Daily Almanac for
Nov 29, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—A

Apron

This is a strange blunder. A napperon , converted into An apperon. “Napperon” is French for a napkin, from nappe (cloth in general). Halliwell, in his Archaic Dictionary, p. 571, gives Nappern (an apron) North.

Other examples of n attached to the following noun, or detached from it, are an adder for a nadder (Old English, noeddre); a newt for an ewt; a nag (Danish, ög ); nuncle (Shakespeare), mine uncle; For the nonce (this once), where n is transferred from the preceding pronoun tha-n or the-n, i.e. this-n (accusative case after “for”).

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Apron-string Tenure
A priori
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

More on Apron from Infoplease:

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

Related Content