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N in Spanish, has sometimes a mark over it, thus- ñ. This mark is called a tilde, and alters the sense and
pronunciation of a word. Thus, “pena” means punishment, but “peña,” a rock.
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N added to Greek words ending in a short vowel to lengthen it “by position,” and “1” added to French
words beginning with a vowel, when they follow a word ending with a vowel (as si l'on for si on), is
called N or L “ephelcystic” (tagged-on); Greek, epi helko.
"ephelcystic" seems a word that might be fun to find a use for. Any volunteers?
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nth or nth plus One, in University slang, means to the utmost degree. Thus, Cut to the nth means wholly
unnoticed by a friend. The expression is taken from the index of a mathematical formula, where n stands
for any number, and n + 1, one more than any number.
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Nabob' (generally called Nabob). Corruption of the Hindu word nawab, the plural of naib. An
administrator of a province and commander of the Indian army under the Mogul Empire. These men
acquired great wealth and lived in Eastern splendour, so that they gave rise to the phrase, “Rich as the
nawâb,” corrupted into “Rich as a nabob. ” In England we apply the phrase to a merchant who has
attained great wealth in the Indies, and has returned to live in his native country.
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Nag A horse. This is an example of n of the article joined to the following noun, as in the word newt = an
ewt. (Danish and Norwegian, og; Anglo-Saxon, eoh or eh; Latin, eq[uus]; Dutch, negge.) Taylor (1630)
has naggon, as-
“Wert thou George with thy naggon,
That foughtest with the draggon.”
Shakespeare's naunt and nuncle are mine-aunt and mine-uncle.
I wondered where "nuncle" came from
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Naga Serpents; the king of them is Sesha, the sacred serpent of Vishnu. (Hindu mythology.)
In Kipling's story about Riki-tiki-tavi the mongoose kills a cobra named "Nag".
And "Naja" is species name for cobra. (not sure "species" is right word)
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Naiads Nymphs of lakes, fountains, rivers, and streams. Related to "natare" = to swim
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O nuncle, court holy-water in a dry house is better than this rain-water out o’ door. Good nuncle, in; ask thy daughters’ blessing. Here’s a night pities neither wise men nor fools. [/Lear]
And ephelcystically, interesting word that, Bill – "ephelcystic" had me reading it as eff-el-SIS-tic, but I guess from the Latin etymology it’s probably more like ep-hel-KISS-tik. Can you confirm?
I like the sound of this word to describe a social hanger-on, too ~ just a shame no auditor would likely understand!
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Name Fairies are extremely averse to having their names known, indeed there seems to be a strange
identity between personality and name. Thus we are forbidden to take God's “name in vain,” and when
Jacob wrestled with the angel, he was anxious to know his opponent's name. (Compare the Greek onoma
and the Latin anima.)
It seems to be instinctual to be concerned that letting somebody know you name gives them some
power over you. Witness how few people use their name here in AWADtalk. Bill (see how brave I am)
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Napiers Bones A method invented by Baron Napier, of Merchiston, for shortening the labour of
trignometrical calculations. Certain figures are arranged on little slips of paper or ivory, and simply by
shifting these slips the result required is obtained. They are called bones because the baron used bone or
ivory rods instead of cardboard.
If I remember correctly, Napier was one of the first people to use logarithms to simplify
multiplication. His "bones" were precursor of slide rule, which few AWADtalk participants
ever used. What a blessing electronic calculators are.
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The part where you mention triginometry seems to be a quote. As you imply later, that quote is wrong. The bones are for ordinary mutliplication, not for trig.
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We had a discussion of this a long time ago, which I am sure nobody remembers.
Near Side and Off Side. Left side and right side. “Near wheel” means that to the coachman's left hand;
and “near horse” (in a pair) means that to the left hand of the driver. In a four-in-hand the two horses on
the left side of the coachman are the near wheeler and the near leader. Those on the right hand side of the
coachman are “off horses.” This, which seems an anomaly, arose when the driver walked beside his
team. The teamster always walks with his right arm nearest the horse, and therefore, in a pair of horses,
the horse on the left side is nearer than the one on his right.
In a discussion for reasons UK vehicles drive on left side of road, it seemed logical to me
to think it had started with drivers of carriages using right hand to lead horses when it
was necessary, and wanting to be close to shoulder of road, rather than in middle where
they would be in danger from oncoming vehicles. Nobody agreed with me.
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Nebraska U.S. A word of Indian origin, meaning the “shallow river.”
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Nine Points of the Law Success in a law-suit requires (1) a good deal of money; (2) a good deal of
patience; (3) a good cause; (4) a good lawyer; (5) a good counsel; (6) good witnesses; (7) a good jury; (8)
a good judge; and (9) good luck.
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Noel Christmas day, or a Christmas carol. A contraction of nouvelles (tidings), written in old English,
nowells.
“A child this day is born, A child of high renown, Most worthy of a sceptre, A sceptre and a
crown. Nowells, nowells, nowells! Sing all we may, Because that Christ, the King. Was born
this blessed day.” Old Carol.
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Non Sequitur (A). A conclusion which does not follow from the premises stated.
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Nonce For the nonce. A corruption of for then anes (for then once), meaning for this once. “An apron”
for a naperon is an example of n transferred the other way. We have some halfdozen similar examples in
the language, as “tother day”- i.e. the other or &that; other = the other. Nuncle used in King Lear, which
was originally mineuncle. An arrant knave is a narrant knave. (See Nag .)
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Nostrum means Our own. It is applied to a quack medicine, the ingredients of which are supposed to be
a secret of the compounders. (Latin.)
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Nottingham (Saxon, Snotingaham, place of caves). So called from the caverns in the soft sandstone
rock. Montecute took King Edward III. through these subterranean passages to the hill castle, where he
found the “gentle Mortimer” and Isabella, the dowager-queen. The former was slain, and the latter
imprisoned. The passage is still called “Mortimer's Hole.”
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Nunation Adding N to an initial vowel, as Nol for Ol[iver], Nell for Ell[en], Ned for Ed[ward].
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Nunc Stans The everlasting Now.
“It exists in the nunc stans of the schoolmen- the eternal Now that, represented the
consciousness of the Supreme Being in mediaeval thought.”- Nineteenth Century, December,
1892, p. 953.
One of the few ideas of mediaeval thought that I am tempted to share.
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Nuncupative Will A will or testament made by word of mouth. As a general rule, no will is valid unless
reduced to writing and signed; but soldiers and sailors may simply declare their wish by word of mouth.
(Latin, nuncupo, to declare.)
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This entry is a bit puzzling if you don't understand that the "U S" was on supplies
that was property of the United States in a warehouse. I did not know that the
colonial government called itself the United States during the Revolutionary War.
Sam Uncle Sam. The United States Government. Mr. Frost tells us that the inspectors of Elbert
Anderson's store on the Hudson were Ebenezer Wilson and his uncle Samuel Wilson, the latter of whom
superintended in person the workmen, and went by the name of “Uncle Sam.” The stores were marked
E.A.- U.S. (Elbert Anderson, United States). and one of the employers, being asked the meaning, said
U.S. stood for “Uncle Sam.” The joke took, and in the War of Independence the men carried it with
them, and it became stereotyped.
Any comments?
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....soldiers and sailors may simply declare their wish by word of mouth.
British soldiers who go on a tour of Northern Ireland must make out a written will.
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Samaria according to 1 Kings xvi. 24, means the hill of Shemer. Omri “bought the hill Samaria of
Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of [his] city ... after the name
of Shemer ... Samaria.” (B.C. 925.)
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Nuremberg Eggs Watches. Watches were invented at Nuremberg about 1500, and were egg-shaped.
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There was an old woman tossed up in a basket
Ninety-nine times as high as the moon.
What she did there I could not but ask it
For in each hand she carried a broom.
``Old woman, old woman, old woman,'' said I
``Where are you going to up so high?''
``To sweep the cobwebs from the sky
And you may come with me if you can fly.''
It is said that the old nursery rhyme about an old woman tossed in a blanket was written as a satire
against the French expedition of Henry V., and the cobwebs to be swept from the sky were the points of
contention between the King of England and the King of France.
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Nuts of May Here we go gathering nuts of May. A corruption of knots or springs of May. We still speak
of “love-knots,” and a bunch of flowers is called a “knot.”
Joke on me. I always thought this was supposed to be nonsensical.
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It is time to lay our nuts aside (Latin, Relinquere nuces). To leave off our follies, to relinquish boyish
pursuits. The allusion is to an old Roman marriage ceremony, in which the bridegroom, as he led his bride
home, scattered nuts to the crowd, as if to symbolise to them that he gave up his boyish sports.
That's nuts to him. A great pleasure, a fine treat. Nuts, among the Romans, made a standing dish at
dessert; they were also common toys for children; hence, to put away childish things is, in Latin, to put
your nuts away.
At present, instead of being laid aside postnuptually, they would be put to work.
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O This letter represents an eye, and is called in Hebrew ain (an eye).
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O' An Irish patronymic. (Gachc, ogha; Irish, oa, a descendant.)
O' in Scotch, means “of,” as “Tam-o'-Shanter.”
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O.K A telegraphic symbol for “All right” (orl korrect, a Sir William Curtis's or Artemus Ward's way of
spelling “all correct”).
We had a long thread on this quite a while ago. The above is of course a hundred years old.
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By far too lazy to liu today, what, pray tell, dear Dr. Bill, is a tam?
We've had favorite word threads here over the many 2.5 years of AWAD, and, surprisingly enough, I don't believe tam-o'-shanter has been included. Too bad. It should have been. Along with bellyouth's chawbacon! Somehow those two words in close proximity--Tam-O'-Shanter Chawbacon--jar, don't they?
Beauteous regards,
Word-o'-Wonderer
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Oaf A corruption of ouph (elf). A foolish child or dolt is so called from the notion that all idiots are
changelings, left by the fairies in the place of the stolen ones.
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I see this is a monologue, Dr Bill, but I'll try to stick my 2c worth in, as Napier and Maverick have done: People don't speak "Scotch." They drink it. If you were replying to our intromissions, so to speak, I'd ask you what you were quoting from. 
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Come on, Bill, monologue or not, as AnnaS pointed out, please return to the tam and tell me what it was or is.
A tam-o'-shanter looks a lot like a beret. Which came first? The tam or the beret?
You know, you don't exactly own this thread! We've still gots curiosties among us, don't you realize?
Best regards,
WordWoe
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Dear WW: all of these entries are taken from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Over a hundred years old, but many of the etymolgies give would be hard to find elsewhere. I have been disappointed that there have been so few comments, which are most welcome. Sorry you felt otherwise. Did you hear about the scot who on his way home late from the bar lost his tam in a cow pasture and had to try on several before he found one that fitted? http://www.bootlegbooks.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable/data/115.html
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Tam? Cow pies? Ha! Thanks for that little joke. Ya' think the French have the same tale?
Here in Virginia we have cow-pie-pitching contests. Seems a pretty stupid way to spend time, but to each his own.
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O'asis A perfect o'asis. A fertile spot in the midst of a desert country, a little charmed plot of land. The
reference is to those spots in the desert of Africa where wells of water or small lakes are to be found, and
vegetation is pretty abundant. (Coptic word, called by Herodotos auasis.)
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Occam (William of), surnamed Doctor Singularis et Invincibilis. He was the great advocate of
Nominalism. (1270-1347.)
Occam's Razor Entia non sunt multiplicanda (entities are not to be multiplied). With this axiom Occam
dissected every question as with a razor.
Previously referred to several times in AWADtalk, but without explanation.
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WW, i would use the word tam for a hat, made of cloth. The top of the hat would be a circle, and it would have sides of bias cut cloth, about 1 to 2 inches.. the sides would be finished in a leather binding, and have draw string to adjust the fit. A Tam may or may not be trimmed with a tassle or pom pom on the center top. A Tam o' Shanter, specifically, would be a Tam made from plaid or tartan cloth.
a beret, while similar in shape, and appearence, would be a one piece hat, formed of felt, with a self bound edge, and usually is a solid color.
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Off (Saxon, of; Latin, ab, from, away). The house is a mile off- i.e. is “away” or “from” us a mile. The
word preceding off defines its scope. To be “well off” is to be away or on the way towards well-being; to
be badly off is to be away or on the way to the bad. In many cases “off” is part of a compound verb, as
to cut-off (away), to peel-off, to march-off, to tear-off, to take-off, to get-off, etc. The off-side of horses
when in pairs is that to the right hand of the coachman, the horses on his left -hand side are called the
“near” horses. This, which seems rather anomalous, arises from the fact that all teamsters walk beside
their teams on the left side, so that the horses on the left side are near him, and those on the right side are
farther off.
He is well off; he is badly off. He is in good circumstances; he is straitened in circumstances, étre bien
[or mal] dans ses affaires. In these phrases “off” means fares, “he fares well [or ill]; his affairs go-off
well [or ill]. (Anglo-Saxon, of-faran.
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Oghams The alphabet in use among the ancient Irish and some other Celtic nations prior to the ninth
“The oghams seem to have been merely tree-runes. The Irish regarded the oghams as a forest,
the individual characters being trees (feada), while each cross-stroke is called a twig (fleasg).”-
Isaac Taylor: The Alphabet, vol. ii. chap. viii. p. 226.
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Old Dominion Virginia. Every Act of Parliament to the Declaration of Independence designated Virginia
“the Colony and Dominion of Virginia.” Captain John Smith, in his History of Virginia (1629), calls this
“colony and dominion” Ould Virginia, in contradistinction to New England, and other British settlements.
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Old Style- New Style Old Style means computed according to the unreformed calendar. New Style
means computed according to the calendar reformed and corrected by Gregory XIII. in 1582. The New
Style was introduced into England, in 1752, during the reign of George II., when Wednesday, September
2nd, was followed by Thursday, September 14th. This has given rise to a double computation, as Lady
Day, March 25th, Old Lady Day, April 6th; Midsummer Day, June 24th, Old Midsummer Day, July 6th;
Michaelmas Day, September 29th, Old Michaelmas Day, October 11th; Christmas Day, December 25th,
Old Christmas Day, January 6th.
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O'lio or Oglio. A mixture or medley of any sort. (Spanish, olla, a pot for boiling similar to what the
French call their pot au feu. The olio is the mixture of bread, vegetables, spices, meat, etc., boiled in this
pot.)
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Olia Podrida Odds and ends, a mixture of scraps. In Spain it takes the place of the French pot au feu,
into which every sort of eatable is thrown and stewed. (See Olio. ) Used figuratively, the term means an
incongruous mixture, a miscellaneous collection of any kind, a medley.
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O'mega The alpha and omega. The first and the last, the beginning and the end. Alpha is the first and
omega the last letter of the Greek alphabet.
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Omphale (3 syl.). The masculine but attractive Queen of Lydia, to whom Hercules was bound a slave for
three years. He fell in love with her, and led an effeminate life spinning wool, while Omphale wore the
lion's skin and was lady paramount.
The celebrated picture of Hercules spinning in the presence of Omphale, by Annibal Carracei, is in the
Farnese Gallery.
"Omphale" sounds like root of "navel". I wonder what the connection is. Comments?
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On dit (French). A rumour, a report; as, “There is an on dit on Exchange that Spain will pay up its back
dividends.”
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O'nus (Latin). The burden, the blame, the responsibility; as, “The whole onus must rest on your own
shoulders.”
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Onyx is Greek for a finger-nail; so called because the colour of an onyx resembles that of the finger-nail.
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O'pal From the Greek ops (the eye). Considered unlucky for the same reason that peacocks' feathers in a
house are said to be unlucky. A peacock's feather, being full of eyes, act as spies in a house, prying into
one's privacy. Similarly, it is unlucky to introduce the eye-stone or opal into a house, because it will
interfere with the sanctity of domestic privacy
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Orca The Orkney Islands, or Orcades.
I wonder about the etymology of this name, what relationship if any to "orca" the killer whale.
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Orchard properly means a kitchen garden, a yard for herbs. (Saxon, ortgeard- i.e. wort-yard.) Wort
enters into the names of numerous herbs, as mug-wort, liver-wort, spleen-wort, etc.
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Orcus The abode of the dead; death. (Roman mythology.)
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Ordeal (Saxon, great judgment), instituted long before the Conquest, and not abolished till the reign of
Henry III.
Ordeals were of several kinds, but the most usual were by wager of battle, by hol or cold water, and by
fire. This method of “trial” was introduced from the notion that God would defend the right, even by
miracle if needful.
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Orkneys Either the Teutonic Orkn-cys (the water or islands of the whirlpool), in allusion to the two
famous whirlpools near the Isle of Swinna; or else the Norwegian Orkeyjar (northern islands), the
Hebrides being the Sudreyjar, or southern islands.
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Orrery An astronomical toy to show the relative movements of the planets, etc., invented by George
Graham, who sent his model to Rowley, an instrument maker, to make one for Prince Eugéne. Rowley
made a copy of it for Charles Boyle, third Earl of Orrery, and Sir Richard Steele named it an orrery out of
compliment to the earl. One of the best is Fulton's, in Kelvin Grove Museum, West End Park, Glasgow.
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Orts Crumbs; refuse. (Low German, ort- i.e. what is left after eating.)
I shall not eat your orts- i.e. your leavings.
On Boston radio there used to be ads for "Ort's Grille" I was not tempted
to patronize it.
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Osprey or Ospray (a corruption of Latin Ossifragus the bone-breaker). The fish-eagle, or fishing hawk
(Pandion haeliaetis).
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A famous literary hoax.
Ossian The son of Fingal, a Scottish warrior-bard who lived in the third century. The poems called
Ossian's Pooms were first published by James M'Pherson in 1760, and professed to be translations from
Erse manuscripts collected in the Highlands. This is not true. M'Pherson no doubt based the poems on
traditions, but not one of them is a translation of an Erse manuscript; and so far as they are Ossianic at all,
they are Irish, and not Scotch
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A contradiction
Ostler jocosely said to be derived from oat-stealer, but actually from the French hostelier, an innkeeper.
hos[tler 7h9s4l!r, 9s$38
n.
5contr. of HOSTELER6
1 a person who takes care of horses at an inn, stable, etc.; groom
>2 a person who services a truck or a railroad engine at the end of a run
3 [Obs.] an innkeeper
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Ostracis'm Oyster-shelling, black-balling, or expelling. Clisthenes gave the people of Attica the power of
removing from the state, without making a definite charge, any leader of the people likely to subvert the
government. Each citizen wrote his vote on an earthen. ware table (ostracon), whence the term.
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I wonder how Brewer a hundred years ago would repeat this stupid hoax:
Ostrich When hunted the ostrich is said to run a certain distance and then thrust its head into a bush,
thinking, because it cannot see, that it cannot be seen by the hunters. (See Crocodile. )
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Brewer's take on retirement:
O'tium cum Dig [dignitate ]. Retirement after a person has given up business and has saved enough to
live upon in comfort. The words are Latin, and mean “retirement with honour.” They are more frequently
used in jest, familiarity, and ridicule.
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Oui (French for “yes”). A contraction of Hoc illud. Thus, hoc-ill', ho'-il, o'il, oïl, oï, oui.
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Outis (Greek, nobody). A name assumed by Odysseus in the cave of Polyphemos. When the monster
roared with the pain from the loss of his eye, his brother giants demanded from a distance who was
hurting him: “Nobody,” thundered out Polyphemos, and his companions went their way. Odysseus in
Latin is Ulysses.
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Overture A piece of music for the opening of a concert. To “make an overture to a person” is to be the
first to make an advance either towards a reconciliation or an acquaintance. (French, ouverture, opening.)
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Owen Meredith Robert Bulwer Lytton."It was a dark and srormy night......."
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Owen Meredith Robert Bulwer Lytton."It was a dark and srormy night......."
Why? Why Bulwer Lytton? Why does this Meredith get this credit? What am I missing here, Dr. Bill?
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Dear WW: AnnaStrophic dearly loves Bulwer-Lytton. She goes into raptures every time she hears "it was a dark and stormy night...." Don't you, AS? Well, actually, she loathes him. I guess the Owen Meredith might have been a pen-name. But the guy inherited big, and made a name change I am hazy about now. http://www.bartleby.com/100/559.htmlhttp://www.bulwer-lytton.com/
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>>....soldiers and sailors may simply declare their wish by word of mouth.
British soldiers who go on a tour of Northern Ireland must make out a written will.
I would have expected a written will to be very strongly recommended, if not obligatory, for all servicemen. Same applies to any high-risk job.
The nunccupative option is mostly of historical value I expect, as employers (including the armed forces) have legal obligations for the welfare of their employees these days.
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A contraction of Hoc illud. Thus, hoc-ill', ho'-il, o'il, oïl, oï, oui
So Hoc illud is simply an overlong way of saying "yes"?
Could one of our resident Latin scholars translate, please?
And what's "yes" a shortening of, then?
It seems very strange that simple affirmation should ever require more than one word, especially when one of them has more than one syllable.
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A foolish child or dolt is so called from the notion that all idiots are changelings, left by the fairies in the place of the stolen onesYeah, it would be nice if they just left one or two real children, wouldn't it?
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