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Brewer's: Samedi
(French). Saturday. A contraction of Saturni-dies. In French, m and n are interchangeable, whence Saturne is changed to Saturme, and contracted into Same. M. Masson, in his French…Brewer's: Goblin
A familiar demon. According to popular belief goblins dwelt in private houses and chinks of trees. As a specimen of forced etymology, it may be mentioned that Elf and Goblin have been…Brewer's: Gyrfalcon, Gerfalcon
or Jerfalcon. A native of Iceland and Norway, highest in the list of hawks for falconry, “Gyr,” or “Ger,” is, I think, the Dutch gier, a vulture. It is called the “vulture-falcon” because…Brewer's: Bumper
A full glass, generally connected with a “toast.” Dr. Arn says a bumper is when the surface of the wine bumps up in the middle. (French, bomber, to render convex, to bulge or swell out.) “…Brewer's: Cad
A low, vulgar fellow; an omnibus conductor. Either from cadet, or a contraction of cadger (a packman). The etymology of cad, a cadendo, is only a pun. N.B.- The Scotch cadie or cawdic (a…Brewer's: Charlatan
The following etymology is suitable to a book of Phrase and Fable. It is said that one Latan, a famous quack, used to go about Paris in a gorgeous car, in which he had a traveling…Brewer's: Culdees
A religious order of Ireland and Scotland, said to have been founded in the sixth century by St. Columba. So called from the Gaelic cylle-dee (a house of cells) or ceilede (servants of God…Brewer's: Artemus Ward
A showman, very cute, and very American The hypothetical writer of the essays or papers so called, the real author being Charles F. Browne. Being asked if his name was Artemus or Artemus,…Brewer's: Silbury
near Marlborough. An artificial mound, 130 feet high, and covering seven acres of ground. Some say it is where “King Sel” was buried; others, that it is a corruption of Solis-bury (mound…Brewer's: Sindon
A thin manufacture of the Middle Ages used for dresses and hangings; also a little round piece of linen or lint for dressing the wound left by trepanning. (Du Cange gives its etymology…Trending
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