Phrases and Names Their Origins and Meanings : 'P' (영어 이름과 표현의 의미와 유래)

 

 

Pacha. See “Pasha.”

Pacific Ocean. So called by Magellan, who, after a tempestuous passage through the straits which bear his name, enjoyed a cruise of three months and twenty-one days across this ocean in continuous fine weather, and with the advantage of favourable winds.

Pack Horse. An inn sign denoting that the establishment provided accommodation for “Packmen,” and also that pack horses were let out on hire.

Packmen. The old name for commercial travellers, whose goods or samples were carried in packs or sacks fastened to the saddle of a pack horse.

Paddington. The ancient description of this parish was “Padynton,” the settlement of the Pædings. Another branch of the same family gave its name to “Padendene”--i.e. the wooded valley of the Pædings in Surrey.

Paddington Street. Originally a narrow lane leading northward on to the common known as Paddington Fields.

Paddle your own Canoe. Originally a Western phrase for self-reliance. A canoe is an Indian boat affording room for one person. If he cannot paddle it himself no one else is in a position to help him. The expression became extremely popular in England through a song of this title thirty years ago.

Paddy. The common name for an Irishman, being short for “Pat,” after St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Pagan. This term had at first not the slightest connection with religion. Derived from the Latin pagus, the country, a paganus denoted a peasant or villager. Removed from the refinement of the cities such a one had, of course, very little acquaintance with the complicated system of Roman mythology. On this account only could it be said that those who remained unconverted to Christianity were Pagans.

Page Green. See “Seven Sisters’ Road.”

Painted Hall. The picture gallery of Greenwich Hospital received this name on account of its superbly painted ceiling.

Painter. The rope by which the “Jolly Boat” or any other is attached to a vessel, so called from the Latin panther, through the French pantier, a drag net.

Paint the Town. An Americanism for a night’s drunken frolic; the allusion is to a drunkard’s red nose.

Palace Car. An Americanism for a “Pullman” or Saloon car.

Palaver. From the Portuguese palavra, “a talk.”

Pale Faces. The name popularly bestowed upon the whites by the North American Indians.

Palestine. From the Hebrew Palæstina, “the land of strangers.” This was the ancient Philistia, the country of the Philistines, a term derived like that of Palestine from the root phalash, to emigrate or wander.

Pall Mall. From a species of croquet, called Paille Maille, introduced by Charles II. after his involuntary exile in France, and played by him and his courtiers here when the thoroughfare was open to St James’s Park.

Palmer. The name bestowed upon a “Pilgrim” returning from the Holy Land who carried a palm branch, usually affixed to his head-gear, as a proof that he had actually accomplished his self-imposed task. On arriving at the place whence he had set out he repaired to the church or chapel, and offered the palm to the parish priest, who laid it on the altar on his behalf.

Palmetto City. Augusta, the capital of the Palmetto State.

Palmetto State. South Carolina, from the palmetto-tree in her arms. During the Civil War the soldiers of this state bore the name of “Palmetto Boys.”

Palm it off. A phrase derived from the usual procedure of a conjurer, who is an adept at concealing in the palm of his hand that which he pretends to have “passed” elsewhere.

Palm Oil. A bribe placed in the hand of a servant makes him the more willing to throw open the apartment of the great man to whom one wishes to gain access.

Palm Sunday. From the palms distributed to the congregation by the Catholic Church in commemoration of Christ’s entry into the city of Jerusalem, when the populace strewed palm branches and leaves in His path.

Palmy Days of the Drama. The days of our greatest exponents of the Drama, so called because, had such celebrated histriones as Garrick, Mrs Siddons, the Keans, and the Kembles lived in the time of the Romans, they would have been awarded a palm branch in recognition of their genius.

Palsgrave Place. In honour of Frederick, King of Bohemia, Palsgrave of the Rhine, married to the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of James I.

Pam. The popular name of Lord Palmerston.

Pamphlet. After Pamphilia, a Greek lady who kept a commonplace book for the collection of anecdotes and literary memoranda.

Panama. Expresses the Carribean for “mud fish,” with which the shores of this isthmus abound.

Panama Hat. A corruption of “Palmata Hat,” from the primitive head covering in equatorial South America made out of the large leaf of the Cardulavia palmata tree.

Pancake Tuesday. From the pancakes eaten on this day. The custom arose in Catholic days with a view to using up the eggs and lard that were interdicted during Lent; also because pancakes were an excellent stay to the appetite while the faithful had to wait long hours in church to be shrived by the priest in the confessional.

Pancras Road. From Old St Pancras parish church. New St Pancras church is situated in the Euston Road.

Panel Den. An Americanism for a brothel, in which the rooms are panelled off into small compartments.

Pan-Handle State. West Virginia, on account of its shape, rising up like a wedge between Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Panorama. Expresses the Greek for “a view of the whole,” as would be obtained from a monument or a natural eminence. This is the correct description of a picture exhibited in a circular building, where the spectators are placed in the centre; not at all of an old form of picture entertainment at one end of a hall, which approximates to a Diorama, because conformably to di, through, it is viewed through the darkness.

Pantaloon. One of the characters of the Italian comedy or “Pantomime,” so called because he was typical of the Venetians, wearing, like them, originally a close-fitting garment made all in one piece, known as a pantaleone. The Venetians were nicknamed Pantaleone (“all lion”) from their common patron, St Mark, whose symbol was a lion; hence the application of the term pantaloons to tight-fitting knickerbockers or trousers.

Pantaloonery. An Americanism for trouser material. See “Pantaloon.”

Pantechnicon. A Greek word compounded out of pan, all, and techne, art. The large vehicle of this name was first used exclusively for the conveyance of pictures and art treasures to exhibitions.

Pantheism. From the Greek pan, all, and theos, God; the religion which recognises the Spirit of God moving throughout all the processes, works, and glories of His creation. The single doctrine expressed by Pantheism is that “God is everything, and everything is God.”

Pantheon. The Roman temple erected in honour of the gods collectively, so called from the Greek pan, all, and theos, god.

Pantomime. In the modern sense a pantomime is an entertainment in which current events or fashionable foibles are introduced by way of burlesque. Formerly it denoted a performance of Italian comedy in which the action took place in dumb show, so called from the Greek pantomimos, an imitator of all or everything. The Roman mimes or mimi were not theatrical performers, but mutes at funerals, whose function it was to imitate the characteristic actions of the deceased--e.g. the virtue of generosity.

Panton Street. After a noted gamester, Colonel Thomas Panton, whose daughter became connected by marriage with the family of the ground landlord, Lord Arundel of Wardour.

Pants. Short for “pantaloons,” an Americanism for trousers. See “Pantaloon.”

Panyer Alley. This was an alley behind an ancient church facing Cheapside, where the bakers stood with their bread paniers. The word “panier” is French for a bread basket.

Pan’s Pipes. The primitive reed instrument named after Pan, the god of shepherds.

Pansy. From the French “penseé,” which in the Language of Flowers means “thoughts.”

Papa. See “Pope.”

Papal Bull. So called on account of the bulla, a seal embellished with the symbol of St Peter.

Paper. From the Greek papyros, the Egyptian plant out of the reeds of which the earliest writing material was made.

Paper King. John Law, the projector of the Mississippi Scheme, whose prospectus promised fortunes that were never realised by the luckless speculators.

Papua. Expresses the Portuguese for “frizzled.” This name was bestowed upon the natives of New Guinea on account of their enormous heads of frizzled hair.

Parachute. From the Greek para, “beyond,” and the French chute, “a fall.”

Paraquay. Expresses the Brazilian for the country of the Para, or “great river.”

Parasol. This term is now obsolete, having been superseded by “Sunshade.” Derived through the Italian parasole, from the Greek para, beyond, and sol, the sun, its meaning was synonymous with that of its modern substitute.

Parchment. From the Greek pergamenos, through the French parchemin, so called after Pergamos, the city of Asia Minor where, consequent upon Ptolemy’s prohibition of the exportation of the Egyptian papyrus, dried goatskins were first utilised for a writing material.

Paris. Called by the Romans Lutetia Parisiorum, a name signifying the collection of mud huts inhabited by the Parisii, a Gallic tribe conquered by them.

Paris Garden. A notorious bear-baiting establishment in South London for several centuries, so called after Robert de Paris in the reign of Richard I. The entrance thereto is fixed by what bears the name of Bear Garden at the corner of Sumner Street, Borough.

Park Lane. Originally a narrow lane skirting the east side of Hyde Park; it is now one of the most fashionable streets in the West End of London.

Park Street. Leads westward from Camden Town to Regent’s Park.

Parker Street. In honour of Archbishop Parker, who founded two fellowships and five scholarships at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, in addition to presenting it with a valuable library of ancient manuscripts. This street was at one time called Bennet Street, after the original name of the college, from the adjacent church of St Benedict.

Parliament. From the French parlerment, founded on the Latin verb parler, to speak. See “Parlour.”

Parliamentarians. The forces under the Parliament of the Commonwealth under Cromwell during the Civil War with Charles I. and the Royalists.

Parliamentary Whip. One whose duty it is to hunt up Members of the House of Commons when questions of grave import are being put to the vote.

Parliament of Dunces. That convened at Coventry by Henry IV. in 1404 because it did not number among its members a single lawyer. Sir Edward Coke styled this the “Unlearned” and also the “Lawless Parliament.”

Parlour. Originally the apartment reserved for visitors where conversation could be indulged undisturbed. See “Parliament.”

Parnellites. The Home Rule party in Ireland during the lifetime of their political leader, Charles Stewart Parnell.

Parry Islands. Discovered by Rear-Admiral Sir William Parry in the course of his search for the North-West Passage.

Parsees. The modern designation of the Zoroastrians or Fire Worshippers in Persia and India. The Parsees were the original inhabitants of Persia, a wild Ayrian family called the Parsa, meaning “The Tigers.” By the Greeks the territory they overran was styled Perseus, on account of their chief stronghold, Persipolis, “the city of the Parsa,” the ruins of which may yet be seen. The modern Parsees are therefore descendants of those who refused to embrace Mohammedanism.

Parsons Green. Prior to the year 1740 the parsonage of Fulham Parish Church stood facing this green. On its roof was a cross which bore the name of “Parson’s Cross,” afterwards corrupted into “Percy Cross.”

Partridge Day. The first of September, when partridge shooting commences.

Pasha. A Western corruption of the Turkish “Pashaw,” from the Persian bâshâ, a governor or ruler of a province under the Shah or King.

Passenger Pigeon. So called on account of its migratory habits. This species is found chiefly in America.

Passing Bell. That rung at the parish church to announce publicly that the soul of a parishioner has just passed away.

Passion Flower. The traditional reverence for this favourite flower is due to a fancied resemblance of its tints and various parts to the instruments of Christ’s Passion; also because it remains open for three days, corresponding to the period between the Last Supper and the Resurrection.

Passionists. A missionary Order founded by St Francis de Paulo, otherwise “St Paul of the Cross,” for the preaching of “Christ’s Passion and Him Crucified.”

Passion Play. An alfresco sacred drama based upon the incidents of Christ’s Passion and Death; that performed every tenth year at Oberammergau is world famous.

Passion Sunday. Although this should properly be the first day of what is called Passion Week, Palm Sunday is in a sense a feast day, in allusion to the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The Sunday previous is therefore set apart for a general commemoration of the Passion--all crosses, statues, and paintings in the churches being draped in purple, with a view to concentrating the attention of the worshippers on the sufferings of the Redeemer.

Passion Week. The week in which Good Friday occurs, in commemoration of Christ’s Passion.

Passive Resister. One who in our own day passively resists the imposition of the Education Rate by allowing his goods to be seized or going to prison instead of resorting to active measures of violence.

Passover. The great Jewish festival commemorative of the Destroying Angel having passed over or spared the houses of the Israelites whose doorposts were sprinkled with the blood of the lamb slain overnight by Divine command. The Hebrew term for this festival is Pesach, whence “Pasch” has been derived.

Pastoral Letter. One addressed by a bishop to his flock. As his title implies, he is an overseer, and his crook is symbolical of a shepherd.

Pat. See “Paddy.”

Patagonia. This name, from the Spanish patagon, a large, clumsy foot, was given by Magellan to the country because, seeing the impressions of the great shoes worn by the natives, he imagined them to be giants.

Paternoster Row. Two reasons are assigned for this designation. The Row was the locale of the makers of “Pater Nosters,” or rosary beads, so called from the name of the first large bead, and the sellers of religious texts and prayer-books. Also because on great festival days the monks went in solemn procession to St Paul’s, the recital of the Pater Noster being commenced at the eastern corner of the lane, outside the churchyard, and concluded at the western extremity, where the Ave Maria was then taken up. See “Amen Corner.”

Pathfinder. The surname of General John Charles Fremont, the leader of four exploring expeditions across the Rocky Mountains.

Patricians. See “Plebeians.”

Paul’s Chain. This lane, on the south side of the Paul’s Churchyard, formerly had a chain drawn across it during divine service; hence its name.

Paul Veronese. The better-known name of the celebrated Italian painter Paulo Cagliari, who was born at Verona.

Pawn. In relation to the game of chess. The ordinary piece or “man” bears this name from the French peon, a walker or foot soldier, the superior pieces being kings, queens, knights, castles, and bishops. An article left in the charge of a pawnbroker is called a pawn, from the French pan, a pledge.

Pawnbroker. See “Pawn” and “Broker.”

Peabody Buildings. After George Peabody, the American philanthropist, who left a huge fortune in trust for the building of “model dwellings” for the poorer classes. His statue, at the back of the Royal Exchange, was unveiled 23rd July 1869.

Peach. A schoolboy term for to inform against another. In allusion to the fruit of this name, it means to turn soft-hearted, and betray. In American the word is used to denote a pretty woman or anything soft and beautiful.

Peacock. An inn sign dating from the Crusades, when, the flesh of the peacock being deemed incorruptible, this bird was adopted by many a knight as a crest, typical of the Resurrection. “By the peacock” was a common oath in those days.

Pearl Bible. So called from the name of the printing type employed in its composition.

Peckham. A corruption of Beckham, a home or settlement among the becks or brooks.

Peckham Rye. In its application to common, the word “Rye” comes from the Anglo-Saxon ree, a watercourse.

Peculiar People. Originally those who believed that disease was the direct consequence of sin, and that by prayer alone could it be removed. See “Faith Healers.”

Pedlar. An itinerant trader, so called in conformity with the Latin pedes, the feet.

Pedro the Cruel. The surname of the King of Castile and Leon, who, midway in the fourteenth century, murdered his two brothers and poisoned his queen. How he meted out punishment to those outside his own family may be guessed.

Peeler. The old name for a policeman, after Sir Robert Peel, to whom the introduction of the modern system of Watch and Ward was due.

Peep O’Day Boys. Irish insurrectionists who broke into the houses of the people at peep of day in search of arms. They were not averse to carrying off other plunder at the same time.

Peewit. This bird is so called from its characteristic notes.

Peg Away. Originally a camping phrase. When a tent is being put up it is necessary to secure its ropes to the ground on all sides before the work can be left, lest the whole structure, caught by the wind, should be blown down.

Pekin. Chinese for “northern capital.”

Pelican State. Louisiana, from the pelican in her arms.

Pembroke. Called by the Welsh “Penbroshire,” signifying the pen or head of the bro or country; literally the Land’s End.

Pembroke College. Founded at Cambridge in 1348 by the widow of Aylmar de Valence, Earl of Pembroke.

Peninsula State. Florida.

Penitentiary. The modern name for a “Magdalen Hospital,” designed as a home or refuge for fallen women who are penitent. This term was adopted also by the Quakers of Philadelphia in 1786 for a prison.

Penknife. A small pocket-knife intended primarily for cutting quill pens. Though quills are no longer in fashion, save among lawyers and bankers, and the penknife is serviceable only for trimming one’s finger nails, its original name survives.

Pennsylvania. From the Latin sylva, a wood; expresses the colony in the wood founded by William Penn.

Penny. From the Danish pennig and German pfennig, a copper coin of full value. This was originally nicked across to admit of being broken into halves and quarters.

Penny Blood. The modern substitute for the “Penny Dreadful.” The term “Blood” is short for a blood-curdling relation.

Penny Gaff. The term applied to a low-class theatre, in allusion to the first Drury Lane Theatre, built on the site of a famous cockpit. Gaff was but another name for a cockpit, expressing as it did in various languages the iron hook, fork, or spur with which the cocks were goaded when they showed a reluctance to fight.

Penny Wedding. One to which all the villagers are invited, each contributing his or her quota to the expenses of the feast amounting to less than a shilling, while children uniformly bring a penny.

Pennyweight. Anciently, before standard weights came into use, the weight of a Norman silver penny.

Penrith. A corruption of “Perith,” from Perith Hill, at the foot of which the town is situated. The name is Celtic for “red hill,” in allusion to the red stone quarried on the spot.

Pensioner Parliament. That of Charles II., which, though it lasted sixteen years and a half, was more remarkable for the bestowal of pensions upon the adherents of the King than for the framing of new laws.

Pentateuch. A Greek word compounded out of penta, five, and teuchos, an implement, tool. This name was given to the first five books collectively of the Old Testament, its second portion being applicable in the sense of an instrument of direct communication between God and His people.

Pentecost. From the Greek pentekoste, the fiftieth day; relative to the gift of the Law to the Israelites fifty days after their deliverance out of the Land of Bondage. This great festival, corresponding to the Whitsuntide of the Christians, is celebrated by the Jews on the fiftieth day after the “Passover.”

Penton Street. See “Pentonville.”

Pentonville. Prior to 1773 the whole of this neighbourhood north of the New Road was open fields. It was then acquired for building purposes by Henry Penton, M.P., one of the Lords of the Admiralty, and received its name from “Penton Villa,” his residence, on the site of what is now Penton Street.

Penzance. Expresses the Celtic for “Saint’s Headland,” in allusion to St Michael’s Mount.

People’s Friend. The surname of Dr William Gordon of Hull, merited by his kindly disposition and unfailing generosity. When he died in 1849 the whole town followed his body to the grave, and the name by which he had always been known was subsequently chiselled on his tombstone.

Percy Cross. See “Parsons Green.”

Pere La Chaise. This, the principal cemetery of Paris, originally constituted the land attached to a beautiful mansion built by a grocer named Regnault. After his death the property passed into the hands of a lady, who made it over to the Jesuits of the Rue St Antoine. Thenceforth the Maison Regnault became the recognised seat of the Jesuits. In 1705 Pere La Chaise, the confessor of Louis XIV., was made Superior to the Order, and by the King’s desire the house received his name. The eventual suppression of the Order caused the property to be sold and the land converted into a cemetery.

Perfectionists. An American sect of religionists who, relying on the gift of the Spirit, dispense with civil laws so far as their own community is concerned.

Peripatetics. The school of philosophy founded by Aristotle, who taught his disciples in the colonnade or covered walk (styled the peripatos, from peripatem, to walk) in the garden of Lyceus at Athens.

Pernambuco. Expresses the Spanish for “the mouth of hell,” so called on account of the violent surf, which is such an impediment to the safe navigation of the mouth of its chief river, the San Francisco.

Persia. The country of the Parsa. See “Parsees.”

Peru. From its principal waterway, the Rio Paro, on the banks of which the ancient city of Paruru is situated. All these names are modifications of the native Para, water or river.

Perugino. See “Il Perugino.”

Peter. A word employed in America for running up the prices at an auction. It is derived from the Dutch pethur, to run, to hurry. The common name for a confederate of the auctioneer at a mock auction is a “Peter Funk,” that of the fictitious person to whom the goods are knocked down.

Peter Boat. One built alike at both ends, so that it can be run out quickly. See “Peter.”

Peterborough. From the great Benedictine monastery built and dedicated to St Peter by Oswy, King of Northumbria, in the seventh century.

Peterhouse College. Founded at Cambridge in connection with a hospital dedicated to St Peter by Hugh de Balsham in 1280.

Peterloo Massacre. The name given to the dispersal of Lancashire operatives assembled to discuss Parliamentary reform in St Peter’s Field, Manchester, by an armed force, 10th July 1819. In this melee many were wounded and several killed. The term was a fanciful one, suggested by the battle of Waterloo of five years previous to this event.

Peter’s Pence. An annual contribution throughout the Roman Catholic world for the upkeep of the vast establishment of the Vatican and the Papal Court. Since the loss of the Papal States in Italy this constitutes the sole revenue of the Pope. Anciently it was a tax of a silver penny in respect of every member of a household.

Petrel. See “Stormy Petrel.”

Petticoat. A smaller or shorter coat, which was the ancient description of a woman’s outer garment; derived from the Norman cotte.

Petticoat Lane. Another name for “Rag Fair,” the old clothes mart of the Jews in the East End. Its modern name is Middlesex Street.

Petty. Provincial for an out-house, because its accommodation is restricted to one person; also called a “Privy,” short for private.

Petty Sessions. A criminal court for the disposal of petty or lesser felonies, as distinguished from the usual “Quarter Sessions,” where all graver charges, short of those meriting capital punishment, are dealt with.

Phaeton. A name derived from the Phaeton of ancient mythology, who, having received permission to drive the sun car of Helios, his father, for a day, had the ill fortune to cause it to be overturned, and thereby almost set the world on fire.

Pharmacist. An Americanism for a chemist; derived, of course, from “Pharmaceutist,” one who keeps a pharmacy or drug store.

Pharisees. Those of the Jews who affected a greater degree of holiness than their neighbours, and were consequently regarded as a separate people. The word is from the Hebrew pharash, “separated.”

Philadelphia. Expresses the Greek for “city of brotherly love.” This name was happily chosen by William Penn for the capital of his Quaker colony in the New World.

Philippe Egalité. See “Egalité.”

Philippi. A ruined city of Macedonia, named after Philip II. of Macedon, who conquered it. It was to the Philippians, the people of this city, that St Paul addressed one of his Epistles.

Philippic. A powerful invective or denunciation. So called from a famous oration of Demosthenes against Philip of Macedon with a view of arousing the Athenians to repel his ambitious designs.

Philippine Islands. Discovered by Magellan in 1521, he named them in honour of Philip II. of Spain.

Philistines. The inhabitants of ancient Philistia, or “Palestine.” Because these were continually at war with the Jews, the term has been applied by university students to the citizens generally, and to the preservers of law and order more particularly. “A battle with the Philistines” is but another name for “a town row.” By the people of Norfolk too, policemen and bailiffs, likewise earwigs and such tiny tormentors, are called Philistines.

Philistinism. The name given to that cynicism which sneers at religion. This arose out of the scorn with which the Philistines of Palestine regarded the rites and ceremonies of the Israelites.

Phiz. Slang for the face; derived from “Physiogomy.”

Phœnicia. Called by the Greeks Phoinike, from phoinos, purple, which colour was discovered by the Tyrians and manufactured by them for the supply of all the then known Eastern nations.

Photograph. From the two Greek words photos, light, and graphein, to write. Accordingly a picture obtained by the action of light and transferred to paper chemically prepared.

Phyrric Dance. The famous war dance of the ancient Greeks, so called after Phyrrichos, a flautist of great skill and renown.

Pianoforte. A modern development of the old harpsichord and clavichord, so called because it was the first musical instrument which, by means of pedals, admitted the alternations of piano, soft, and forte, loud.

Piccadilly. After “Piccadilla Hall,” a once famous mart for the sale of “piccadilly lace,” having pica, or spearlike points. Of this pica, the word piccadilly expressed the diminutive. So fashionable was this lace during the time of Elizabeth that when in the succeeding reign of James I. the high ruff came into vogue, it bore the name of a piccadilly, though shorn of its lace edging. “Piccadilla Hall” must have stood somewhere about the modern circus of the same name, since there were no houses further afield.

Pickaninny. From the Spanish pegueno nino, a little child.

Pick-me-up. A stimulating beverage or a medicinal tonic as a remedy for languor or lowness of spirits.

Pick up. An Americanism for a cold dinner composed of the fragments of the previous day’s joint. Sometimes such a one is called a “Pick-up Dinner.”

Picts. The Lowlanders of Scotland, called by the Romans picti, or painted men, because, they stained their skins with woad.

Pie Corner. It has been considered curious that the Great Fire of London should have broken out in “Pudding Lane” and ended at Pie Corner. Scarcely less curious was it that this Pie Corner was an eating-house. Its sign was “The Pie,” a corruption of “Magpie.”

Piedmont. Expresses the French for “mountain foot.”

Pierrot. French for “Little Peter.”

Pig and Whistle. A tavern sign corrupted from “Piggen Wassail.” Piggen expressed the Anglo-Saxon for a milking pail, of which pig was the diminutive. When a large party frequented the alehouse the liquor was set before them in a piggen, each helping himself from it with his pig, or mug. “Wassail” was, of course, the Anglo-Saxon Was hæl (“Be in health”). See “Hail.”

Pigeon English. That employed by the Chinese in their commercial relations with Europeans. The word pigeon is a native corruption of “business,” which it seems impossible for a Chinaman to pronounce correctly. Their business English is therefore a jargon of many languages heard by him in the “Open Ports.”

Pig in a Poke. See “Buy a Pig in a Poke” and “Let the Cat out of the Bag.”

Piggott Diamond. One of the smaller diamonds of celebrity, weighing 82¼ carats. This was brought to England from India by Lord Piggott in 1818, when it passed into the hands of Messrs Rundell & Bridge.

Pigtails. The European nickname for the Chinese on account of their shaven heads and braided pigtails.

Pikes. The name given in California to the poor southern whites, most of whom came from Pike County, Missouri. See “Pukes.”

Pilgrim. From the Italian pellegrino, “a visitor to foreign lands.” Since the days of Peter the Hermit and the Crusades this term has been confined to one who travels on foot to worship at a holy shrine, whether he be a Christian, Mohammedan, or Buddhist. See “Palmer.”

Pillow Lace. So called because produced by twisted threads around rows of pins arranged on a cushion or pillow.

Pilot Jack. The name given to the “Union Jack” when flown from the mast-head in the merchant service as a signal for a pilot.

Pimlico. This was originally a district of tea gardens for holiday folk, with a specialité for nut-brown ales. It received its name from Ben Pimlico, the owner of a noted resort in Hoxton on the site of what is now the Britannia Theatre. The nut-brown ale was first popularised by this worthy, who could not have regarded the application of his name to ales purveyed elsewhere with much favour. From “Pimlico Ales,” the neighbourhood itself soon came to be known as Pimlico.

Pimlico Walk. It is hard to believe that this was once a regular holiday promenade for the citizens of London. On Sundays and on week-day evenings it was thronged, skirting as it did the famous tea gardens of Ben Pimlico, in whose retired arbours courting couples softly murmured “sweet nothings.” This resort was to Londoners of a bygone day what Rosherville is in our own time. From a tea garden it developed into what was styled a “saloon,” and eventually into a regular theatre.

Pinafore. Literally an apron pinned on the bosom and at the hips of the wearer. The modern example of a pinafore with armholes is pinned or buttoned behind.

Pinchbeck. A mixture of copper, zinc, and tin, out of which metal watch cases and cheap jewellery were formerly made. So called after its inventor, Christopher Pinchbeck of Fleet Street.

Pindaric Verse. A style of verse, irregular in regard to metre, imitative of the Odes of Pindar, the Roman poet.

Pine-tree State. Maine, from the pine-tree distinguished in her arms, symbolical of her glorious forests.

Pin Money. The allowance made by a husband to his wife in order to purchase pins for the current year. Such articles were at one time neither abundant nor cheap.

Pin your Faith on it. An expression derived from the days of feudalism, when all the dependents of a baron or feudal lord displayed his badge pinned on the sleeve. Sometimes while on a predatory expedition of their own these vassals exchanged the badge for another to prevent recognition. This gave rise to the saying: “You may wear the badge, but I cannot pin my faith on your sleeve. I require some further evidence whence you came.”

Pipeclay. The fine white clay out of which clay pipes are made.

Pistol. From Pistoja in Italy, where this kind of small firearm was first introduced in 1545.

Pit. The floor of a theatre bears this name because the original Drury Lane Theatre was built by Killigrew on the site of the famous cockpit in Drury Lane.

Pitcairn Island. Discovered by Captain Cartaret in 1767, and named by him after one of his officers.

Pitchfork. A fork for pitching hay; also one for determining the correct pitch of a musical note.

Pitt Diamond. After Thomas Pitt, grandfather of the first Lord Chatham, who, while Governor of Fort St George in India, purchased it for £24,000. On coming to England he sold this gem, weighing 136¾ carats in its cut state, to the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France, for £130,000, on which account it bears the name also of the “Regent Diamond.” It decorated the sword hilt of Napoleon I., and after the battle of Waterloo passed into the hands of the Prussians.

Pittsburg. This city was built on the site of the French Fort Duquesne. When, after a sanguinary engagement, it was taken from the allied French and Indians in 1758 by General Forbes, he gave it the name of Fort Pitt, after the English statesman, William Pitt, Earl of Chatham.

Pius X. The Vatican Journal Voce Della Verita recently gave an authorised explanation as to why the present Pope chose to be styled “Pius the Tenth.” It said: “The Holy Father preferred a name that would emphasise the undying struggle of the Holy See against the Revolution. From the very beginning Pius has been the name of predilection assumed by our most illustrious Pontiffs. His present Holiness, whose Pontificate opens under a hostile Government, and at a time when both Pope and State are the victims of imperious revolution, was determined to adopt the title of ‘Pius the Tenth.’”

Plain. The name given to the Girondist party on the floor of the French House of Assembly during the Revolution, as opposed to the “Mountain” party.

Plantagenet. The family name of the House of Anjou, which succeeded to the throne of England at the extinction of the Norman dynasty. It was assumed by Fulke Martel, the first of this line, as a perpetual reminder of the incident of having allowed himself to be scourged by two attendants with branches of the genista, or broom plant, while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre, as an atonement for his murder of the Earl of Brittany.

Platonic Affection. The kind of mutual esteem between persons of opposite sexes free from carnal desires or love in an earthly sense, as advocated by Plato and his school of philosophers.

Platonists. The disciples of Plato. See “Academy.”

Play Fast and Loose. An expression derived from a very old cheating game called “Pricking the Belt,” which in the modified form of “Prick the Garter,” may yet be met with at fairs and race meetings. The victim was invited to stick a skewer through a folded belt so as to pin it to the table; whereupon the other, taking the two ends, proved that the belt had not been made fast at all; hence to “play fast and loose with a man.”

Playhouse Yard. Marks the site of the “Fortune Theatre,” the second regular playhouse opened in the city of London.

Please the Pigs. A corruption of “Please the Pixies,” or woodland fairies, still common in many rural districts.

Plebeians. The ordinary citizens among the Romans, so called from plebs, the people, as distinguished from the “Patricians,” or fathers of the State.

Plough Monday. The first Monday after the Epiphany, when, the Christmas festivities having come to an end, farm labourers were supposed to return to the plough. Instead of which they dragged a plough round the parish, begging for “plough money” from door to door, and spent the evening at the alehouse.

Plume and Feathers. An inn sign, corrupted from “The Plume of Feathers,” in allusion to the plume of ostrich feathers adopted as his crest by Edward the Black Prince. See “Ich Dien.”

Plunger. A gambler who plunges into bets without considering the risks he incurs. Recklessness is his characteristic. To retrieve his losses he plays for high stakes, which make or break him in a very short time.

Plymouth. The seaport town at the mouth of the Plym.

Plymouth Brethren. A sect which sprang into existence at Plymouth in 1830. It has extended far and wide, both on the Continent of Europe and in America. Its chief tenet is the utter rejection of priestly or ministerial organisation.

Pocket Borough. An old Parliamentary term for a borough in which the votes at an election could generally be commanded by one influential person.

Poet Laureate. The officially appointed poet of any nation, so called from the Roman custom of crowning a favourite poet with laurel, symbolical of Apollo, the god of poetry.

Pogrom. Expresses the Slavonic for “devastation” or “desolation.” The word is allied to grom, thunder, thunder clash, and gromit, to thunder, batter down, as with a thunderbolt; utterly overthrow, destroy without mercy.

Pointer. This dog is so called on account of its remarkable instinct for pointing out or indicating to sportsmen the presence of game.

Point Lace. So called because it is worked with the point of a needle.

Poke Bonnet. One which poked out beyond the face on all sides. See “Kiss-me-Quick.”

Poland. From the Slavonic poln, “a country of plains.” Its original settlers were a tribe called the Polnali, “men of the plains.” When this country was an independent kingdom it bore the name of “Polska,” and its people “Polacks.” Shakespeare mentions “the sledded Polacks on the ice” in Hamlet Act i. sc. i.

Poland Street. From the Polish refugees who congregated in it soon after this street was built.

Police. The appropriate designation of civil guardians of the peace, from the Greek polis, city.

Polka. Originally a Bohemian dance, so called from the native word pulka, a half, on account of the half step peculiar to it.

Polynesia. Greek for “many islands.”

Polytechnic. An institute or academy of the Arts, so called from the Greek polys, many, and techne, art.

Pompeii. So called by the Romans in honour of Pompeius Magnus, or Pompey the Great.

Pomeranian. A valuable breed of dog from Pomerania in Prussia.

Pomeroy. From pomme roi; expresses the French for “King’s Apple.”

Pommery. After Madame Pommery, mother of the Duchess de Polignac, and owner of the estate near Rheims where this fine brand of champagne is produced.

Pompadour. Both the puce colour and the dress material of this name were first popularised by Madame le Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV.

Pompadours. The nickname of the 56th Foot on account of their claret or Pompadour facings.

Pontac. From the town of the same name in the south of France.

Pontefract. Literally “broken bridge.” The popular corruption of this name is “Pomfret.”

Pontiff. The Pope of Rome bears this name conformably to the Latin pons, bridge, and facere, to make, because the earliest bridge over the Tiber was constructed at the sole cost of the High Priest of the Romans.

Pontius Pilate’s Bodyguard. The first regiment of Foot, the oldest in the service.

Poole. From the pool or inlet of the sea on which this Dorsetshire port is situated.

Pope. From the Greek papas, and Latin papa, father.

Poplar. From the poplar-trees formerly abounding in this district.

Poppin’s Court. A corruption of “Poppingay Court”; originally, in the reign of Elizabeth, “Poppingay Alley,” so called because it marked the site of an ancient inn or mansion owned by the Abbots of Cirencester, and displaying the sign of “the Poppinjaye” or parrot.

Pop the Question. A corruption of “Propose the question of marriage.”

Porkopolis. The nickname of Chicago and Cincinnati, both world-renowned cities in relation to the pork-packing industry.

Port. The native wine of Portugal, shipped from Oporto.

Porte. The official designation of the Government of Turkey, because anciently justice was administered at the porta, or gate, of the Sultan’s palace.

Porter. Another name for “Entire,” which was first retailed at “The Blue Last” in Curtain Road, Finsbury. Finding that it was in great request by the porters who frequented that house of call, the publican dropped the name of “Entire” and called it “Porter.”

Portland Place. After William Bentinck, second Duke of Portland, the owner of the estate.

Portman Square. After Edward Berkeley Portman, Viscount Portman of Bryanstone, Dorsetshire, the great ground landlord.

Portmanteau. From the French porter, to carry, and manteau, a cloak; literally a receptacle for a cloak on a journey.

Porto Rico. Express the Spanish for “rich port.”

Portsmouth. The seaport town built at the mouth of the harbour.

Portsoken Ward. One of the wards of the city of London, so called because anciently the thirteen knights styled the “English Knighten Guild,” claimed the soken, or franchise, at the porta, or gate, to their ward in return for services rendered to King Edgar by their ancestors.

Portugal. From the ancient name of the capital city, Portus Cale, “the gate of Gaul.”

Portugal Street. In compliment to Catherine of Braganza, queen of Charles II.

Portuguese Hymn. The “Adesta Fidelis,” so called from the erroneous assumption of the Duke of Leeds that it was part of the regular service in Catholic Portugal, since he first heard it sung in the private chapel of the Portuguese Ambassador in London.

Portway. The name given to that portion of a great Roman highway in this country wherever it was crossed by an arch or within sight of a walled city; from porta, gate.

Poser. A corruption of “Opposer”; derived from collegiate argumentative examinations.

Poses Plastiques. French for “statuesque attitudes.”

Poster. So called because auction, play, and other public announcements were first exhibited on the posts separating the roadway from the side walk. Being stuck on these posts, the bills were said to be “posted.”

Post Paper. So called from the original watermark, a post horn, which it bore.

Pot Boilers. Specifically pictures painted by a poor artist for ready sale to a dealer in order to “Keep the pot boiling.” The term is also employed by authors and journalists in the same sense.

Pothooks. The nickname of the 77th Foot, owing to the fancied resemblance of these two figures to pothooks.

Pot Luck. Anything ready at hand for a meal. The allusion is to the primitive stock pot, into which meat and vegetables were thrown at any time for boiling up as required.

Potomac. Indian for “place of the burning pine.”

Poultry. Where the scorchers and stuffers of poultry in connection with the old Stocks Market on the site of the Mansion House had their shops.

Pouter Pigeon. So called on account of its pouting or bulging breast.

Powis Place. Marks the site of the town house of William Herbert, Marquis of Powis, temp. Charles I.

Prairie State. Illinois, which for the most part consists of prairie lands.

Praise-God Barebone. A fanatical leader of the time of the Commonwealth, and a prominent member of the “Barebone Parliament,” who was addicted to praising God and damning his neighbours. This kind of hypocrisy was characteristic of the Puritans.

Pratt Street. After one of the family names of the Earl of Brecknock, Marquis of Camden, landlord of the estate.

Presbyterians. From the Greek presbuteros, an elder. The National Church of Scotland is governed not by prelates, as in England, but by elders, equal in office and power.

Press Yard. The open courtyard between the Sessions House and Newgate Prison. Those who refused to plead when put upon their trial were pressed to death with heavy weights.

Preston. A corruption of “Priests’ Town,” so called on account of its many ancient monastic establishments.

Pretoria. In honour of Pretorius, the first President of the Boer Republic in South Africa.

Pretty Kettle of Fish. Save that the second word should be “Kiddle,” expressive of a basket placed in a river for catching fish, this expression is very old. During the time of the Plantagenets the warder of the Tower claimed the right of trapping fish outside Traitors’ Gate in this way for his own benefit; but the citizens of London systematically made a raid upon his kiddles, and destroyed them. “A pretty kiddle of fish indeed!” he was wont to exclaim to the Beefeaters on discovering the damage done to his preserves.

Primitive Methodists. The original Methodists, those who resort to open-air preaching and singing, after the style of Wesley and Whitfield. On account of their “Camp Meetings” they are styled also Ranters.

Primrose. So far from expressing the first or spring rose, the term is a corruption of the Italian primerola, the first spring flower.

Primrose Day. The 19th of April bears this name because it is the anniversary of the death of Lord Beaconsfield, 1881. When the body of this great statesman was laid to rest his coffin was adorned by a wreath sent by Queen Victoria, and superscribed “His favourite flower.” This gave rise to the formation of the Primrose League and the annual decoration of the Beaconsfield Statue at Westminster with a wreath of primroses on this day.

Prince of Wales’s Feathers. See “Plume and Feathers.”

Prince of Wales Island. Named in compliment to the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV.

Princes Street. Laid out on the site of the old Westminster Mews, and so named on account of its proximity to King Street.

Printer’s Devil. When Caxton introduced printing into England many people regarded it as an invention of the devil. This idea was also fostered by his boys, whose hands and faces were besmeared with ink. They were accordingly called “Imps” and “Devils.” Since his day the boys engaged in feeding the printing press have not improved in their personal appearance. Young devils they are, and young devils they will remain until the end of time.

Printing House Square. This, the courtyard of The Times office, was formerly covered by the King’s Printing House, where King James’s Bible was printed, and which for centuries had the monopoly of turning out Bibles for the people.

Priory. This term denoted a lesser house or branch establishment of an abbey, under the control of a Prior or Prioress, who had the prior claim to election as Abbot or Abbess of the mother community.

Private Boxes. The idea of these adjuncts to a theatre auditorium was derived from Spain, where plays were formerly performed in a public square, the ordinary spectators being accommodated on the ground, while the grandees looked on from the windows of the houses.

Privy. See “Petty.”

Pro-Cathedral. The beautiful Catholic Church in High Street, Kensington, erected as a provisional cathedral at the time when the present Westminster Cathedral was first mooted.

Profile. The outline of a side view, so called from the Italian profilo, and Latin filum, a thread.

Protectionist. One who advocates the protection of home industries by levying imposts on foreign merchandise.

Protestants. Those who, with the Lutherans of Germany, protested against the decree of the Emperor Charles V. This decree was ostensibly to invoke the aid of the German princes against the Turks, but really to restore peace and order after the disturbances caused by Martin Luther’s opposition to the Church of Rome. From this protest the Reformers received the name of “Protestants.”

Prussia. A Western corruption of Porussia, which expresses the Slavonic for “near Russia.”

Prussian Blue. After its inventor, Diesbach of Berlin, in 1710.

Prussic Acid. Originally the acid of “Prussian Blue,” but nowadays obtained from cyanide of iron.

Pye Street (Old and New). See “New Way.”

Pymmes Park. This new suburban “lung” at Edmonton comprised the grounds in connection with the lordly mansion built by William Pymme, which was mentioned in 1593 as the residence of the great Lord Burleigh, and in 1612 as that of Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury.

Pythagoreans. The school of philosophy founded by Pythagoras.

Public-house. A house of public resort for refreshment and conviviality. It may be either an inn or a tavern in the modern sense.

Pudding. From Stow’s description of “Pudding Lane” it would seem that the puddings of his day were scarcely edible productions. The word is derived from the Celtic poten, a bag, and was applied originally in the sense of a modern hog’s pudding or black pudding--to wit, a sausage.

Pudding Lane. Whether or not the Great Fire of London broke out in the house of the King’s baker, as generally stated, the lane did not receive its name from the royal bakery. Old Stow tells us it was so called “because the butchers of Eastcheap have their scalding-house for hogs there, and their puddings with other filth of beasts are voided down that way to their dung boats on the Thames.”

Pudding-time. The old name for “dinner-time,” because, as still is the custom in some parts of the country, the pudding was served before the meat.

Pueblo Indian. One who in the western states has been brought under Catholic influences, and lives in a village, where he subsists by agriculture. The word Pueblo is Spanish for village.

Pukes. A corruption of Pikes, generally applied to the natives of Missouri, who originally settled in Pike County of that state.

Pullman Car. After its inventor, Pullman of Chicago.

Pull up Stakes. An Americanism for to pack up one’s belongings and remove elsewhere. The expression has, of course, reference to dismantling a tent among a mining community.

Pumps. Dancing shoes bear this name in allusion to the fashionable assemblies in the pump-room at the Western Spas when Beau Nash, styled “King of Bath,” presided over the ceremonies.

Punch. From the Hindoo panch, five, this beverage being composed of five ingredients: spirit, sugar, lemon juice, spice, and water.

Punch and Judy. A hybrid form of entertainment evolved out of an old mystery play, Pontius cum Judæis (“Pontius Pilate and the Jews”).

Punic Wars. Those waged between Rome and Carthage. By the Romans the Carthaginians were called the Puni, a corruption of Phœni, in allusion to their descent from the Phœnicians.

Punitive Expedition. A petty war with the set purpose of inflicting a well-merited punishment upon a rebellious tribe. The word “punitive” is derived from the Latin pœna, penalty.

Punjab. Expresses the Persian for “five rivers.”

Punkah. From the Hindoo pankha, a fan.

Puritans. Those who affected a greater degree of holiness or purity than their neighbours. They were to the Anglicans and Roman Catholics of the time of Charles I. and the Commonwealth what the Pharisees were to the Jews.

Purple. This dye, in which the people of Tyre excelled, was discovered in the following manner:--One day a favourite dog of Hercules of Tyre ate a species of fish known to the ancients by the name of purpura, and on returning to his master his lips were found to be tinged with the colour, which, after a few experiments, Hercules successfully imitated.

Purse Strings. In the days of our grandfathers, when hasp and clasp purses were unknown, the only kind of purse was a small money bag secured round its mouth by a tape or string. To “tighten one’s purse strings” was therefore to be proof against almsgiving or money-lending.

Putney. Described in ancient documents as Puttaney, or “Putta’s Isle.”

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