Chapter M: =Ma’am.= An Americanism for mother. See “Madam.” (4)

=Rood Lane.= From an ancient holy rood or cross, on which was a figure
of the dying Saviour, that stood in this thoroughfare as a boundary
mark of the landed property of the nuns of St Helen’s. See “Mincing
Lane.”

=Rosary.= A string of beads, and also the prayers said in connection
therewith, so called because the Virgin appeared in a vision to St
Dominic, who instituted this Catholic devotion, holding out to him a
garland of red and white roses. The ancient rosaries, or
“pater-nosters” as they were called, bore an impression of a rose on
each bead.

=Rose.= An inn and tavern sign which, as a painted device, red or white,
displayed a partisanship for the Lancastrians or the Yorkists. After
the union of the two royal houses nothing was easier to quench the
former partiality for either the red or white rose than to exhibit
in place of the coloured design the name of “The Rose,” as a general
compliment to the Crown.

=Rose and Crown.= This inn and tavern sign symbolised the cessation of
the Wars of the Roses by the marriage of Henry VII. to Elizabeth,
the daughter of Edward IV.

=Rosebery Avenue.= After Lord Rosebery, the erstwhile leader of the
Liberal party in our time.

=Rosoman Street.= Perpetuates the memory of Mr Rosoman, who converted
Sadler’s Musick House into a regular theatre in 1765.

=Rosslyn Hill Park.= From Rosslyn House, the residence of Alexander
Wedderburn, Earl of Rosslyn, and Lord Chancellor of England.

=Rotherhithe.= Properly _Roth-hithe_, the Anglo-Saxon for “red haven.”
See “Rutland.”

=Rotten Row.= This name is a survival of the days when French was the
language of the Court. Properly _route du roi_, it is literally
“route of the King,” and meant the King’s drive across the park.

=Rouge et Noir.= French for “red and black,” the alternate colour of the
diamonds that distinguish the spaces on the gaming-table.

=Roughriders.= The name borne by expert horsemen in Natal, who dispense
with saddles.

=Roulette.= Expresses the French for “a little wheel.”

=Roumania.= As its name implies, this was anciently a Roman province.

=Roumelia.= A Turkish corruption of Roumania, “the country of the
Romans.”

=Roundheads.= The Parliamentary soldiers under Cromwell, so called from
the custom of the Puritans of cropping the hair close to the head,
as opposed to that of the Cavaliers, who wore it long.

=Rouser.= An Americanism for what we in this country style a
“Pick-me-up.”

=Rout.= A fashionable assembly, so called from the German _rotte_ and
Celtic “rhauter,” a crowd. The name is now never heard, but what are
called “Rout Seats,” generally requisitioned for such gatherings,
are still let out on hire.

=Rowton Houses.= The name given to large blocks of tenements exclusively
designed for the accommodation of unmarried clerks and others
employed in the city. The foundation of the late Lord Rowton.

=Roxburgh.= From the Celtic _ross_, a headland, the castle on the
promontory.

=Roxburghe.= A superior style of bookbinding, so called from that
uniformly adopted by the Roxburghe Club, a society established for
printing rare books, and named after John, Duke of Roxburghe, a
famous collector of works of art and literature.

=Royalists.= The adherents of Charles I. in the Civil War.

=Royal Maunds.= The name given to doles of money corresponding to the
years of life attained by the reigning monarch to the poor on
“Maundy Thursday.” This custom has been in vogue ever since the time
of Edward III.

=Royal Oak.= An inn sign which had its origin during the Restoration
period, in compliment to Charles II. See “Oak Apple Day.”

=Royal Oak Day.= Another name for “Oak Apple Day.”

=Rufus.= The surname of William II. on account of his florid complexion;
_rufus_ is the Latin for “ruddy.”

=Rugby.= A corruption of the Saxon _Rothby_, “red village,” in allusion
to its soil.

=Rum.= A West Indian word for spirit distilled from cane juice.

=Run.= An Americanism used as a verb for “finance,” whether in relation
to a person or a business enterprise. “Who’s running him?” means who
is it that keeps him going, or on his feet?

=Run Amuck.= To run foul of a person or thing. The phrase is derived
from the Malays, who, while under the influence of opium, rush
through the streets with drawn daggers, crying: _Amog! amog!_
(“Kill! kill!”), and threaten the lives of everyone they encounter.

=Running Footman.= A tavern sign in Mayfair, reminiscent of the days
when running footmen, carrying a short staff of office, preceded the
carriages of the wealthy. The object of this custom was to give
timely notice of the impending arrival of their masters. The tavern
in question, situated in Hayes’ Mews, was formerly the regular
resort of running footmen and sedan chairmen.

=Rupert’s Land.= After Prince Rupert, one of the founders of the
Hudson’s Bay Company.

=Rupert Street.= After Prince Rupert, who introduced his invention of
“Prince Rupert’s Drops,” or glass bubblers, into England.

=Russell Square.= After Lord William Russell, the patriot, whose wife,
Rachel, was the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton,
Marquis of Tavistock, Duke of Bedford, the ancestor of the present
great ground landlord. The several streets of the same name are
included in the estate.

=Russell Street.= In Bermondsey, after Richard Russell, a noted
benefactor to the parochial charities during his life, and after his
death in 1784. For other streets so denominated on the Bedford
estate see “Russell Square.”

=Russia.= The country of the _Russ_, the tribe that first overran it.

=Rutland.= A corruption of the Anglo-Saxon _Rothland_, “red land,” so
called on account of the colour of its soil.

=Rutland Gate.= After the town mansion of the Dukes of Rutland.

=Rye Lane.= Leads to “Peckham Rye.”

=Ryot.= A Hindoo peasant or cultivator of the soil, so called from the
Arabic _raaya_, to pasture.

S

=Sabbatarians.= The followers of Brabourne, a Baptist minister, who held
that the real Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, as enunciated
in the Book of Genesis. This sect arose in 1628. Also known as
“Seventh Day Baptists.”

=Sabeans.= The first idolaters, worshippers of the sun, moon, and stars
as the visible representations of the Deity; so called after Sabi,
the son of Seth.

=Sack.= A dry wine of great repute in Elizabethan times, so called from
the French _sec_, dry.

=Sackville Street.= Built upon in 1679--that is, twenty years after “Air
Street”--this thoroughfare was named in honour of Charles Sackville,
Earl of Dorset, one of the favourites of Charles II.

=Sacramentarians.= The designation of the Calvinists, or those who
denied the Real Presence in the Eucharist.

=Sacrilege.= Literally the act of despoiling that which is sacred.

=Sadler’s Wells Theatre.= Originally a “Musick House” in connection with
a Spa opened by Mr Sadler, who, after digging for gravel in his
garden in 1683, discovered an ancient “holy well” that had been
stopped up since the Reformation.

=Saffron Hill.= From the saffron which grew abundantly in the grounds
attached to Ely House, the town mansion of the bishops of Ely.

=Sahara.= Expresses the Arabic for “desert.”

=Sailor King.= William IV., who, having been bred to the sea in his
youth, worked up his way from a midshipman to the position of Lord
High Admiral. In his case promotion was no doubt easy.

=St Albans.= The scene of the martyrdom of St Alban, A.D. 297, in honour
of whom Offa, King of Mercia, founded a Benedictine abbey.

=St Andrew Undershaft.= The Church of St Andrew in Leadenhall Street, so
called from the tall shaft or Maypole which, bedecked with garlands
on high festivals, stood within a few yards of its door. Since this
shaft towered high above the steeple the church was said to be
“under the shaft.” After the Reformation the shaft was taken down
and kept in an adjacent alley, now called “Shaft Alley.” Thirty-two
years later the popular voice declared it to be a relic of
superstition, whereupon it was “raised off the hooks,” sawn into
pieces, and burnt.

=St Andrews.= After St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, whose bones
are enshrined in the Cathedral.

=St Andrew’s Hill.= From the church of St Andrew, at its south-western
extremity.

=St Bees.= From an ancient nunnery founded in the seventh century by an
Irish saint named Bega. Partly destroyed by the time of Henry I., it
was then reconstituted as a priory by Randulp, Earl of Cumberland.
This village is known chiefly on account of its college, the
foundation of Dr Law, Bishop of Chester in 1806.

=St Bride Street.= From the neighbouring parish church of St Bride or
Bridget.

=St Clement Danes.= Dedicated to St Clement, this parish church received
the bones of Harold I. and many of his countrymen during the Danish
occupation of England.

=St David’s Day.= The birthday (1st March) of St David, the patron saint
of Wales, who when archbishop advised his countrymen to wear a leek
in their caps, to distinguish them from their foes. In consequence
of the precaution they won a decisive victory over the Saxons on
this day, and the leek became the national emblem.

=St Ethelburga’s.= This, one of the most ancient churches in the city,
was dedicated to St Ethelburga, the daughter of King Ethelbert, and
a paragon of all the Christian virtues.

=St Ethelreda’s.= This beautiful city church in Ely Place, after having
gone through many vicissitudes since the Reformation, is now once
more a Roman Catholic place of worship. St Ethelreda was the
daughter of Ethelred, King of the East Angles; her name is often
corrupted into St Audrey. See “Tawdry.”

=St George and Dragon.= An inn sign after the patron saint of England.

=St George’s Hall.= This place of entertainment, now occupied by Messrs
Maskelyne & Devant, was opened in 1867 as St George’s Opera House,
so called on account of its location in the parish of St George,
Hanover Square.

=St George’s in the East.= The modern designation of “Ratcliff Highway,”
from the parish church dedicated to St George, patron saint of
England.

=St George’s Square.= After the neighbouring church, dedicated to St
George.

=St Grouse’s Day.= The jocular term for the twelfth of August, when
grouse shooting begins.

=St Helena.= This island was discovered on the Feast of St Helena, 1502.

=St Helen’s Place.= From the adjacent church of St Helen’s, dedicated to
St Helena, the mother of Constantine. Thirty years later in 1180,
William Fitzwilliam, a wealthy goldsmith, founded a priory of nuns
in connection therewith.

=St James’s Palace.= Stands on the site of an ancient hospital for
lepers dedicated to St James the Less, Bishop of Jerusalem. The
original palace was built by Holbein for Henry VIII.

=St James’s Square.= Like the street of the same name, after St James’s
Palace.

=St John’s Gate.= The last vestige of the ancient priory of St John of
Jerusalem, the English seat of the Knights Hospitallers. The gateway
now forms the headquarters of the St John’s Ambulance Association.
Here William Cave, the printer, projected and published _The
Gentleman’s Magazine_.

=St John’s Wood.= From the ancient “Abbey of the Holy Virgins of St John
the Baptist,” which nestled among the now vanished woods in this
neighbourhood.

=St Katherine Coleman.= Dedicated to St Katherine, this city church
received its second name on account of its location in the garden of
one Coleman, the builder of the street called after him.

=St Katherine Cree.= Originally a chapel dedicated to St Katherine in
the parish of Holy Trinity (in the Minories). This on the abolition
of the neighbouring benefices of Christ Church, St Mary Magdalen,
and St Michael was made into a separate parish of Christ Church,
and, while retaining the old name, came to be known as “St Katherine
Christi,” of which “Cree” is a corruption.

=St Katherine’s Docks.= From an ancient hospital of St Katherine,
displaced when these docks were constructed in 1828.

=St Kitt’s Island.= Discovered by Columbus, it was named by him after St
Christopher, his patron saint.

=St Lawrence.= The gulf of this name was first entered, and the
navigation of the great river embarked upon, on the Feast of St
Lawrence, 1500.

=St Lawrence Jewry.= The church dedicated to St Lawrence in the Jewry.
See “Old Jewry.”

=St Leger Stakes.= See “Doncaster St Leger.”

=St Lubbock.= The popular nickname of Lord Avebury, formerly Sir John
Lubbock, to whom our countrymen are indebted for the introduction of
legalised Bank Holidays.

=St Margaret Pattens.= This church received its name from the gilt
spots, or _patines_, with which its roof was anciently decorated. A
_paten_ is the circular gold dish which covers the chalice at the
altar.

=St Martin’s Lane.= From the parish church of St Martin in the Fields.

=St Martin’s-le-Grand.= The official designation of the buildings
collectively comprised in the headquarters of the General Post
Office. This is because the original edifice occupies the site of an
ancient college church dedicated to St Martin-le-Grand, the
foundation of Within, King of Kent in 750, and invested with the
privilege of sanctuary under a charter of William the Conqueror.

=St Mary-Axe.= From a vanished church of St Mary that stood opposite to
a shop which had an axe for its sign. Originally “St
Mary-by-the-Axe.”

=St Mary-le-Bow.= See “Bow Church.”

=St Mary Woolnoth.= Dedicated to the Virgin; this church was so called
because it stood _nough_, or nigh, to the ancient wool beam or
staple.

=St Michael’s Mount.= Anciently the seat of a religious house, to the
monks of which, as tradition states, St Michael once appeared on the
crag, where in later years a castle was built, the exact spot being
indicated by a stone lantern, since known as “St Michael’s Chair.”

=St Olave’s.= A corruption of “St Olafs,” this church having been
dedicated to Olaf, King of Norway, who Christianised his country,
and at the invitation of Ethelred came over to England to render aid
in the work of expelling the Danes.

=St Pancras.= This parish takes its name from the ancient church in Old
St Pancras Road dedicated to the boy saint who was martyred by
Diocletian. A representation of this youth being attacked by wild
dogs may be seen on the stone bridge over the Regent’s Canal, which
serves as a boundary mark to the parish.

=St Partridge’s Day.= A popular nickname for “Partridge Day.”

=St Paul of the Cross.= See “Passionists.”

=St Petersburg.= Founded by Peter the Great, and dedicated to St Peter,
whose church is situated within the citadel.

=St Sepulchre’s.= The foundation of this church was the outcome of the
Crusades, in honour of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem.
Appropriately enough, the bell of the modern edifice gave warning to
the unhappy inmates of the condemned cell in Newgate Prison over the
way of their approaching last hour.

=St Sophia.= This beautiful mosque at Constantinople, although
originally a Christian cathedral, so far from having been dedicated
to any St Sophia, was called _Hagia Sopia_, “Holy Wisdom”--_i.e._
the eternal wisdom of _God_ manifested in the Second Person of the
Trinity.

=St Stephen’s.= The House of Commons bears this name because, in the
absence of a separate building, its members held their sittings in
the Chapel of St Stephen’s, Westminster Abbey, until that edifice
was burned down, 16th October 1834.

=St Swithin’s Day.= The day of the attempted reinterment (15th July) of
the body of St Swithin, preceptor of King Ethelwulf and Bishop of
Rochester, whose death took place 2nd July 862. Not regarding
himself worthy to be “laid” within the sacred edifice, he requested
that he might be buried just outside the door in the churchyard, so
that the faithful would walk over his grave. Although they acceded
to this last wish, the monks decided afterwards to lay him inside
the church; but their design was frustrated for forty successive
days by a pouring rain, until at last they desisted from the
attempt. This circumstance gave rise to the saying that “If it rains
on St Swithin’s day it will rain for forty days.”

=St Valentine’s Day.= The connection between St Valentine and the
poetical epistles that were formerly interchanged between young
lovers on the 14th of February is somewhat remote. On this day the
good Christian Bishop was beheaded at Rome in the year 278. Long
before this, however, Roman youths and maidens had followed the
custom of selecting a lover for the year by shaking up the names of
their favourites, written on separate tablets, in a box. This arose
out of the old notion that birds begin to pair on the 14th of
February. The martyrdom of Bishop Valentine on this day therefore
actuated the Christians to style their selected lover their
Valentine, and the presents they exchanged in modern times bore the
same name.

=Salic Law.= The ancient Frankish law by which females were excluded
from the throne. This was originally confined to what were called
“Salic Lands,” either, as some say, from the _salle_, or hall of the
owner, or, according to others, from the Salian Franks, those
bordering on the Sale or Yssel River; the enactment eventually
applied to the heritage of the Frankish kingdom.

=Salisbury Square.= This, like the street and court of the same name,
marks the site of the town mansion and grounds of the bishops of
Salisbury.

=Salop.= See “Shropshire.”

=Salt Lake City.= The hot-bed of the Mormons, founded on the borders of
the Great Salt Lake, so called on account of the saline character of
its waters.

=Salutation.= An inn sign in honour of the Salutation of the Virgin.

=Salviati.= See “Del Salviati.”

=Salzburg.= The fortified town on the Salza River.

=Samaria.= After Shemer, the owner of the hill which, as we are told in
1 Kings xvi. 24, Omri bought for two talents of silver, “and built
on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after
the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.”

=Sambo.= The generic name of a North American Negro; derived from the
native _Zambo_, the offspring of a black and a Mulatto.

=Sanci Diamond.= One of the great gems of the world, weighing 106
carats, originally the property of a French nobleman of this name,
and purchased in 1835 by the Czar of Russia for half-a-million
roubles.

=Sandbaggers.= A modern street terror in American cities while the
police are looking the other way, so called because they stun their
victims with elongated bags of hard, wet sand, and then rob them at
leisure.

=Sandhillers.= A name given in America to the descendants of the white
labourers, who, ousted from their employment when slavery came in,
sought the sand-hills amid the pine forests of Georgia and South
Carolina.

=Sandow Girl.= A physical culture girl trained at the Academy of Eugene
Sandow, or at home by means of appliances advertised in connection
therewith. Also known as the “Symmetrion Girl” from the name on the
familiar posters. The Sandow or Symmetrion Girls proved a great
attraction in the Athletic Scene of _The Dairymaids_ at the Apollo
Theatre.

=Sandwich.= The sand village.

=Sandwiches.= After John Montague, Earl of Sandwich, whose chief claim
to celebrity lay in the fact that he was an inveterate gamester. It
is on record that he often remained engrossed in play for thirty
hours at a stretch without partaking of a meal. From time to time,
however, he would ask the waiter to bring him a slice of meat
between two pieces of bread, as a stay to the appetite. The waiter
called this improvised meal a “Sandwich,” and by that name it has
ever since been known.

=Sandwich Islands.= Named by Captain Cook in honour of Lord Sandwich,
First Lord of the Admiralty, at the time when they were discovered
by him.

=Sandy.= The nickname of a Scotsman, being short for Alexander, the most
common Christian name to be met with in North Britain.

=San Francisco.= Dedicated to St Francis, this Spanish-American city
really received its name from a coast settlement of missionaries
styled “San Francisco de Costa Dolores” as far back as September
1776.

=Sankey’s Horse.= The regimental nickname of the 39th Foot. This was
merited in India, when they were called upon to do temporary service
on horseback under Colonel Sankey.

=Sansculottes.= The lowest orders of the people during the French
Revolution. This, literally “without breeches,” was the scornful
title at first bestowed by the aristocrats upon the Democratic party
on account of their neglectful attire. A little while later the Red
Republicans accepted it with pride as the password for patriotism.

=San Salvador.= This being the first land sighted in the New World by
Columbus, he honoured it with the name of the “Holy Saviour,” as a
perpetual expression of thanksgiving.

=Sans Souci.= This, the French for “free and easy,” or “without care,”
was the name borne by a famous place of amusement originally built
by Dibdin as a bijou theatre in Leicester Square.

=Santa Fe.= Spanish for “Holy Faith.”

=Santa Cruz.= Spanish for “Holy Cross.”

=Santiago.= From the cathedral (in the city of Spain so named)
containing the bones of St Jago, or James the Less, the national
patron saint.

=Saraband.= After Zarabanda, a celebrated dancer of Seville, who
invented it.

=Saracens.= From the Arabic _sharkeyn_, “eastern people”; originally the
designation of the Bedouins of Eastern Arabia. By the Crusaders it
was applied to the Mohammedans generally. See “Moors.”

=Saracen’s Head.= An inn sign of the time of the Crusades. Lest it might
be thought that this was complimentary to the enemies of
Christianity, mention may be made of the fact that the head of the
Saracen was represented as severed.

=Saragossa.= A corruption of the Roman name _Cæsarea Augusta_.

=Saratoga.= Indian for “miraculous waters from the rock,” touching the
famous mineral springs.

=Saratoga Trunk.= The popular type of travelling trunk in the United
States, so called because it was first used by visitors to Saratoga
Springs.

=Sarcophagus.= A Greek compound of _sarkos_, flesh, and _phargo_, to
eat. The term was originally applied to a receptacle for the dead,
because the early examples were made out of a kind of limestone
which was thought to possess the property of consuming a corpse in a
very short time.

=Sardines.= From Sardinia, in the waters of which island the true
species of this fish abound.

=Sardinia.= Called _Sandaliotis_ by the Greeks on account of its
resemblance to a human footprint; this name was changed by the
Romans to _Sardo_. At a later period the island was called
_Sardonion_, from a poisonous herb, transplanted from Sardis in Asia
Minor, which brought about a twitching of the muscles of the face
resembling laughter; hence the phrase to “Smile sardonically.”

=Sardinia Street.= From the Sardinian Chapel built in 1648 in connection
with the residence of the Sardinian Ambassador at the time when the
island of Sardinia was nominally a kingdom, but really in the
possession of Spain.

=Sardonic Smile.= See “Sardinia.”

=Sarsenet.= A fine silk originally of Saracenic manufacture.

=Saturday.= This, the seventh day of the week, was dedicated by the
Romans to Saturn. As, however, all the other week-days were named by
the people of Northern Europe in accordance with Scandinavian
mythology, one must incline to the opinion that this was named after
Sæter, a water deity. Its Anglo-Saxon designation was _Sæterdæg_.

=Saturnalia.= The great winter festival of the Romans in honour of
Saturn, the god of agriculture.

=Saunders Blue.= An easy corruption of the French _Cendres bleus_, “blue
ashes,” calcined bluestone being the substance from which this
pigment is obtained.

=Sauterne.= A French wine produced at the place of the name, in the
department of Gironde.

=Saved my Bacon.= This expression originated during the Civil War, when
housewives took extraordinary measures to save the bacon stored up
for winter consumption from the greedy appetites of soldiers on the
march.

=Savile Row.= After Dorothy Savile, who, marrying into the Burlington
family, received this portion of the estate as her separate
property.

=Savoy.= A cabbage originally introduced from the French department of
this name.

=Savoy Street.= From the Savoy Chapel, the original of which, prior to
its destruction by fire, 7th July 1864, was the only remaining
portion of the ancient Savoy Palace built by Peter of Savoy, uncle
to the queen of Henry III., in 1249.

=Sawney.= A variant of “Sandy.”

=Saxons.= From the _seax_, the short crooked knife with which this tribe
were armed. _Sahs_ is the Old German for knife. Since the days of
Daniel O’Connell Irish patriots have been fond of referring to the
English people as Saxons, the natural enemies of the Celts.

=S’Blood.= A trooper’s corruption of “His Blood,” or the precious blood
of the Redeemer. This species of profanity survives in the vulgar
swear-word “Bloody.”

=Scales of Justice.= The ancient Egyptians believed that the good deeds
of a soul after death would be weighed against his evil deeds. The
Koran likewise teaches that the merits and demerits of departed
souls are balanced in the scales of the Archangel Gabriel; hence the
phrase now popular all the civilised world over.

=Scalper.= An Americanism for one who speculates in railroad tickets,
and consequently obtains them at a reduction of their top prices.

=Scaramouch.= A character in the old Italian comedy, the prototype of
the modern clown, so called from _scaramuccia_, a skirmish.

=Scarborough.= The fortified scar or precipitous cliff, so called on
account of the castle built about 1136.

=Scarborough Warning.= A warning given too late to be taken advantage
of. In 1557 Thomas Stafford seized Scarborough Castle before the
townsfolk had the least intelligence of his approach. After taking
possession he advised them to fly from the town and leave their
belongings.

=Scarlet.= From the Persian _sakarlat_, “bright red.”

=Scavenger’s Daughter.= A corruption of Skevington’s Daughter, this
instrument of torture being the invention of William Skevington,
Lieutenant of the Tower, _temp._ Henry VIII. He called it his
daughter because it emanated from his own brain. Those who were
fated to suffer by it sadly consented, as the saying was, to “Kiss
the Scavenger’s Daughter.”

=Schaffhausen.= Literal German for “sheep-houses” or pens.

=Schiedam.= Another name for Hollands, or Dutch gin, from the place
where this native spirit is distilled.

=Schooner.= This kind of vessel received its name from the exclamation
of a spectator at the time when its earliest example was launched:
“Look, she schoons!”

=Schottische.= Expresses the German for a Scottish dance, a variation of
the polka, in three-quarter time. The Scots, however, repudiate its
invention. It is not improbable that a Scotsman, sojourning in the
Fatherland, blundered into this step through his inability to dance
the polka correctly.

=Scilly Isles.= After the name of one of the smallest, in proximity to a
very dangerous rock similar to that of Scylla in Sicily which,
according to Homer, was the abode of a monster so denominated.

=Scissors-tail.= A South American bird which in the course of its
flights opens and shuts its tail for the purpose of entrapping the
flies that constitute its prey.

=Scorching.= A bicycling term which, curiously enough, only came into
vogue after the possibility of realising it had been removed. In the
days of the old “Bone-shaker,” before rubber tyres were heard of,
there would have been great likelihood of setting the wooden machine
on fire by furious riding on the part of an expert.

=Scotch Reel.= See “Reel.”

=Scot-free.= A phrase derived from the old legal exaction “Scot and
Lot,” the former being derived from the Anglo-Saxon _sceat_, pay,
and the latter meaning a tribute allotted to every man according to
his means. It was rare indeed that anyone got off “Scot-free” in
ancient times.

=Scotia.= From the Celtic _scot_, wanderer, with the suffix _ia_,
country; the ancient designation of the Highlands, now, with the
Lowlands, called “Scotland.”

=Scotists.= Those who accepted the doctrine of John Duns Scotus relative
to the Immaculate Conception, in opposition to the “Thomists.”

=Scotland.= See “Scotia.”

=Scotland Yard.= On the site of the original Scotland Yard stood an
ancient palace appropriated to the Scottish kings, who were required
to pay homage once a year to the English sovereign at Westminster
Abbey. The last Scottish monarch so accommodated was Margaret, the
sister of Henry VII.

=Scots.= See “Scotia.”

=Scottish Covenanters.= See “Covenanters.”

=Scottish Hogarth.= The surname of David Allan of Alloa, whose portraits
and historical paintings occupy a high position in the esteem of his
countrymen.

=Scottish Presbyterians.= The successors of the Scottish Covenanters,
and founders of the Established Church of Scotland. See
“Presbyterians.”

=Scowerers.= Eighteenth-century rakes who scoured the streets of London
by night, overturning the “Old Charlies” in their boxes, and
molesting peaceable citizens.

=Scratched Horse.= One that has its name struck out of the final list of
runners in a race. Those who have backed their money on it swear a
little, but no one else cares a jot for their discomfiture.

=Screw.= Colloquial for “wages.” See “Raise your Screw.”

=Screwed.= Drunk. This is simply a play on the word “Tight.”

=Screw of Tobacco.= So called because it is screwed up in a paper.

=Scriptures.= Expresses the plural of the Latin _scriptura_, a writing,
from the verb _scribere_, to write. The Bible is a collection of
books or writings.

=Scroll of Fame.= The word “Scroll” is a corruption of “Roll,” relative
to paper, although from “scroll” we have derived the term
“Schedule.” See “Roll Call.”

=Scullery.= The annexe to a kitchen, where the dishes and pots are
washed up, so called from the Norman-French _esculle_, a porringer
or dish. The man-servant or boy whose work lay in the scullery was
in former days called a “Scullion.”

=S’Death.= A softened form of the profane oath “His Blood,” in reference
to the Saviour.

=Sea of Marmora.= From the Latin _marmor_, marble, which for centuries
has been quarried on a small island at its western extremity.

=Sebastopol.= From the Greek _Sebastopolis_, “august city.”

Secretary Bird. A South African bird distinguished by a tuft of
feathers on each side of its head which form a fanciful resemblance
to quill pens stuck behind the ear.

=Sectarians.= The general name for Dissenters attached to any one of the
numerous sects or denominations outside the Established Church.

=Secular Clergy.= See “Regular Clergy.”

=Secularist.= From the Latin _seculum_, an age, a generation; one who
advocates the happiness or well-being of the community during the
present life, leaving the future completely out of count.

Sedan-chairs. First made at Sedan, France.

=See how it pans out.= Originally a miners’ phrase in the Far West. To
separate the gold grains from the earth in which they are found a
pan of water is brought into service; when the pan is shaken the
gold collects at the bottom.

=Seekers.= The original designation of the Quakers, because they sought
the truth with the solicitude of Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler (John
iii. 1-21).

=Seething Lane.= A corruption of Sidon Lane, after the name of the first
builder on the land.

=Selkirk’s Island.= Also called the isle of “Juan Fernandez.”

=Seltzer Water.= A corrupted spelling of “Seltsers,” the name of a
village near Limburg in Prussia famous for its mineral springs.

=Senate.= The Upper House of the United States Congress. The term
properly implies an elder, from the Latin _senis_, an old man.

=Senegambia.= The territory situated between the Senegal and Gambia
Rivers.

=Sent to Coventry.= As its name implies, Coventry was in olden times a
great centre of religious life, touching the number of its
conventual establishments. Soldiers sent to the garrison there soon
discovered that no woman would speak to them. Hence to be sent to
Coventry was a great hardship, since it meant being cut off from
“life” in every form, and female intercourse particularly.

=Separatists.= Another name for the Home Rulers during the lifetime of
Mr Parnell. It implied virtual separation from English rule.

=Sepia.= Greek for “cuttle-fish,” from the inky secretion under the
glands of which this pigment is obtained.

=September.= The seventh month of the Roman year, counting from March.

=Serjeants’ Inn.= Anciently the inn or mansion of the “Freres Serjens,”
a brotherhood of Servitors to the Knights Templars hard by. It was
these who performed the ordinary household duties in the Temple.

=Serle Street.= After Henry Serle of Lincoln’s Inn, the owner of
considerable property in this neighbourhood when the parish of St
Clement Danes was very different to what it is now.

=Sermon Lane.= Anciently “Sheremoniers’ Lane,” so called from the money
shearers or clippers’ office adjacent to the first London Mint.

=Serpentine.= An artificial winding lake formed out of the pools and the
Tyburn in Hyde Park in 1733. See “Bayswater.”

=Servia.= The country of the _Suevi_, a people driven by the Romans into
that portion of Germany now called “Suabia,” until after further
migrations northward they settled in Sweden.

=Servites.= This religious Order grew out of the pious example of seven
Florentine merchants who in 1283 assembled each evening for
devotional exercises in a lady chapel and styled themselves “The
Religious Servants of the Holy Virgin.” The London house of the
Community is in the Fulham Road.

=Set her Cap at him.= With the coquetry peculiar to her sex, a female
always put on her most becoming cap to attract the male visitor whom
she favoured. Now that caps are no longer worn she resorts to other
devices, but the old expression survives.

=Set the Thames on fire.= A “temse” was the old name for a sieve,
agreeably to the French _tamis_ and the Italian _tamiso_, which
terms express the same implement. A sifter would require to work
very hard indeed to ignite his sieve. Accordingly a bystander often
said to him touching his apparent laziness: “You’ll never set the
temse on fire!” Its punning

=Seven Dials.= A once notorious thieves’ neighbourhood, which received
its name from a stone column presenting seven dials or faces, from
which the same number of streets radiated. This, originally set up
to mark the limits of St Giles’s and St Martin’s parishes, was
removed in 1763, owing to the erroneous idea that a large sum of
money lay buried beneath it.

=Seven Sisters’ Road.= This long road, extending from Holloway to
Tottenham, received its name from seven trees planted in Page Green
in the latter parish by the Sisters Page. Local tradition has it
that one of these was a cripple, and the tree planted by her grew up
deformed.

=Seventh Day Baptists.= See “Sabbatarians.”

=Saxagesima Sunday.= Approximately the sixtieth day before Easter.

=Seymour Place.= After one of the family names of the Portmans, owners
of the estate.

=Seymour Street.= Far removed from Seymour Place, this has no connection
with the Portman family, having received its name from the first
builder on the land.

=Shadwell.= A corruption of “St Chad’s Well,” a reputed holy well
discovered hereabouts in ancient days.

=Shaft Alley.= See “St Andrew Undershaft.”

=Shaftesbury Avenue.= After Anthony Ashley Cooper, seventh Earl of
Shaftsbury, who performed the opening ceremony of this new
thoroughfare shortly before his death in 1885.

=Shah Diamond.= A gem weighing 86 carats, long the property of Chosroes
I., Shah of Persia, who, dying in 579, presented it to a Khan of the
Tartars, from whom it descended to Ivan III., the grandfather of
Ivan the Terrible, the first Czar of Russia.

=Shakers.= An American sect, first heard of in 1774, at Albany in the
state of New York, so called from the convulsive movements of the
hands and arms as part of their peculiar form of worship. Its
founder was Ann Lee, self-styled “Mother Ann,” of Manchester, who,
receiving little encouragement for her religious tenets in her
native land, emigrated with a few disciples to the New World.

=Shalloon.= Originally manufactured at Chalons in France.

=Shanty.= This term for a hut or cabin first obtained currency in
Canada, having been derived from the French settlers, who gave the
name _chantier_ to a hut erected in a dockyard under construction.

=Shattered Prices.= An Americanism for “reduced prices.”

=“She” Bible.= See “‘He’ Bible.”

=Sheen.= See “Richmond.”

=Sheet Anchor.= A corruption of “Shote Anchor,” an extra heavy one, that
can be expeditiously shot out for the greater security of a vessel
under stress of weather. To act as a sheet anchor to a man is to be
his mainstay or chief dependence.

=Sheffield.= From the River Sheaf, on the confluence of which and the
Don the town stands.

=Shekel Day.= The day (27th May) set apart every year throughout the
Jewish world for the collection of a shekel--a shilling, franc mark,
half rouble, or “quarter,” according to the currency of the
individual country--in support of the Zionist Movement for the
re-colonisation of Palestine. The word “shekel” is from the Hebrew
_shekal_, to weigh.

=Shepherdess Walk.= A name reminiscent of the days when the entire
district between Finsbury and “Merrie Islington” was open fields.

=Shepherd’s Bush.= Pleasantly pastoral as the name is, this district is
now wholly built over. A “Shepherd’s bush” was a hillock covered
with soft vegetation on which he reclined while tending his flocks.

=Shepherd’s Market.= The site of a former weekly market, the land of
which, like that of Market Street and Shepherd Street, was owned by
a person of this name.

=Shepperton.= A corruption of “Shepherd’s Town”; whether derived from
the name of the landowner, or because the district was originally
given up to sheep-folds, is not known.

=Sherbet.= The national beverage in Arabia, so called from _shariba_, to
drink, because it is taken at a single draught; hence the same name
applied to effervescing liquors in this country.

=Sherry.= An English corruption of “Sherris,” a dry wine exported from
Xeres in Spain.

=Sherry Cobbler.= An American drink which, in addition to the ordinary
ingredients of a “Cobbler,” contains a dash of sherry.

=Shetland Isles.= Anciently described as _Hyaltland_, the Norse for
“Viking Land,” the name was softened into Zetland, and finally as we
now have it.

=She Wolf of France.= A name that will ever cling to the memory of
Isabella, the queen of Edward II., whom she caused to be murdered
most foully through the instrumentality of her paramour, the Earl of
Mortimer. This monster of iniquity lies buried in Christ Church,
Newgate Street.

=Shift.= An old name for a chemise, denoting a shift or change of linen;
also an industrial term for a change of men at certain hours, so
that work can be carried on uninterruptedly by day and night.

=Shillelagh.= A oaken sapling fashioned into a cudgel for self-defence,
so called from a wood in Ireland celebrated for its oaks.

=Shilling.= This silver coin was of considerable value to our ancestors,
who always sounded it as a test of its genuineness. Hence, as the
“ringing coin,” the Anglo-Saxons gave it the name of _scilling_,
which, like the modern German _schilling_, is derived from the verb
_schallen_, to sound.

=Shinplaster.= An Americanism for a bank-note. During the Civil War
paper money was so much depreciated in value that its possessors
could not easily negotiate it at any price. Finding this to be his
own case, an old soldier philosophically used his bank-notes as
plasters for a wounded shin.

=Ship.= A tavern sign commemorative of the circumnavigation of the globe
by Sir Francis Drake; also a technical term in the printing trade
for the compositors working together in a particular room or
department, being an abbreviation of “Companionship.”

=Shire.= A portion of land scired or sheared off under the Saxon
Heptarchy for the creation of an earldom.

=Shoe Lane.= This name has no connection with shoemakers, or cordwainers
as they were anciently called. As an offshoot of Fleet Street, the
great thoroughfare of taverns, this was anciently “Show Lane,” lined
with booths and shows like a country fair.

=Shooter.= An Americanism for a revolver.

=Shooters’ Hill.= A corruption of “Suitors’ Hall,” so called from the
suitors or place hunters who came this way when Henry VIII. had his
Court at Greenwich.

=Shooting Iron.= A Far West term for a rifle.

=Shop.= Theatrical slang for an engagement.

=Shop-lifting.= This phrase for abstracting goods from a shop counter
had its origin in the printer’s technical term “Lifting.”

=Shoreditch.= All other suggested derivations notwithstanding, this
district really received its name from the manor of Sir John
Soerditch, a wealthy citizen, and a favourite of Edward the Black
Prince, by whose side he fought at Crecy and Poitiers.

=Show.= Theatrical slang for a performance.

=Shrewsbury.= See “Shropshire.”

=Shropshire.= This name expresses in a roundabout way the shire of
Shrewsbury, the Anglo-Saxon _Scrobbesburgh_ that grew up around an
ancient castle among the scrubs or shrubs, softened by the Normans
into _Sloppesbury_, which lent its name to what is now “Salop,” and
finally corrupted into Shrewsbury.

=Shrove Tuesday.= A corruption of “Shrive Tuesday” when all good
Catholics confessed their sins in preparation for receiving the
blest ashes on the following morning.

=Siberia.= The country ruled from the ancient town of Sibir, the capital
of the Tartars, and which contained the palace of the renowned
Kutsheen Khan, the ruins of which are still visible.

=Sicily.= From the _Siculi_, a tribe who became masters of the island,
expelling the _Sicanii_, its ancient inhabitants.

=Sick.= A word uniformly used throughout the United States in the place
of “ill,” as in our own country. This is not an Americanism, but
good honest English, having been introduced to the New World by the
Pilgrim Fathers who sailed in the _Mayflower_. Both in the Bible and
in Shakespeare sick, not ill, is employed. This is one of the few
instances in which the Americans have preserved a word true to its
original meaning.

=Sidmouth Street.= After Lord Sidmouth, a popular Minister at the
accession of George IV., when this street was first built upon.

=Side Walk.= An Americanism for the English “pavement” and the Scottish
“causeway.”

=Siedlitz Powders.= From Siedlitz in Bohemia, whence, like the
celebrated mineral waters of the same name, they are obtained.

=Sienna.= A pigment obtained from the native _Terra di Sienna_ in Italy.

=Sign on.= An industrial phrase for signing one’s name in a book on
arriving to commence the day’s work. The like procedure at the day’s
close is styled “Sign off.”

=Silhouette.= After Etienne de Silhouette, Comptroller of Finance under
Louis XV., who was the first to have his features outlined from a
side view on black paper.

=Sillery.= A champagne produced from the extensive vineyards of the
Marquis de Sillery.

=Silver Captain.= The sobriquet of Admiral Sir Henry Digby from the
large haul he on 15th October 1799 made by the capture of a Spanish
treasure ship laden with dollars, his own share of the prize money
amounting to £40,730, 18s. This he attributed to a fortunate dream,
in which he repeatedly heard a voice exclaim: “Digby! Digby! steer
to the northward!”

=Silver-tongued Sylvester.= John Sylvester, the translator of Du Barta’s
“Divine Week and Works,” so styled on account of his harmonious
verse.

=Simple Life.= A term which has come into vogue, both in England and
America, since the publication of the Rev. Charles Wagner’s
remarkable book “The Simple Life,” in advocacy of plain living,
three or four years ago.

=Single-speech Hamilton.= The sobriquet of William Gerard Hamilton,
Chancellor of the Exchequer in Ireland. He delivered on 13th
November 1775 a speech which electrified the House, but after that
memorable first effort he never spoke again.

=Sing Small.= A corruption of “Sink Small,” meaning to be lowered in the
estimation of those to whom one has made a vain boast.

=Sinking Fund.= One that provides for the annual reduction of a National
Debt.

=Sinner-saved Huntingdon.= William Huntingdon, the theologian and
preacher, who, having led a wild life in his youth, made amends for
these delinquencies in the full vigour of manhood.

=Sirree.= A vulgar American corruption of “Sir,” corresponding to the
old English “Sirrah.” Originating at New York, it is now quite a
common thing for people in the States generally to answer: “Yes,
sirree,” and “No, sirree.”

=Sise Lane.= A corruption of St Osyth’s Lane, after an ancient church in
it, now removed.

=Sixteen String Jack.= Jack Rann, the highwayman, hanged in 1791, so
called from the sixteen tags he wore on the knees of his breeches.

=Six-shooter.= An Americanism for a six-chambered revolver.

=Skagerrack.= Expresses the crooked strait between the _Skagen_, the
plural of the Gothic _skaga_, a promontory, between Jutland and
Norway.

=Skald.= An ancient northern bard or minstrel. The word is Scandinavian
for “poet.”

=Skied.= An artists’ term for a picture hung on the highest row, just
under the ceiling, at any exhibition, where no one can look at it
closely.

=Skinner Street.= Stands on land belonging to the Skinners’ Company.

=Skylarking.= Originally an American seaman’s term for rough sport among
the ship’s rigging and tops.

=Sky Parlor.= An Americanism for an attic.

=Sky Pilot.= An American naval expression for a ship’s chaplain. The
allusion is obvious.

=Sky-scraper.= The name given in the United States to a building of
lofty proportions, often running to as many as thirty storeys.
Viewing these from Brooklyn Bridge it would really seem as if the
New Yorkers were anxious to scour the heavens out of their top
windows.

=Sky Sign.= A structure on the roof of a house of business for the
purposes of a bold advertisement. This Transatlantic innovation has
within the last few years been interdicted by order of the London
County Council.

=Slacker.= An Eton term for one who never takes part in games; he cannot
be coerced, and declines to exert himself in any way.

=Slate Club.= Originally a parochial thrift society whose members met in
the schoolroom, their contributions being _pro tem_ entered on
slates, conveniently at hand.

=Slick into it.= To do a thing right away, never pausing until it is
finished. As a variant of “Polish it off” this expression is rightly
employed, slick being derived from the German _schlicht_, polished,
clean.

=Sling.= An American mixed drink, so called on account of the different
ingredients slung into it.

=Sling your Hook.= Originally an abbreviated angler’s phrase: “Sling
your hook a little farther along, and then we shall both have more
room.”

=Slipper.= A shoe into which the foot is easily slipped, more
particularly among the Orientals, who dispense with the back leather
clasping the heel.

=Sloane Square.= After Sir Hans Sloane, the original owner of the
estate, whose daughter became by marriage the first Countess of
Cadogan.

=Slope.= To run away with expedition, as it were down the slope of a
hill.

=Smile.= An Americanism for a “drink.” Unlike the common run of
Americanisms, there is warranty for the term. When drinking their
native beverage, “pulque,” the Mexicans look at one another, and
smile. This custom has obtained with them ever since Montezuma
gulped down this tipple offered to him by the hand of his daughter.
See “Cocktail.”

=Smithfield.= A corruption of “Smoothfield,” a fine tract of meadow land
on which mediæval tournaments were held, likewise horse races.

=Smith of Antwerp.= Quentin Matsys, the celebrated painter, who began
life as a blacksmith.

=Smalls.= In theatrical parlance “the small towns.”

=Smart Set.= Originally an Americanism for the exclusive fashionable set
of Boston society. The term has latterly travelled over to these
shores, and the Smart Set of West End London does not appear to be
beloved by Father Bernard Vaughan.

=Snapshot.= An Americanism for a photograph taken instantaneously with a
portable camera. “Snap” is, however, a good old English word. We
speak of a person being “snapped off” by disease--_i.e._ carried off
suddenly.

=Sneesh-box.= Scottish for a snuff-box.

=Snob.= This term arose out of the expressions on the part of the vulgar
whenever a conceited person who aped gentility was encountered:
“He’s a nob,” “He’s not a nob,” or “He wants to make people believe
he’s a nob,” until they resulted in the simple exclamation “Snob.”
Such a word having once been established as the antithesis of “Nob,”
a shoemaker merited the description of a Snob because his work was
confined to the pedal extremities instead of the person’s head.

=Snow Hill.= A corruption of “Snore Hill,” so called because travellers
by the stage-coach from Guildford were generally snoring by the time
they reach their destination at the hill foot, “The Saracen’s Head.”

=Soaker.= Both in England and America this term denotes a habitual
drunkard, soaked in liquor.

=Soane Museum.= This magnificent but little known collection of works of
Art was acquired by Sir John Soane, the antiquary, at his residence
in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, where, subject to certain seasonal
restrictions, it may be visited by anyone.

=Sociable.= An open carriage with two seats, thus admitting of its
riders being face to face.

=Socialists.= A term of wide meaning, but according to its modern
acceptation synonymous with “Levellers,” the adopted name of the
malcontents of the time of Charles I., who sought to reduce society
to a common level.

=Society Islands.= Named by Captain Cook in compliment to the Royal
Society.

=Society of Jesus.= See “Jesuits.”

=Socinians.= The followers of Lælius Socinus, an Italian theologian of
the sixteenth century. They held the same views as the modern
“Unitarians.”

=Sock and Buskin.= The drama, alluding to the low and high shoe or
sandal worn respectively by comic and tragic actors in the theatre
of the ancients. The _soccus_ was a simple shoe, whereas the
_brossquin_, a term remotely derived from the Greek _bursa_, a hide,
extended to the knee, and was, moreover, two or three inches thick
in the sole to increase the height of the performer.

=Sod.= A north country term for a mean, ignorant fellow, no better than
a lout or clodhopper, in allusion to the sod of agriculture.

=Soft Soap.= Flattery, because, unlike the ordinary kind, soft soap is
easily rubbed in.

=Soho.= A name pleasantly recalling the days when, prior to the
sixteenth century, the whole of London westward of Drury Lane was
open country. _So ho_ was the cry of the huntsmen when a hare broke
cover, expressing the Norman-French for “See! Hie! (after him).”

=Soirée.= A sociable evening party, so called from the French _soir_,
evening.

=Soldier of Fortune.= A soldier without fortune who seeks to make one by
enlisting in any service which holds out the prospect of good pay.

=Solid Straight.= Another name for a “Straight Drink.”

=Somerset.= Described in Anglo-Saxon days as _Suthmorset_, the “South
Moor Settlement.”

=Somerset House.= Covers the site of the palatial residence of Edward
Seymour, Duke of Somerset, the Lord Protector of Edward VI. On the
sequestration of his estates in 1552 this passed to the Crown, and
became a virtual royal residence. Here the body of James I. lay in
state; here too the queens of Charles I. and Charles II. took up
their abode. The present edifice dates from 1766.

=Somers Town.= From Lord Somers, the owner of the estate.

=Sorbonne.= After its founder Robert de Sorbon, a canon of Cambrai in
1252.

=Souchong.= A species of black tea called by the Chinese _se-ou-chong_,
“small, good quality.”

=Soudan.= Properly “Suden,” from the Arabic _Belad-ez-Suden_, “district
of the blacks.”

=Southampton.= The south town on the Ant or Hantone. See “Hampshire.”

=Southampton Buildings.= Marks the site of Southampton House, in which
lived and died the last Earl of Southhampton, Lord Treasurer of
Charles II.

=Southampton Street.= After one of the family titles of the Duke of
Bedford, the great ground landlord.

=South Audley Street.= See “Audley Street.”

=Southgate.= See “New Southgate.”

=Southwark.= A name which points to the Danish rule in England. The
earliest London bridge of wood having been built in 1014, or two
years before Canute seized upon the throne, this monarch took up his
residence on the south bank of the Thames, and holding his Court
there, styled it _Sydrike_, the Norse for “South Kingdom.” His
successors also affected the Surrey side; as we know, Hardicanute
died of a surfeit at Lambeth. By the Anglo-Saxons under Edward the
Confessor the Danish _Sydrike_ was rendered _Suthwerk_, or South
Fortification, whence we have derived the name in its present form.

=Southwick Crescent.= After Southwick Park, the country seat of the
Thistlewaytes, at one time joint lessees of the manor of Paddington.

=Sovereign.= So called because when first struck, in the reign of Henry
VIII., this gold coin had upon it a representation of that sovereign
in his royal robes.

=Sovereign Pontiff.= The superior title of the Pope. See “Pontiff.”

=Spa.= From the town of the same name (which expresses the Flemish for
“fountain”) in Belgium, the fashionable Continental resort during
the seventeenth century.

=Spa Fields.= From an ancient public resort known as the “London Spa,”
in connection with a medicinal well discovered during the thirteenth
century. An account of the “Spa Fields Chapel,” originally a
theatre, purchased by the Countess of Huntingdon, the name has
survived to our own time.

=Spagnoletto.= See “Lo Spagnoletto.”

=Spain.= Called by the Carthaginians “Hispania,” from the Punic _span_,
rabbit, on account of the wild rabbits which abounded in the
peninsula. See “Iberia.”

=Spaniards.= This famous “house of call” for pedestrians across Highgate
Heath was originally the private residence of the Spanish Ambassador
to the Court of James I.

=Spaniel.= From _Hispaniola_, the old name of Hayti Island, in the West
Indies, whence this breed of Spanish dog was introduced to Europe.

=Spanish Main.= The ancient designation of the waters around the West
Indian Islands in the Caribbean Sea that rightly belonged to Spain.

=Spanish Place.= From the residence of the Spanish Ambassador during the
eighteenth century. The private chapel attached to this mansion
formed the nucleus of the present Catholic church.

=Sparking.= An Americanism for “courting.” There may be warranty for
this in relation to “the spark of affection.”

=Spa Road.= From a long-forgotten spa or mineral well in this portion of
Bermondsey.

=Spa Water.= Natural mineral waters drawn from a “Spa” or well.