Part 7

=Drachenfels.= German for “dragon rocks.” Here Siegfried, the hero of the Niebelungenlied, slew the dragon.

=Draft on Aldgate Pump.= A punning phrase for a worthless bill or cheque.

=Draggletail.= A slovenly woman who allows her skirts to draggle or trail in the mire of the street.

=Dragoman.= From the Turkish _drukeman_, an interpreter. A dragoman is in the East what a “Cicerone” is in Italy and elsewhere in Western Europe.

=Dragoons.= From the ancient musket called a dragon, or “spitfire.” The muzzle was embellished with a representation of a dragon.

=Draper.= One who dealt in cloth for draping only, as distinct from a mercer, milliner, or mantle-maker.

=Drapers’ Gardens.= The property of the Drapers’ Company, whose hall is situated here.

=Drat it.= A corruption of “Odd rot it,” from the old oath, “God rot them.”

=Drawer.= The old name for an inn or tavern keeper’s assistant, who drew the beer from the casks.

=Drawing-room.= Originally “Withdrawing-room” to which the ladies withdrew after dinner while the gentlemen sat over their wine.

=Draw it mild.= Originally a tavern phrase, when anyone preferred ordinary ale to hot spiced liquor.

=Draw the Long Bow.= In allusion to the exaggerated skill of the English archers prior to the introduction of gunpowder.

=Dress Circle.= That portion of a theatre which, before the introduction of stalls, was set apart for the superior sections of the audience.

=Dressed up to the Knocker.= To the extreme height of his resources. Before the establishment of the modern police system door knockers were placed as high as possible to prevent them from being wrenched off by sportive wags after nightfall.

=Dresser.= The kitchen sideboard, on which the meat was dressed before serving it up in the dining-chamber. The collection of cups, plates, and dishes which distinguishes a dresser originally had a place on a wide shelf or board over this meat dresser; hence cup-board.

=Drinks like a Fish.= Ready to swallow any quantity of liquor that may be offered. A great many fish have their mouths wide open whilst swimming.

=Drive a Bargain.= An expression meaning to knock down the original price asked, in punning allusion to “driving” a nail.

=Drop o’ the Crater.= See “Mountain Dew.”

=Druid.= In the Celtic _Derwydd_, derived from _dewr_, oak, and _gwydd_, knowledge. A priest who worshipped and offered sacrifices under an oak.

=Drum.= The name for a fashionable evening party of bygone days, from the noise made by the card players.

=Drummers.= An Americanism for commercial travellers, who are engaged in beating up trade.

=Drunkard’s Cloak.= A large wooden crinoline that hung from a drunkard’s neck to the ground, causing every bone in his body to ache owing to the weight resting on his shoulders. The instrument resembled an inverted flower pot, having a hole in the top for his head to be thrust through. Under this drastic treatment he soon became sober.

=Drunk as a Fiddler.= The fiddler was generally incapable of discoursing further music half way through the night’s jollification, because the dancers freely plied him with drink.

=Drunk as a Lord.= When George the Third was King, and long afterwards, the fine old English gentleman acted up to his character by using strong language and imbibing strong potations. To be “drunk as a lord” was the surest mark of gentility, and a “three bottle man” a pattern of sobriety. After dining it was considered no disgrace to roll helplessly under the table.

=Drury Lane.= From Drury House, the residence of Sir William Drury, _temp._ William III.

=Dublin.= From _Dubh-linn_, “black pool.”

=Dub Up.= An expression derived from the very general custom of dubbing or touching a man on the shoulder when arresting him for debt.

=Ducat.= Duke’s money, anciently struck in the Duchy of Apulia, Sicily.

=Duchess Street.= After Lady Cavendish, who became the wife of the second Duke of Portland.

=Ducking Stool.= An instrument for the punishment of scolding wives. This public ducking in a pond effectually served to cool their temper for the time being.

=Duck’s Foot Lane.= Properly “Duke’s Foot Lane,” the footway leading from the town house of the Earls of Suffolk down to the Thames.

=Dude.= An American name for a fop, derived from a very old English word, “dudes,” whence we have the slang term “Duds,” for clothes.

=Dudley.= From the castle built by Dodo, a Saxon prince, and _ley_, “meadow.”

=Duds.= See “Dude.”

=Dug-out.= A Far West Americanism for a boat or canoe hewn out of a large tree log.

=Dukeries.= That portion of Nottinghamshire distinguished for the number of ducal residences, of which Welbeck Abbey is perhaps the most admired.

=Duke Street.= In Aldgate, after the Dukes of Norfolk. Near Smithfield, the ancient property of the Dukes of Brittany. In Grosvenor Square, after the Duke of Cumberland. Off Langham Place, after the Duke of Portland. Near Manchester Square, after the Duke of Manchester. In the Strand, after George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.

=Dulwich.= The corruption of _Dalewich_, the village in the dale.

=Duma.= Russian for Parliament or popular representation.

=Dumb Ox.= One of the sobriquets of St Thomas Aquinas, from the silence with which he pursued his studies. His master, Albertus Magnus, however, predicted that “this dumb ox will one day fill the world with his bellowing.”

=Dumping.= A word which has come into prominence relative to Mr Chamberlain’s Fiscal Policy. In various forms the verb _dump_ may be met with in Teutonic and Scandinavian tongues, meaning to “pitch down,” “throw down in a lump,” etc. etc. A “Dump Cart” in America is one that tilts up in front, and so “dumps” its load behind.

=Dun.= A persistent creditor. After Joe Dun, a noted bailiff, who never failed to bring a debtor to book. People used to say: “Why don’t you Dun him for the debt?” meaning they would send Joe Dun to make him pay or arrest him.

=Dunce.= From John Duns Scotus, who, it is said, gave no proof of his remarkable attainments in his early scholastic days.

=Dundee.= A corruption of _Duntay_, the hill fort on the Tay.

=Dunedin.= See “Edinburgh.”

=Dungeness.= A corruption of _Danger Ness_, the Headland of Danger.

=Dunkirk.= Expresses the “Church in the Dunes,” or sand-hills, built by St Eloi in the seventh century.

=Durham.= A corruption of _Dunholm_, from its situation on a hill surrounded by the river.

=Dusseldorf.= The village on the Dussel.

=Dutchman.= A contemptuous epithet applied to our phlegmatic enemies during the wars with Holland.

=Dyers’ Buildings.= The site of an ancient almshouse of the Dyers’ Company.

E

=Eagle.= An inn sign, the cognisance of Queen Mary.

=Earl Street.= After Charles Marsham, Earl of Romney.

=Earl’s Court.= From the Earl of Warwick, whose estate it was until, by the marriage of the Dowager Countess of Warwick with Lord Holland, it passed into her husband’s family.

=East Anglia.= A name still popular as defining the eastern counties. This was one of the seven divisions or petty kingdoms of England under the Angles or Saxons.

=Eastcheap.= The eastern _chepe_, or market, of the city of London.

=Easter.= From the Teutonic _Ostara_, goddess of light or spring; rendered by the Anglo-Saxons _Eastre_. This great spring festival lasted eight days.

=Easter Island.= The name given to it by Jacob Roggevin when he visited the island on Easter Sunday, 1722.

=East Sheen.= A name reminiscent of the original designation of “Richmond.”

=Eat Dirt.= An Americanism for a confession of penitence or absolute defeat in an argument.

=Eat Humble Pie.= In the days of sumptuous banquets of venison the lords of the feast reserved to themselves the flesh of the deer. The huntsmen and retainers had to be content with the heart, liver, and entrails, collectively called the “umbles,” which were made into monster pies.

=Eat my own Words.= To take them back again, to retract a statement.

=Eaton Square.= From Eaton Hall, near Chester, the seat of the Duke of Westminster, the ground landlord.

=Eau de Cologne.= A scent prepared at Cologne. The city itself is not sweet to the nostrils; it has been said that forty different smells may be distinguished there.

=Eavesdropper.= A corruption of _Eavesdripper_, one who, listening under the eaves of a house, caught the drips from the roof when it chanced to be raining.

=Ebro.= After the _Iberi_, who spread themselves over the country from the banks of this river. See “Iberia.”

=Ebury Square.= From the ancient manor of Eabury Farm, inherited by Mary Davies, and which, by her marriage, passed into the possession of the Grosvenor family.

=Eccleston Square.= From Eccleston, Cheshire, the country seat of the Grosvenors.

=Ecuador.= Expresses the Spanish for Equator.

=Edgar Atheling.= Signifies “Edgar of noble descent.”

=Edinburgh.= The fortress or burgh built by Edwin, King of Northumbria. The Scots called it _Dunedin_.

=Edinburgh of America.= Albany, in the state of New York, so called on account of its magnificent public buildings and its commanding situation.

=Edmonton.= In Anglo-Saxon days _Edmund’s Town_.

=Edmund Ironside.= So called from the suit of chain mail that he wore. Notwithstanding this protection he was treacherously murdered after a reign of nine months only.

=Edward the Confessor.= The title bestowed upon the King of the Anglo-Saxons at his canonisation, on account of his remarkable asceticism, since, although he made the daughter of Earl Godwin his queen, he denied himself what are styled conjugal rights.

=Edward the Martyr.= Murdered at the instance of his stepmother at Corfe Castle after having reigned scarcely three years.

=Eel Pie Island.= From the invariable dinner dish served up to river excursionists.

=Effra Road.= At Camberwell, from the little river of the same name, now converted into a sewer.

=Egalité.= The name assumed by Philippe, Duc d’Orleans, the father of Louis Philippe, King of France, when, siding with the Republican Party in 1789, he accepted their motto: “Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality.” Four years later he met his death by the guillotine.

=Ehrenbreitstein.= Expresses the German for “Honour’s Broad Stone.” The castle stands on a precipitous rock, which well merits the description of the “Gibraltar of the Rhine.”

=Eisteddfod.= Celtic for a gathering of Welsh bards, from _eistodd_, to sit. As of old, the annual “Eisteddfod” is held for the encouragement of national music.

=Eldorado.= California. _Eldorado_ expresses the Spanish for “golden region.”

=Electic Philosophers.= Those who, agreeably to the Greek _ek-lego_, to pick out, selected what was best in the different schools or systems, and so built up one of their own.

=Elephant and Castle.= The famous landmark in South London derived its sign from the arms of the Cutlers’ Company. A tavern in St Pancras parish took its sign from the skeleton of an elephant, beside which was a flint-headed spear, dug up in the neighbourhood. The connection between these and the battle fought by the followers of Queen Boadicea against the Roman invaders was unmistakable.

=Elephant stepped on his Purse.= An Americanism implying that a creditor or some unlucky speculation has squeezed all the money out of a man.

=Elgin Marbles.= Brought from Greece by the seventh Earl of Elgin. Acquired by the nation for the British Museum in 1816.

=Elia.= The pseudonym of Charles Lamb for his “Essays” contributed to _The London Magazine_. This was the name of a gay, light-hearted foreigner, who fluttered about the South Sea House at the time when Lamb was a clerk there. At the moment of penning his signature to the first essay he bethought himself of that person, and substituted the name of _Elia_ for his own.

=Eltham.= Anciently _Ealdham_, “the old home.” Here Anthony Bec, the “Battling Bishop of Durham,” built himself a palace midway in the thirteenth century. After his death it fell to the Crown, and became a Royal residence, until the time of James I. The original Banqueting-Hall, used in modern days as a barn, may yet be seen.

=Ely Place.= Marks the site of the residence of the Bishops of Ely.

=Ember Days.= This term has no connection with embers or sackcloth and ashes as a penitential observance. The Saxons called them _Ymbrine dagas_, or “running days,” because they came round at regular seasons of the year.

=Emerald Isle.= Ireland, from its fresh verdure, due to its shores being washed by the warm waters of the “Gulf Stream.”

=Empire Day.= May 24th, formerly the Queen’s Birthday. In the last days of Victoria the British Empire was consolidated through the assistance lent by the Colonies to the Mother Country in the South African War. When, therefore, King Edward VII. came to the throne, the former Queen’s Birthday was invested with a greater significance than of old.

=Empire State.= New York, which, owing to position and commercial enterprise, has no rival among the other states of the Union.

=Empire State of the South.= Georgia, in consequence of its rapid industrial development.

=Ena Road.= In honour of Princess Ena, the consort of the young King of Spain.

=Encore.= From the Latin _hauc horam_, till this hour, still, again.

=Encyclopædia.= A book containing general or all-round instruction or information, from the Greek _enkylios_, circular or general, and _paideia_, instruction. An epitome of the whole circle of learning.

=Endell Street.= After the name of the builder. This is one of the few streets in London that has preserved its old characteristics, steadfastly refusing to march with the times.

=England.= In the time of Alfred the Great our country was styled _Engaland_, or the land of the Engles or Angles, who came over from Jutland.

=Englishman’s House is his Castle.= By the law of the land a bailiff must effect a peaceable entrance in order to distrain upon a debtor’s goods; therefore the latter is, as it were, sufficiently secure in his own fortress if he declines to give the enemy admittance.

=Ennis.= Expresses in Ireland, like _Innis_, the Celtic for an island. Both these words enter largely into Irish place-names.

=Enniskillen.= The kirk town on an island, the Celtic _kil_, originally implying a hermit’s cell, and later a chapel.

=Ennismore Place.= After Viscount Ennismore, Earl of Listowel, the ground landlord.

=Enough is as good as a Feast.= Because at no time can a person eat more than enough.

=Enrol.= See “Roll Call.”

=Entente Cordiale.= Expresses the French for cordial good will.

=Entire.= A word still to be met with on old tavern signs. It meant different qualities of ale or beer drawn from one cask.

=Entrées.= French for entries or commencements. Those made dishes are served after the soups, as an introduction to the more substantial portions of the repast, the joints.

=Epicure.= After Epicurus, a Greek philosopher, who taught that pleasure and good living constituted the happiness of mankind. His followers were styled Epicureans.

=Epiphany.= From the Greek _Epiphaneia_, an appearance, a showing; relative to the adoration of the Magi, who came from the East twelve days after the birth of the Saviour.

=Epsom Salts.= From the mineral springs at Epsom.

=Equality State.= Wyoming, where, first among the communities of the world, women were accorded the right to vote.

=Erie.= Indian for “Wild Cat,” the fierce tribe exterminated by the Iroquois.

=Escurial.= Properly _Escorial_, Spanish for “among the rocks.” King Philip II. built this superb convent and palace after the battle of St Quentin, in the course of which he had been obliged to bombard a monastery of the Order of St Jerome. He dedicated it to St Lawrence. He caused the structure to be in the form of a gridiron, the symbol of the Saint’s martyrdom.

=Esk.= A river name derived from the Celtic _uisg_, water.

=Esquimaux.= An Alonquin Indian term signifying “eaters of raw flesh.”

=Essex.= The kingdom of the East Saxons under the Heptarchy.

=Essex Street.= From the mansion of Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, the Parliamentary General in Cromwell’s time.

=Ethelred the Unready.= From his incapacity and unwillingness to accept _rede_, or counsel.

=Ethiopia.= From the Greek _aithein_, to burn, and _ops_, the face. Hence “the country of the blacks.”

=Etiquette.= A French word for “label.” Formerly a ticket or card of instructions was handed to visitors on ceremonial occasions. Nowadays such rules as pertain to deportment or decorum are supposed to enter into the education of all well-bred persons.

=Etna.= From the Phœnician _attuna_, a furnace.

=Eton.= The Anglo-Saxon _Eyton_, “island town.”

=Ettrick Shepherd.= The literary sobriquet of James Hogg, the poet, of Ettrick, Selkirkshire.

=Europe.= From the Greek _euros_, broad, and _ops_, the face; literally “the broad face of the earth.”

=Euston Road.= From the seat of the Earl of Euston at Thetford, Norfolk, the ground landlord.

=Evacuation Day.= November 25th, observed in the United States as commemorating the evacuation of New York city by the British after the War of Independence, 1783.

=Evangelist.= From the Greek _euanggelion_, “good news.” One of the four writers of the Gospels of the New Testament.

=Evelyn Street.= From the residence of John Evelyn, the diarist. One of his descendants, the Rev. W. J. Evelyn, of Wolton, built the church of St Luke, Deptford, in 1872.

=Everglade State.= Florida, from its tracts of land, covered with water and grass, called Everglades.

=Ex.= Another form of the Celtic _uisg_, water.

=Exchequer.= The table of this Court was formerly covered with checkered cloth, so called from the Old French _eschequier_, chess board.

=Executive City.= Washington, which contains the White House, the official residence of the President of the Republic, the House of Representatives, and the Senate Chamber.

=Exellers.= The 40th Foot, from the Roman numerals XL.

=Exeter.= Called by the Saxons _Exancester_, or the Roman camp town on the Exe.

=Exeter College.= Founded at Oxford by Walter Stapleton, Bishop of Exeter and Lord Treasurer of England, in 1316.

=Exeter Street.= From the mansion and grounds of the Earl of Exeter, the eldest son of the great Lord Burleigh.

=Exhibition Road.= This wide thoroughfare formed the eastern boundary of the plot of ground purchased by the Commissioners for the Great Exhibition of 1862.

=Exodus.= The Scriptural narrative of the departure of the Israelites from the Land of Bondage.

=Eye.= Expresses the Anglo-Saxon for island. The river Waveney surrounds the town.

=Eye-opener.= An American drink of mixed spirits as a remedy for drowsiness.

F

=Face the Music.= To bear the jeers and taunts of those who laugh at us.

=Factory King.= Richard Oastler of Bradford, the promoter of the “Ten Hours’ Bill.”

=Fag.= Slang for a cigarette, derived from the fag end--_i.e._ fatigued or spent end--of a cigar. Also a small boy who acts as a drudge in the service of another at a public school, so called from the Anglo-Saxon _fæge_, weak, timid.

=Fair Cop.= Thieves’ slang for a smart capture by the police. Whereas another would say “The game’s up!” a thief admits that he has been fairly caught by the expression “It’s a fair cop.” See “Cop.”

=Fair Maid of Kent.= Joan, the beautiful and only daughter of the Earl of Kent, who became the wife of Edward the Black Prince.

=Fair Street.= A name left us as a reminder of a once celebrated fair on the Southwark bank of the Thames.

=Faith Healers.= A sect which upholds the doctrine of healing the sick by prayer and anointing with oil in the name of the Lord, as set forth in James v. 13-15.

=Faix.= An Irishman’s exclamation for “Faith” or “In Faith.”

=Fake.= To make-believe or cheat. An actor is said to “fake up” an article of costume out of very sorry materials, which at a distance looks like the real thing. A photographer can “fake” a spirit photo by means of two distinct plates. Food also is largely “faked.” The word is derived from “Fakir.”

=Fakir.= From the Arabic _fakhar_, poor.

=Falcon Square.= From an ancient hostelry, “The Castle and Falcon,” hard by in Aldersgate Street.

=Falernian.= A celebrated wine, extolled by Horace, Virgil, and other Latin authors, prepared from grapes grown in the district of Falernicum.

=Fall.= An Americanism for autumn, in allusion to the fall of the leaves.

=Fallopian Tubes.= Said to have been discovered by Gabriel Fallopius, the eminent Italian anatomist of the sixteenth century. They were, however, known to the ancients.

=Falls City.= Louisville, in the state of Kentucky, because it overlooks the falls of the Ohio River.

=Falmouth.= A seaport at the mouth of the Fale.

=Family Circle.= This expression had a literal meaning in the time of the Normans, when the fire occupied the centre of the floor, and the smoke found its vent through a hole in the roof. In Germany and Russia the domestic apartments are economically warmed by an enclosed stove in the centre. Amongst ourselves the phrase “sit _round_ the fire” only conveys a half-truth.

=Fancy Drink.= An Americanism for a concoction of various spirits, as distinguished from a Straight Drink of one kind.

=Fandago.= Spanish for a “lively dance.”

=Farmer George.= George III., on account of his dress, manners, and bucolic sporting inclinations.

=Farm Street.= From an old farm, on the land of Lord Berkeley of Stratton in the time of Charles I.

=Faro.= So called from a representation of Pharaoh on one of the cards originally.

=Farringdon Road.= After William Farringdon, citizen and goldsmith, who, for the sum of twenty marks, in 1279 purchased the Aldermanry of the ward named after him.

=Farthing.= From the Anglo-Saxon _feorthling_, a little fourth. In olden times penny pieces were nicked across like a Good Friday bun; so they could be broken into halves and fourths as occasion required.

=Farthingale.= A corruption of Verdingale, from the French _vertugarde_, a guard for modesty. Queen Elizabeth is said to have introduced this hooped petticoat in order to disguise her figure.

=Farthing Poet.= The sobriquet of Richard Horne, who published his chief poem, “Orion,” at one farthing, so that it should not want for buyers.

=Fastern’s E’en.= The Scottish description of Shrove Tuesday, being the eve of the Lenten Fast.

=Father of Believers.= Mohammed, because he established and promulgated the faith of the Moslem, or “true believers.”

=Father of the Music Halls.= The late William Morton, manager of the Palace Theatre of Varieties, and founder of the earliest London Music Hall, “The Canterbury,” in the Westminster Bridge Road, which dates from the year 1848.

=Fathers of the Church.= The great doctors or theological writers of the period from the first to the seventh centuries of Christianity. See “Apostolic Fathers.”

=Faugh-a-Ballagh Boys.= The 87th Foot, from their battle cry.