Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1918-06-07
.OF SIMPLE origin
interesting 10 Trace Source oil
Familiar Expressions.
nMind Your P's and o's" Said to Have
First Come Into Use In a London
Taproom-"Humbug" First to
Come From ireland.

It is, / think, generally supposed
that the expression "Mind your p's
and as" originated In a schoolroom
and was a teachers warning to pupils
that the two letters, when not cap
itallzed, were very similar In con.
struction, says a writer in the Mem.
phis Commercial-Appeal. There is.
however, authority for the statement
that the place Of origin was very faI
from being a schoolhouse, and was, IL
fact, an ancient London taproom
whose proprietor on giving credit fol
ale to customers, chalked their in.
debtedness on the wall In the form OF
ps for pints and as for quarts, anc
was In the habit of bidding such debt
ors to 'mind" them,
The expression "sub rosa" Cundel
the rose), implying secrecy, is said t.
have originated from an incident dat
ing back as far as the year AIT B. @
AT that time Pausanias, commander
in chief of the confederated fleet OF
the Spartans and Athenians was en-
gagged in an intrigue with Xerxes fol
the subjugatiOn Of Greece to the Per
sian rule, and for the hand of the mon
arch's daughter In marriage. The Sc
cret negotiations we're carried Oh
under an Overhanging bower Of roses
The perfdy of Pausanias was discov
cred, but, whether in defiance Of his
fate or not, it became a custom among
the Athenians to wear roses In theil
hair whenever imparting a secret they
wished kept inviolate, hence the say
Ing "sub rosa" among them, and
since, among Christian nations.
The word "dun" as used in the
phrase "dunning a man" is commonly
thought to be derived from the French
"donnez," but, according to an Eng
fish publication, bearing date Of 1706
it owes its origin to one Joe Dun, o
famous bailiff of Lincoln In the time
Of Henry VII. The bailiff Is said to
have been so dexterous in the man.
agement of his rough business, and
so successful in the collection Of dues
that his name became proverbial, and
whenever q man refused to pay his
debt 1t became customary to say tC
his creditors: "Why don't you Dur
him9"
To find the origin Of the word
'humbug" we are invited to Ireland
in the days of James II. That mon
arch is said to have caused to be
made at the mint in Dublin a coin
out Of anything obtainable, such as
lead, pewter, copper, brass, and SO
low was its intrinsic value that &C
shillings Of 1t was worth only two
pence sterling. The soft metal OF
which the coin was composed became
known among the Irish as "Uim bog"
pronounced ''Oom bog" /. e., soft cop |
per, /. e., worthless money, and In the |
course Of their dealings the modern |
use of the word "humbug" took its |
rise, as in the phrases: ''That's @
piece Of 'uim bog" "Don't think to
pass of your uim bog on me-" etc.
Looking for an explanation Of how
the expression "A feather in ones
cap" originated you may find in
the Lansdowne manuscript, British
museum, Description OF Hungary
In 1900" In which the writer says Of
the inhabitants: ut hath ben antient
custom none may wear fether save
onlie he who slew a Turk, to whom
onlie 1t is lawful to shew We number
Of his Slaine enemys by We number OF
tethers in his cappe."