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More items taken from : http://www.bootlegbooks.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable/data/115.htmlGrimm's Law A law discovered by Jacob L. Grimm, the German philologist, to show how the mute consonants interehange as corresponding words occur in different branches of the Aryan family of languages. Thus, what is p in Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit becomes f in Gothic, and b or f in the Old High German; what is t in Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit becomes th in Gothic, and d in Old High German; etc. Thus changing p into f, and t into th, "pater" becomes "father."
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Grog Rum and water, cold without. Admiral Vernon was called Old Grog by his sailors because he was
accustomed to walk the deck in rough weather in a grogram cloak. As he was the first to serve water in
the rum on board ship, the mixture went by the name of grog. Six-water grog is one part rum to six parts
of water. Grog, in common parlance, is any mixture of spirits and water, either hot or cold.
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Grotesque (2 syl.) means in "Grotto style." Classical ornaments so called were found in the 13th century
in grottoes, that is, excavations made in the baths of Titus and in other Roman buildings. These
ornaments abound in fanciful combinations, and hence anything outré is termed grotesque.
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Guess (I). A peculiarity of the natives of New England, U.S. America.
I guess us Yankees got lots of peculiarities.
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veteran
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Grog, in common parlance, is any mixture of spirits and water
Fascinating. I'd always thought grog was the real rough stuff, whereas actually it's the watered-down stuff. I take it that "groggy" isn't from the same root, then?
Edit: a flying maverick just answered that one. Hi mav! Byee!
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Guinea Sir Robert Holmes, in 1666, captured in Schelling Bay 160 Dutch sail, containing bullion and
gold-dust from Cape Coast Castle in Guinea. This rich prize was coined into gold pieces, stamped with an
elephant, and called Guineas to memorialise the valuable capture. (See Dryden: Annus Mirabilis.)
Guinea. The legend is M. B. F. et H. Rex. F. D. B. L. D. S. R. I. A. T. et E. - Magnĉ Britainniĉ,
Franciĉ, et Hiberniĉ Rex; Fidei Defensor; Brunsvicensis, Lunenburgensis Dux; Sacri Romani Imperii
Archi Thesaurarius et Elector.
Guinea-pieces = 21s. were first coined in 1663, and discontinued in 1817. The sovereign coined by
Henry VII. in 1480 was displaced by the guinea, but recoined in 1815, soon after which it displaced the
guinea. Of course, 20s. is a better decimal coin than 21s.
I often wondered how the coin got its name.
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Halcyon Days A time of happiness and prosperity. Halcyon is the Greek for a kingfisher, compounded of hals (the sea) and kuo
(to brood on). The ancient Sicilians believed that the kingfisher laid its eggs and incubated for fourteen days, before the winter
solstice, on the surface of the sea, during which time the waves of the sea were always unruffled.
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Half Half is more than the whole.. (Pleou hmiou pantoz)This is what Hesiod said to his brother
Perseus, when he wished him to settle a dispute without going to law. He meant "half of the estate
without the expense of law will be better than the whole after the lawyers have had their pickings." The
remark, however, has a very wide signification. Thus an embarras de richesse is far less profitable than a
sufficiency. A large estate to one who cannot manage it is impoverishing. A man of small income will be
poorer with a large house and garden to keep up than if he lived in a smaller tenement. Increase of wealth,
if expenditure is more in proportion, tendeth to poverty.
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Hallelujah is the Hebrew halelu-Jah, "Praise ye Jehovah."
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