ell, Book, and Candle.-An ecclesiastical ceremony of the Romish Church, used in excommunication. The bell is rung, the book closed, and candle extinguished, the effect being to exclude the excommunicated from the society of the faithful, depriving them of the benefit of divine service, and the sacraments.

Umpire. From the French "un père"-one who (like a father) composes strife, and settles differences.

Lampoon, meaning originally, pot-house scurrility, is from the burthen of an old French drinking-song, lampons, "let us drink." "Lampon, a drunken or drinking song."-Boyer.

Palmers. So called from the staff of the palm tree, which they carried on their return from the Holy Land. A pilgrim and a palmer differed thus: a pilgrim had some dwelling-place, and a palmer had none; the pilgrim travelled to some certain place, the palmer to all, and not to any one in particular; the pilgrim must go at his own charge, the palmer must profess wilful poverty; the pilgrim might give over his profession, but the palmer might not.

Manure.-The same word as manœuvre, by the mere corruption of œuvre into ure. Literally, to work with the hand, to cultivate, or till-in its present use, to cultivate by the addition of other substances of a fertilizing nature.

inutes.-Originally, the rough draught of a public instrument drawn up by a notary; so termed, because usually written in a smaller character than the instrument itself, which was (technically) engrossed. Text-hand was so named, as clergymen wrote their texts in a larger hand than the sermon.

Pic-nic Suppers.-In the spring of 1802, the Annual Register tells us, "This season has been marked by a new species of entertainment in the fashionable world, called a Pic-nic supper. It consists of a variety of dishes. The subscribers to the entertainment have a bill of fare presented to them, with a number against each dish. The lot which he draws obliges him to furnish the dish marked against it, which he either takes with him in his carriage, or sends by a servant. The proper variety is preserved by the taste of the maitre d'hotel, who forms the bill of fare."

Jacobins and Jacobites.-The first of these terms originated from the circumstance of a faction of French revolutionists holding their meetings in a monastery of the Jacobin friars: the adherents of James II. were termed Jacobites.

Cobalt. From the German kobold, a devil-a term applied to this metal by the German miners, who considered it unfavorable to the presence of the more important metals.

Jureau, as applied to the office of any public functionary, from the same word in French, with this definition by Cotgrave: 66 A thick and coarse cloth, of a brown russet, or dark mingled color; also the table that's within a court of audit, or of audience, (belike, because it is usually) covered with a carpet of that cloath; also the court itself."

Lotteries. The following remark on multiplying "chances," from Adam Smith, must have thrown a damper over many a lottery speculator: "In order to have a better chance for some of the great prizes, some people purchase several tickets, and others small shares in a still greater number. There is not, however, a more certain proposition in mathematics, than that the more tickets you adventure upon, the more likely you are to be a loser. Adventure upon all the tickets in the lottery, and you lose for certain; and the greater the number of your tickets, the nearer you approach to this certainty."

The first lottery mentioned in English history, began drawing at the western door of St. Paul's Cathedral, January 11, 1569, and continued, day and night, until May 6, following. Its profits were for repairing the fortifications on the coast of England, and the prizes were pieces of plate.

Comrade.-Formerly camerade, or chamber-fellow, from the Latin camera, a chamber.

72

Noon-Grog.

oon.-From the Latin nona (hora), ninth. Somner defines it as "the ninth hour of the day, which was at three of the clock, afternoon. None-mete, a meal or bever at that time; howbeit of later times noon is mid-day, and none-mete, dinner." The word luncheon is a corruption of nuncheon, i. e., noonshun, the refreshment taken at noon, when laborers desist from work, to shun the heat.

Pockets and Gloves.-The Annual Register, (4th January, 1827,) has the following curious notice: "The habit of walking with the hands in the breeches or coatpockets was now very prevalent in the metropolis. It was ascertained that of the first thirty men who passed on the narrow foot-path, in New-street, eighteen had both hands in their pockets, and five others had one hand so placed. The practice may have risen out of the late pecuniary mania, but has been superseded by the general use of gloves."

Quaff is derived from the French "se coiffer," to become intoxicated-as "quince," from coignasse.

Grog.-Mixed liquors are so called, because Admiral Vernon, who was the first to mix his sailors' allowance of spirits with water, was nicknamed "Old Grog," from his wearing a grogram coat, and this name was given to the mixed liquor he compelled his fleet to drink.

rthography.-Derivative adjectives ending in able, are written without the e before a; as, blamable, movable; except those of which the primitive word ends in

ce or ge; in such, the e being retained to soften the preceding consonant, as peaceable, chargeable. The plural of nouns ending in ey is always formed by adding s to the singular.

Literary Blunders.-Johnson, while composing his dictionary, sent a note to the Gentleman's Magazine, to inquire the etymology of the word curmudgeon. Having obtained the information, he records in his work the obligation to an anonymous letter-writerCurmudgeon, a vicious way of pronouncing cœur méchant. An unknown correspondent." Ash copied the word into his dictionary, in this manner: "Curmudgeon, from the French cœur, unknown; and méchant, a correspondent."

66

Pope, in a note on Measure for Measure, informs us that its story was taken from Cinthio's Novels, Dec. 8. Nov. 5.-that is, Decade 8, Novel 5. The critical Warburton, in his edition of Shakspere, puts the words in full length thus, December 8, November 5.

In a catalogue compiled some years ago by a French writer, of "Works on Natural History," he has inserted Edgeworth's "Essay on Irish Bulls."

Cripple.-Old writers have creeple, which sufficiently indicates the etymology of this word.