timber, hence q windfall
was an occasion for rejoicing.
One of the Oldest OF the popular express
sions is sub rosa" literally under the
rose" The phrase dates back TO al B. 9.
when Pausanias, in commend of the con-
federated fleet of the spartans and the
Athenians, entered into secret negotiotions
with Nerves, the Persian ruler to betray
his country and to obtain the hand Of the
monarchs daughter In marriage. The Sc
cret negotiations were carried on in q
building attached to the temple of Minerva,
called the Brazen House, the roof OF which
was covered with roses. Pausanias' plans
were discovered and, in order to escape the
vengeance of his outraged countrymen, he
fled to the temple OF Minerva, which was
sacred against intrusion for violent pur-
poses. The people were so enraged at being
thwarted that they decided to wall up the
edifice and leave the traitor to die of
starvation Pausanias own mother laid
the first stone. After this 1t became a
custom among Athenians to wear rose
when they had a confidential communica-
ton to make, the flower implying strict
;, confidence. -n'.t
America is Indebted to an Engishman for
its motto, "E Pluribus Unum" 1t was
while John Adams was minister to Eng
land that he met Sir John Prestwicg, an
eminent antiquarian, who suggested to him
that 1t would be good motto to indicate
the union OF the colonies. Adams COM
municated this idea to the secretary of
congress and, on June 20, 1882, Charles
Thompson reported his design for goy-
eminent seal, and on 1t was the latin To-
gend given above. The phrase was used
as a motto for the Gentlemans Magazine
as early at 1880.
Contrary to general belief the expression
"halcyon days does not refer to former
, period In the worlds history, or to the
q early and care free period of ones life,
but to a certain season OF the year. seven
days before and seven days after the winter
sollstice. December q. The phrase has
grown out of fable which had It's origin
among the ancient Sicilians, who believed
, that at the time of the year mentioned the
I halcyon, or kngfisher brooded over her
q young in a floating nest upon the surface
of the water and that during that period
the seas were calm and could be safely
navigated, hence they were called the
\ "halcyon days"
The term without the pale" comes to us
4 from the time Of King John Of England,
a who divided the kingdom of Ireland, then
, nomnally subject to England, into twelve
counties. This entire district, occupied by
: English planters, was afterwards, from
them, called the Pale; within the Pale
= English rule was acknowledged and obeyed,
while all beyond was held by imperfeee
tenure.
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKTN.
communicating OF the AEillers.