_R._ I will do so to-morrow, if you desire it; you have heard enough
for to-day.
Here the conversation ended for the time. Raymond’s story, which he
entitled the _School of Misfortune_, I shall give to my readers in the
next chapter.
Origin of Words and Phrases.
“_He’s cut a Dido._” It is told in history, that Dido, a queen of
Tyre, about eight hundred and seventy years before Christ, fled from
that place upon the murder of her husband, and with a colony settled
upon the northern coast of Africa, where she built Carthage. Being
in want of land, she bargained with the natives for as much as she
could surround with a bull’s hide. Having made the agreement, she cut
a bull’s hide into fine strings, and tying them together, claimed as
much land as she could surround with the long line she had thus made.
The natives allowed the cunning queen to have her way, but when anybody
played off a sharp trick, they said he has “cut a Dido;”--and the
phrase has come down to our day.
“_He’s caught a Tartar._” In some battle between the Russians and the
Tartars, who are a wild sort of people in the north of Asia, a private
soldier called out, “Captain, halloa there! I’ve caught a Tartar!”
“Fetch him along, then!” said the captain. “Ay, but he won’t let me!”
said the man; and the fact was, the Tartar had caught him. So when a
man thinks to take another in, and gets bit himself, they say--“He’s
caught a Tartar!”
“_Carrying the war into Africa._” In one of the famous wars between
Carthage and Rome, about two thousand five hundred years ago, Hannibal,
a Carthaginian leader, and one of the most wonderful men of antiquity,
led his army into Italy, and for several years continued to threaten
the city and lay waste the surrounding country. Scipio, a Roman
general, saw the necessity of getting rid of Hannibal and his forces;
so he determined to lead an army into Africa, and threaten Carthage,
and thus make it necessary for Hannibal to return home for its defence.
This scheme had its intended effect; and in all after time, this
retaliating upon an enemy, by adopting his own tactics, is called
_carrying the war into Africa_.
“_He drives like Jehu._” “And the watchman told, saying, he came even
unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of
Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.” 2 Kings ix. 20.
The term “_Yankee_,” is supposed to have originated with the Indians,
who called the English, Yongees, which came at length to be Yankees.
“_Hoosiers._” The people of Indiana are called Hoosiers, and it is
said to be an abbreviation of “Who’s here?”--a question which used
to be shouted aloud by the traveller in that quarter, when, amid the
tall grass of the prairies, he heard voices, or saw the smoke of a log
cabin, but could see nobody.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account