Виктор Евгеньевич Никитин
Исторический английский фразеологический словарь
Ivory Black. A pigment originally obtained from calcined ivory, but now from bone.
Ivy Lane. From the ivy-covered houses of the prebendaries attached to St Paul’s Cathedral.
J
Jackanapes. Properly “Jack-of-apes,” an impudent fellow who apes the manners of his social superiors.
Jackass. The male ass.
Jack-boots. When first worn by cavalry these high leather boots were covered with metal plates as a protection for the leg. The term Jack is derived from the Norman-French jacque, a leathern jerkin worn over a coat of mail. At a later period the jacque itself was made sword-proof by metal plates on its under side.
Jacket. Expressed originally the diminutive of the jacque–viz. a short or sleeveless coat of leather. See “Jack-boots.”
Jack Ketch. The name formerly given to the common hangman, after Richard Jacquett, who owned the 166manor of Tyburn, where malefactors were executed previous to 1783.
Jack-knife. The name formerly given to a large folding pocket-knife, and now used by sailors, in contradistinction to a “Penknife.” See “Jack Tar.”
Jackson. The name of a river and several towns of the United States, after General Andrew Jackson, the seventh President.
Jack Straw’s Castle. A noted hostelry at Hampstead, said to have been built on the spot where Jack Straw, one of the leaders in Wat Tyler’s insurrection, made his habitation on the hillside.
Jack Tar. A sailor, because he wears tarpaulins in “dirty weather.” Jack is a generic name for a man or servant.
Jacobins. The French designation of the Black Friars or Dominicans, from the situation of their earliest convent in the Rue St Jacques, Paris, 1219.
Jacobites. The Catholic adherents of James II. and his lineal descendants after the accession to the English throne of William III. Jacobus was the Latinised form of the King’s name.
Jacobus. The Scottish sovereign, valued at 25s., which became current in England also at the union of the two crowns in the person of King James I.
Jacquard Loom. After its inventor, Marie J. Jacquard of Lyons, who died in 1834.
Jacquerie. The name given to an insurrection of French peasants in 1358. Jacques is the generic name for a member of the artisan class in France, owing to the jacque, or sleeveless white cotton jacket, worn by them. The leader of this insurrection called himself Jacques Bonhomme, being of the artisan class himself.
Jag. An Americanism for drunkenness. The word is employed in a variety of ways: “He’s got a jag on”–“He’s on a drinking bout”; “He’s on his jags”–“He knows how it is to have the jags”; “He has the jags just now,” etc. etc.
167Jail Bird. So called because the earliest kind of prison in this country was an alfresco iron cage.
Jailed. An Americanism for being put in jail, sent to prison.
Jalap. From Jalapa in Mexico, whence the root of this plant was first brought to Europe for medicinal purposes in 1610.
Jamaica. From the West Indian Caymaca, signifying “a country abounding in springs.”
Jamaica Road. See “Cherry Gardens Pier.”
James Bay. After James I., in whose reign this arm of Hudson’s Bay was completely explored.
James River. After James I., in the fourth year of whose reign it was navigated, and the English settlement called Jamestown, thirty-two miles inland, formed.
James Street. In Covent Garden, in compliment to the Duke of York, afterwards James II. That on the south side of the Strand received the Christian name of one of the Brothers Adam, builders of the Adelphi.
Jamestown. See “James River.”
Jamie Duff. The Scottish designation for a mourner or weeper at a funeral. So called after an Edinburgh eccentric of this name; nothing pleased him better than to attend a funeral, perhaps because he enjoyed the ride in the coach.
Jane Hading. This famous French actress was christened Jeanne, but, appearing on the stage while she was quite a child, her parents habitually called her Jane, because, as she has herself explained, being shorter, it would admit of the family name appearing in larger letters on the playbill.
Janissaries. A militia of Turkish footguards originally composed of the sons of Christian subjects, this being the tribute levied upon the parents for allowing them to live in peace and safety. The native term is Jeniaskari, new soldier.
168Janitor. The American description of a caretaker or doorkeeper. This term has long been obsolete in England; it was derived from the Latin janua, door.
Jansenists. A religious sect headed by Cornelius Jansen, Bishop of Ypres, France, early in the seventeenth century.
January. Called by the Romans Januarius, after Janus, the sun god, who presided over the beginnings of things. In the temple of Janus the figure of this god had two faces: one supposed to look on the past, the other on the future.
Japan. A Western corruption, through the Portuguese Gepuen, of the native name Niphon, or “land of the rising sun.” The brilliant black varnish called “Japan” was first made by the people of the Far East.
Jarvey. A cabman or car driver, so called after the name of a hackney coach driver who was hanged.
Jaunting Car. The characteristic light vehicle in Ireland in which the people enjoy a jaunt or excursion. English folk newly arrived in the Emerald Isle do not always appreciate it. See “Hold hard.”
Java. A Malay word meaning “the land of nutmegs.”
Jayhawker State. Kansas, from the nickname borne by the soldiers of Colonel Jennison of New York, who, being a jovial fellow, was called a “Gay Yorker,” afterwards corrupted into “Jayhawker.” The people of this state in process of time came to be styled “Jayhawkers.”
Jedburgh. A royal burgh situate at the confluence of the Rivers Tefy and Jed. The ancient form of justice meted out here of hanging a man first and trying him afterwards is frequently alluded to as “Jedwood” or “Jeddart” justice.
Jefferson. The name of a river, a city, and a mount in the United States, after Thomas Jefferson, the third President.
169Jeffreys Street. After one of the family names of the Earl of Brecknock, Marquis of Camden, the ground landlord.
Jehu. A cabman, in allusion to Jehu, the son of Nimshi, who, we are told in 2 Kings ix. 20, drove furiously.
Jeremiad. A tale of woe, a doleful story. So called after the Prophet Jeremiah, who wrote the “Book of Lamentations.”
Jerked Meat. Dried meat, more particularly beef dried in the open air. The term is derived from the Chilian charqui, applied to dried beef throughout Spanish America.
Jerkin. Expresses the diminutive of the Dutch jurk, coat, frock; hence a short coat or jacket.
Jermyn Street. From the town house of Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans.
Jerry Builder. A speculative builder who runs up whole streets of houses as cheaply as possible in order to sell them. The word “Jerry,” derived from the French jour, day, is a corruption of joury, meaning temporary, unsubstantial.
Jersey. From Czar’s-ey, or “Cæsar’s Isle,” so called by the Romans in honour of Julius Cæsar. The close-fitting rowing shirt and female bodice received the name of a Jersey because it was first worn by the inhabitants of this isle.
Jersey Lily. The punning pet name of Mrs Langtry, when, as a society star, she first adopted the stage as a profession. Her Christian name is Lillie, and she was born in Jersey.
Jerusalem. Expresses the Hebrew for “habitation of peace.”
Jerusalem Artichoke. A corruption of “Girasole Artichoke,” from the resemblance of the leaf and stem of this flower to the “Girasole,” or sunflower.
Jerusalem Chamber. This apartment of Westminster Abbey, in which Henry IV. died, received its name 170from the pictures of the Holy Land, in connection with the Crusades, that adorned its walls.
Jesuits. The members of a powerful missionary order styled “The Society of Jesus” which was founded in 1534 by Ignatius Loyola, on a military basis, having himself been a soldier.
Jesuits’ Bark. Another name for the Peruvian or Cinchona Bark, because discovered by the Jesuit missionaries in Peru.
Jewin Street. The ancient burying ground of the Jews while they were permitted to reside within the city walls–viz. in the Old Jewry. The suffix in is a corrupt form of the Anglo-Saxon en, expressing the plural, as in Clerken or clerks’ well.
Jewry Street. All that remains of the old name given collectively to the Jewish quarter of London after this oppressed race had been driven eastward of the city proper. This street was the Jews’ later burial ground. The suffix ry denotes a place or district.
Jews’ Harp. A corruption of “Jaws’ Harp,” because it is held between the teeth.
Jezebel. A daring, vicious woman, so called after the wife of Ahab, King of Israel.
Jig. From the French gigue, a lively dance, and the Italian giga, a romp.
Jilt. From the Scottish gillet, a giddy young woman. This word expressed the diminutive of Jill or Julia, a name used in a contemptuous sense after Julia, the daughter of Augustus Cæsar, who disgraced herself by her dissolute conduct.
Jimmy. A crowbar used by house burglars. The word is not so much thieves’ slang as a corruption of Jenny, expressing the diminutive of gin or engine, the general term formerly for a machine or mechanical appliance.
Jimpson Weed. Properly “Jamestown Weed,” from the place in Virginia where it was introduced.
171Jingo. See “By Jingo.”
Jingoes. The British war party during the Russo-Turkish struggle of 1877-8, when there was grave likelihood of this country interfering. The term became popular through the refrain in G. H. Macdermott’s famous song:
“We don’t want to fight, but, by Jingo, if we do,
We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, we’ve got the money too.”
For a time the Jingo Party was in the ascendant.
Joachims-Thaler. See “Thaler.”
Jockey. The diminutive of Jock, which is the Scottish form of Jack or John, expressive of a servant. The first jockeys engaged in horse racing were boys, on account of their light weight; hence the term.
Joe Miller. A stale joke, corresponding to the modern “Chestnut.” Joe Miller was a witty comedian whose sayings were compiled by John Mottley in the reign of James II. Until about a hundred years ago this was the only book of jests extant, and everyone who wished to “set the table in a roar” freely drew upon it.
Joey. The popular nickname of Mr Joseph Chamberlain, of Fiscal Policy fame.
Johannis. From Johannisberg, near Wiesbaden. This name is literally “John’s Rock,” on which stands the famous castle.
John Audley. An old showman’s phrase, which still obtains in what is called a portable theatre. As soon as a sufficient crowd for another “house” has collected outside, the money-taker, or the showman himself, calls out at the door “John Audley!” (originally it was the question “Is John Audley here?”) as a hint to the performers to finish quickly and dismiss the audience. This, it is said, was the invention of Shorter, the comedian, while he was playing in booths at country fairs.
John Bull. The Representative Englishman, bluff, long-suffering, 172and open-hearted. This national nickname was derived from a satire of the same title published by Dr John Arbuthnot in 1721.
John Carpenter Street. After the founder of the City of London School, which occupies one side of this modern thoroughfare, having been removed hither from Bow Lane in 1882. John Carpenter was town clerk of the city of London in the reigns of Henry V. and VI.
John Chinaman. Ever since the outbreak of the gold fever in California a Chinaman in that part of the United States has been addressed as “John,” the Transatlantic generic name for a man-servant, corresponding to the old English Jack.
John Doe and Richard Roe. Fictitious names, which prior to 1852, when they were abolished, appeared in every legal process of ejectment in place of the names of the real parties.
John Dory. The name of this fish is a corruption of the French Jaune-dorée, yellow, golden, relative to the colour.
Johnnies. Overdressed, empty-pated scions of good families who spent their surplus cash upon burlesque actresses, and hung about for them at the stage door when the “sacred lamp of burlesque” burned brightly at the Gaiety Theatre. Since “Jack” was the generic name for a man or servant, so one distinguished for the possession of more money than brains was, and is still, dubbed a “Johnnie.”
John of Gaunt. Properly of Ghent, his birthplace, in Flanders.
John o’ Groat’s House. Formerly the most northern habitation on the mainland of Scotland, said to have been that of Johnny Groat, for the accommodation of travellers who wished to cross the ferry to the Orkney Isles. Its site may now be recognised by a green knoll.
Johnson’s Court. Although the great lexocographer, Dr Johnson, spent ten years of his life in this Fleet 173Street court, it was not named after him, but after another Johnson, whose property it was, and who also resided in it.
John Street. In the Adelphi, after the Christian name of one of the brothers Adam. In Piccadilly, after one of the family names of the Berkeleys, the ground landlords.
Joiner. The provincial term for one who in London is called a “Carpenter.” Literally a joiner of wooden building materials.
Joint Ring. Another name for a “Gimnal Ring.”
Joint-Stock Company. So called because the stock is vested jointly in many persons.
Jonathan’s. The original name of the Stock Exchange, after a coffee-house keeper whose house was the rendezvous of the earliest dealers in stock.
Jollies. The sailors’ nickname for the Marines, because they are about as useful to a ship as the “Jolly Boat” which floats behind it.
Jolly Boat. A corruption of “Jawl boat,” from the Danish jolle, a small boat.
Jordan. Expresses the Hebrew for “the flowing.”
Journeyman. An artisan who hires himself out to labour, conformly to the French jour, day, a day labourer.
Juan Fernandez. After the navigator, who discovered it in 1567. On this isle Alexander Selkirk was the sole inhabitant from September 1704 until February 1707. Daniel Defoe made this adventurer the hero of his celebrated story “Robinson Crusoe.”
Jubilee Plunger. The sobriquet of Ernest Benzon, who lost £250,000 on the turf in two years after embarking upon his betting career in 1887, the Jubilee year of Queen Victoria’s reign.
Judd Street. The property of Sir Andrew Judd, Lord Mayor of London in 1551. By his will he bequeathed 174it to the endowment of a school at Tonbridge, his native place.
Judges’ Walk. So called because a number of judges and barristers of the King’s Bench made themselves temporary habitations in tents on this breezy height of Hampstead during the Great Plague.
Jug. Thieves’ slang for prison. See “In the Jug.”
Juggins. A fool, a reckless fellow, so called after a noted character of this name, who about twenty years ago squandered his whole fortune by reckless betting on the turf.
Juggler. From the French jougleur, a jester or miscellaneous entertainer who was the invariable companion of a troubadour during the Middle Ages.
Julep. An American spirituous beverage, also a preparation to make medicines less nauseous. The word is derived from the Arabic julab, rose-water.
July. In honour of Julius Cæsar, who was born in this month.
Jump a Claim. A Far West expression meaning to deprive another of his lawful claim; literally to jump into his diggings and take possession.
Jump on it with both Feet. The Transatlantic mode of saying “I’ll denounce it to the utmost of my power.”
Jump the Game. An Americanism for running away from one’s creditors.
June. The sixth month of the year; that of growth, agreeably to the Latin juvenis, young. The Romans dedicated it to the “Juniores,” or young soldiers of the State.
Jungfrau. Two reasons are assigned for the name (German, “The Maiden”) given to this, one of the highest peaks of the Bernese Alps. Firstly, because of the unsullied purity and dazzling whiteness of the snow with which it is eternally clad; secondly, owing to the fact that, its summit being inaccessible, no man has ever conquered or ravished this mountain maiden.
175Junk. A seaman’s term for rope ends and also the salt beef served out on board ship. The word is derived from the Latin Juncus, a bulrush, out of which ropes were anciently made. In the second sense of the term the toughness of the meat is sarcastically implied.
Jury. From the Latin jurare, to swear.
Jury Mast. Properly “Joury Mast,” from the French jour, day, because it is only a temporary mast put up to replace one carried away by stress of weather.
Justice is Blind. An expression derived from the allegorical representation of Justice, who, holding the scales, is blindfolded. See “Scales of Justice.” This really had its origin in the custom of the ancient Egyptians, who conducted their trials in a darkened chamber, in order that the prisoner, the pleader, and the witnesses being alike unseen, the judges could not be moved to undue sympathy, and their judgment might be the more impartial.
Justice Walk. In this portion of Chelsea resided a London magistrate whose name has not been handed down to posterity.
Juteopolis. The name given to Dundee on account of its staple industry.
Jutland. The land of the Jutes.
Juveniles. In theatrical parlance the lovers’ parts. The principal stage lover’s part, such as Romeo, is called the “juvenile lead.” Other young men’s parts, that do not call for love making on the stage, are styled “walking gentlemen.”
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Kaaba. The stone building inside the great Mosque at Mecca; said to have been erected over the spot where Adam first worshipped after his expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The name is Arabic for “square house.”
176Kaffraria. The country of the Kaffirs or “unbelievers,” from the Mohammedan standpoint. This term was applied not only to the natives south of Abyssinia and the desert regions of Africa, but also to the people of a country in Central Asia east of the Hindu Cush known accordingly as Kafiristan. Kaifer is Arabic for “infidel,” and the suffix stan expresses the Persian for “country.”
Kailyard. Scottish for cabbage garden.
Kaisar. The German form of the title of the Roman Emperors, “Cæsar.”
Kalmucks. A Western corruption of the native Khalmick, or “Apostates,” the name given to this large family of the Mongolian race because they rejected the doctrines of Buddha. It was these Kalmucks who, under the name of “Huns,” descended upon Europe in the fourth century.
Kamptulicon. From the Greek Kampto, to bend.
Kansas. The Indian name for the river, signifying “smoky water”; afterwards applied also to the state.
Keble College. A memorial college at Oxford of the Rev. John Keble, author of “The Christian Year,” whose death took place in 1866.
Keelhaul. To haul under the keel of a vessel from stem to stern by means of ropes on either side. This was the most dreaded, because the most dangerous, punishment meted out to seamen or apprentices by tyrannical captains in former times. Readers of Captain Marryat’s “Snarleyyow, or the Dog Fiend” will recollect what that meant to the hapless victim.
Keeping Crispin. An old phrase for the shoemakers’ annual holiday on the Feast of St Crispin, their patron saint, 25th October. In some parts of the country we hear of it in connection with what passes elsewhere under the name of “Cobblers’ Monday.”
Keep it Dark. The reference was originally to treasure kept in a place of concealment.
177Keep on Pegging at it. See “Peg Away.”
Keep the Ball Rolling. An expression derived from the game of Bandy, in which the two sets of players, armed with hooked sticks, continually sent the ball rolling to opposite goals.
Keep the Pot Boiling. The antithesis of a hand-to-mouth existence; meaning the command not only of something for the stock pot but also needful fuel.
Keep the Wolf from the Door. By paying one’s way others will prosper likewise, and ravenous creditors clamouring at the door for their just demands will be non-existent. The wolf is represented by a greedy landlord hungering for his rent, or, failing that, the household goods.
Keep your Nose to the Grindstone. To continue hard at work without cessation. If a tool is not held close to the grindstone the stone will go round all the same, but the tool does not get sharpened. So a man may loiter over his work, but the actual accomplishment is nil.
Keep your Pecker up. Have courage, and hold your head erect. Pecker is slang for the mouth, in allusion to fowls which peck their food–in other words, they strike at it with the beak.
Keep your Weather Eye open. Be on a sharp look-out in the right direction. A sailor looks towards the wind in order to forecast the weather.
Kendal. Expresses the dale of the River Ken.
Kendal Green. Green cloth made at Kendal in Westmoreland, for which this town was long famous. The cloths produced here still bear the name of “Kendals.”
Kennington. The town which grew up in the king’s meadow. Henry VIII. had a rural retreat erected here.
Kensington. Described in Anglo-Saxon records as Kynsington, or king’s meadow town.
178Kensington Gore. After Gore House, the residence of the Countess of Blessington, that occupied part of the site of the Royal Albert Hall.
Kent. Called by the Romans Cæsar Cantium after the Cantii, who peopled this Kenn, headland or corner, of Albion’s Isle.
Kentish Fire. The name given to rapturous volleys of cheers, such as that which distinguished the Kentish men when they applauded the “No Popery” orators in 1828-9.
Kentish Man. A native of the county of Kent, west of the Medway.
Kentish Town. A corruption of “Kantelowes Town,” built upon the manor of the same name. The modern spelling of this family name is “Cantlowes,” which is that given to a street on the south side of Camden Road.
Kent Street. Leads out of London to the great Kentish highway to Dover. At one time the landlords in this street took away the front doors of tenants who were more than a fortnight in arrears of paying their rent. This, styled a “Kent Street Ejectment,” was found effectual in getting rid of unprofitable tenants.
Kentucky. Indian for “long river.”
Keppel Street. From the “Admiral Keppel” at the corner of this street and Fulham Road.
Kerchief. See “Handkerchief.”
Kersey. From Kersey, in Suffolk, once famed for its woollen manufacture.
Kettledrum. A rounded drum, so called from its shape; also the name given to a tea party, both on account of the noise made by the guests, and because the hostess metaphorically beats them up at the time of sending out her invitations. See “Drum.”
Kettle of Fish. See “Pretty Kettle of Fish.”
Kew. Styled in ancient documents Kay-hoo, meaning a 179quay on a hoo or oe, which expressed the Danish for an island; also a spit of land at the mouth of a river or creek.
Keystone State. Pennsylvania, geographically considered as seventh among the thirteen original states of the Union.
Khaki. Expresses the Hindoo for “colour of cow dung.” This term came into prominence during the South African War, when all British uniforms were made of materials of this hue, so as to make our troops less conspicuous to the enemy.
Khan. Expresses the Persian, from a Tartar word, for a lord or prince.
Khedive. From the Persian khidiw, a king. In the Turkish khadiv the title expresses a ruler one grade removed from a Sultan.
Kicker. An Americanism for one who at a public meeting objects to a proposal.
Kick the Bucket. An expression derived from the primitive mode of a man hanging himself by standing on a bucket, and then kicking it aside. The “drop” in this case could not have been a long one.
Kidnap. Not only is this word accepted English in the absence of a more refined equivalent, but it is also made to do service in the case of an adult taken away against his will. Kid, of course, expresses a young goat, and is slang for a child. The second portion of the term is likewise slang, from nab, to steal.
Kidney Bean. The coarse bean shaped like a kidney.
Kiel. From the Danish keol, a ship.
Kilbride. The church of St Bride or Bridget.
Kilburn. Expresses the kil, or cell, of “one Godwynne, a holy hermit,” beside the bourn, or brook.
Kildare. From the Celtic kildara, the cell or hermitage among the oaks. A monastery was founded here by St Bridget towards the close of the fifth century.
180Kilkenny. The kil, or church, of St Kenny or Canice in connection with the ancient abbey dedicated to St John.
Killarney. A corruption of “Killeaney,” from the church of the Dominican monastery on the banks of the River Leane.
Kindergarten. Expresses the German for a children’s garden or playground. The system of juvenile education so called aims at self-tuition by means of toys and games.
Kinetoscope. The name originally given to our modern “living pictures,” from the Greek kinetikos, “putting in motion.” See “Mutoscope.”
King Charles Spaniel. The small species of “Spaniel” which was such a favourite with Charles I.
King Edward’s Grammar School. A superior academical institution founded and endowed for the tuition of Latin and Greek grammar by Edward VI.
King Edward Street. After Edward VI., the “Boy King,” founder of Christ’s Hospital, or Blue Coat Grammar School, hard by.
Kingfisher. The king of fisher birds that dive into water for their prey, so called on account of its gay plumage.
King James’s Bible. The Authorised Version ordered to be prepared and given to the people by James I.
King-maker. Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, so called because he was instrumental in placing both Edward IV. on the Yorkist and Henry VI. on the Lancastrian side on the throne after espousing their individual cause.
King of Bath. The sobriquet of Richard Nash, also known as Beau Nash, who for more than half-a-century was Master of Ceremonies at the fashionable Assembly Rooms of Bath.
King’s Arms. An inn sign, originally representing the counterfeit presentment or royal arms of an individual 181sovereign, but now a mere name, which must have done duty alike in honouring a long line of monarchs.
King’s Bench. Anciently the superior Court of Law presided over by the King in person, when he sat on an oaken bench. Wherever he went in state this Court followed him. Judges and magistrates are still said to occupy the Bench.
King’s College. At Cambridge, founded in 1441 by Henry VI. In London, the foundation by a royal charter of George IV. in 1828.
King’s County. In honour of Philip of Spain, the husband of Queen Mary. The original name was Ossaly.
King’s Cross. So called from a statue of George IV. set up here at the accession of that monarch, and taken down in 1842 to make way for the Great Northern Railway terminus. It is highly probable that an ancient cross stood on the same spot, since, quite apart from the fact that Queen Boadicea was defeated by the Romans at Battle Bridge hereabouts, it was in this neighbourhood too that King Alfred waged a sanguinary conflict with the Danes.
King’s Evil. The name given to scrofula, from the old superstitious idea that it could be cured by the touch of a king or queen.
Kingsgate Street. So called from the gate through which James I. passed across the meadows to Theobalds in Hertfordshire, his favourite hunting seat.
King’s Head. See “King’s Arms.”
Kingsland. This district marked the southern limits of the ancient royal domain of Enfield Chase.
King’s Lynn. Anciently called “Lynn Episcopi,” being the property of the Bishop of Norwich. At the dissolution of the monasteries Henry VIII. sequestered this estate, and gave the town the name of Lynn Regis, or King’s Lynn. The word Lynn is Celtic for “pool.”
King’s Own Men. The 78th Foot, so called from their Gaelic motto: “Cuidichr Rhi” (Help the King).
182King’s Road. In compliment to Charles II., who caused this highway between Chelsea and Fulham Palace to be made passable.
Kingston. The capital of Jamaica, after William III., in whose reign (1693) it was founded.
Kingston-on-Thames. From the ancient stone on which seven of the Anglo-Saxon kings were crowned. This interesting relic is now enclosed with iron railings near the Town Hall.
Kingstown. Originally “Dunleary,” the name was changed in honour of the visit of George IV. in September 1821.
King Street. That in Covent Garden, after Charles I., in whose reign it was laid out. In St James’s, after James I. In Cheapside, in honour of Henry IV., who passed down it to open the new Guildhall. At Westminster, because this was the direct road between the Court and the Abbey.
Kingsway. The name given by the London County Council to the new thoroughfare from Holborn to the Strand opened by King Edward VII. in 1905.
King William Street. In the city, after William IV., who performed the inaugural ceremony of declaring the London Bridge open for traffic, 1st August 1831. The street of the same name west of the Strand was newly laid out in his reign as a direct thoroughfare to Leicester Square.
Kirkcudbright. Expresses the Celtic for “the Church of St Cuthbert.”
Kirkdale. The church in the dale or vale of Pickering.
Kirke’s Lambs. The nickname bestowed upon the 2nd Foot, under the command of Captain Kirke, during the “Bloody Assizes,” and having for their badge the Paschal Lamb.
Kirschwasser. German for “Cherry Water,” this beverage being distilled from the juice of the black cherry.
183Kiss-me-Quick. The name of a small bonnet popular in England midway during the last century. Though of the “coal scuttle” pattern it did not extend beyond the face, and was chiefly worn by ladies going to parties or the play.
Kiss the Place and make it better. The expression, commonly employed by mothers and nurses to pacify children when they have hurt themselves, is a survival of the days of the sorcerers, who pretended to cure a disease by sucking the affected part.
Kiss the Scavenger’s Daughter. See “Scavenger’s Daughter.”
Kit. A soldier’s outfit, which he carries on his person when on the march. The name is derived from the Dutch kitte, a wooden beer-can strapped on the soldier’s belt.
Kit-Cat. The name given by artists to a three-quarter length portrait, and also to a canvas measuring 28 by 36 inches, in allusion to the portraits of uniform size, and all painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller, to suit the dimensions of the apartments occupied by the famous Kit-Cat Club. This club was long held at the house of a pastrycook called Christopher Cat in Shire Lane, Fleet Street (now Serle’s Place), after whom, familiarly styled “Kit-Cat,” it took its name. His own mutton pies were the staple refreshment, from which circumstance such pies were until quite modern times also called “Kit-Cats.”
