Chapter I

=Iambic Verse.= Poetical satires written in _Iambics_, or two-syllable
foot measure, were originally so called after Iambe, an attendant
upon one of the queens of Sparta, who kept a commonplace book of
lively, free, and satirical pieces.

=Iberia.= The ancient name of Spain, from the _Iberi_, its original
inhabitants. These were maritime adventurers from Phœnicia who
penetrated the country by way of the River Ebro. When in course of
time the Celts descended upon them from the Pyrenees, they spread
themselves to the south and west. On reaching the sea at the
farthest limit of their wanderings they imagined themselves at the
end of the world, and so gave the name of _Iber_, a Phœnician
word of that import, to the country. Its principal eastern river,
the Ebro, retains the original name.

=Iceland.= So called because its north and west coasts are generally
blocked with ice that has drifted down from Greenland.

=Iceland Moss.= A lichen indigenous to Iceland and Greenland which is
said to be very efficacious in the treatment of consumption.

=Ice Plant.= Found in South Africa, and so called on account of its
glittering, watery vesicles which give it the appearance of being
covered with ice.

=Ich Dien.= German for “I serve.” The motto assumed by Edward the Black
Prince after he found it under the plume of John, King of Bohemia,
slain by him at the battle of Cressy.

=Iconoclast.= An image breaker, from the Greek _eikon_, image, and
_klazo_, I break.

=Idolater.= From the Greek _eidolon_, a figure, and _latres_,
worshipper. The root of this word, _eidein_, to see, furnishes the
key to its true meaning. An idolater is one who worships that which
he sees, not on account of its intrinsic worth, but because it is a
visible representation, or it may be merely a symbol, of the deity
that he is taught to venerate.

=Idol Lane.= Said to be a corruption of Idle Lane, because this was
perhaps the only thoroughfare in the neighbourhood not given up to
business--_i.e._ either as a market or a hive of industrious
artisans.

=Il Bassano.= See “Bassano.”

=Il Furioso.= The sobriquet of Jacopo Robusti, better known as
“Tintoretto,” owing to the rapidity with which he turned out his
wonderful paintings.

=Iliad.= The title of Homer’s epic treating of the destruction of Troy;
originally called _Illium_, after _Ilos_, the founder of the city.

=I’ll be through directly.= An Americanism for “I’ll be ready very
soon,” or “I’ll have it finished directly.”

=Illinois.= The Indian _illini_, men, with the French suffix _oix_, a
tribe.

=I’ll take my Davy on it.= The word “Davy” is a corruption of
“affidavit.”

=Il Perugino.= The better-known name of the celebrated Italian artist
Pietro Vanucci, who, born at Citta della Pieve in Umbria,
established himself and remained all his life in the neighbouring
city of Perugia.

=Il Tintoretto.= See “Tintoretto.”

=Imperial.= The name given to the once fashionable chin tuft, after
Napoleon III., who was the first to wear his beard in this
diminutive fashion.

=In a Crack.= Done instantly, in no more time than it takes for a gun to
go off.

=In a Jiffy.= The word “jiffy” is a corruption of the now obsolete
_gliff_--_i.e._ a mere glance.

=Inch of Candle.= In some parts of the country land is still disposed of
at auction by inch of candle. This was the ancient form of
auctioneering. Candles of inch length were provided, and when the
candle went out the bidding was closed.

=Inchcolm.= Expresses the _inch_ or isle of St Columba, who dwelt here
while labouring to convert the Picts to Christianity.

=In Clover.= In a contented frame of mind because provided with
everything necessary for the time being. Cattle always make for the
clover when turned out to graze.

=Incog.= Short for _Incognito_, an Italian word signifying “not known.”
Royal personages desirous of avoiding ceremony often travel
_incog._, or under an assumed title.

=Independence Day.= The fourth of July, in commemoration of the American
Declaration of Independence, 1776.

=Independents.= The same as “Congregationalists.”

=India.= From the Indus or Hindus, a Persian corruption of the Sanskrit
_Sindhu_, “great river.” By the Greeks this river was known as the
_Hindus_, which with the Persian suffix _stan_ gave the name
“Hindustan” to the whole country. In the time of Columbus, and long
afterwards, the Asiatic continent east of the Ganges was generally
styled India. This accounts for such names as “Indian Ink,” etc.,
products really of the Far East.

=Indiana.= From the great number of Indians that overran this state in
the early days of its history.

=Indianapolis.= The capital of the state of Indiana. _Polis_ is Greek
for city.

=Indian Corn.= Maize, brought from the West Indies.

=Indian File.= A march in single file, as is the custom of the North
American Indians.

=Indian Gift.= A reclaimed present. When a North American Indian gives
anything he expects a gift equivalent in value, or else his own back
again.

=Indian Ink.= Originally brought from China, but now made from
lamp-black and animal glue in England. See “India.”

=Indian Liquor.= See “Indian Whisky.”

=Indian Reservation.= A considerable tract of land on the plains
reserved for the Indian tribes.

=Indians of North America.= When Columbus discovered the “New World” he
was under the impression that he had happened on that vast tract of
country east of the Ganges vaguely known as India. This shows that,
sailing westward as he did, he must have regarded the earth as a
globe.

=Indian Summer.= The equivalent of what is called St Martin’s Summer in
England. The North American Indians always avail themselves of the
pleasant weather during the early part of November for harvesting
their corn; they say there is an unfailing nine days’ second summer
just before the winter sets in.

=Indian Whisky.= The name given to specially adulterated whisky for sale
to the Indians of North America.

=India Paper.= A special kind of paper, made of vegetable fibre in China
and Japan, on which the first impressions, called India proof, of
engravings are taken. See “India.”

=India Proof.= See “India Paper.”

=India-rubber.= Caoutchouc, first imported from China, but now found
elsewhere. See “India.”

=India-rubber Railway Sandwich.= The typical refreshment-room sandwich,
the bread slices of which are as a rule so stale that they defy
hasty mastication.

=Indigo.= A blue dye prepared from the _Indicus_, or Indian plant.

=Industrial Schools.= Also known as Ragged Schools, of which the
scholars are waifs and strays brought together for the acquirement
of some useful industry.

=Infra.= Latin for below, beneath. A word very generally met with in
library catalogues: “See _Infra_.” It is the antithesis of _Supra_,
above.

=Infra Dig.= Short for _Infra Dignitatem_, which expresses the Latin for
“beneath one’s dignity.”

=Infant.= In law, any person under the age of twenty-one.

=Infanta.= The title of princesses of the royal blood in Spain and
Portugal, except the heiress-apparent.

=Infante.= The corresponding title of the sons of the kings of Spain and
Portugal.

=Infant Roscius.= William Henry Betty, the celebrated boy actor, named
after the greatest historian of antiquity. His public career was
brief--viz. five years only, 1803-1808--but during that period he
became the rage; so much so, that while at Covent Garden, where he
received a salary of fifty guineas a night, the military had to be
called out to maintain order.

=Infantry.= Foot soldiers, so called, not because, like children, they
have to be trained to walk, but for the reason that one of the
_Infantes_ of Spain collected a body of armed men, unmounted, to
rescue his father, the King, from captivity at the hands of the
Moors. Afterwards foot soldiers in Spain and Italy received the name
of _Enfanteria_.

=Infirmary.= The older and more correct description of an institution
for the sick and infirm. See “Hospice.”

=Inn.= The Anglo-Saxon word _Inne_ expressed a mansion. The Inns of
Court were originally the town houses of noble families, whose name
they still bear--_e.g._ Gray’s Inn. Our first inns set apart for the
entertainment of travellers were in all cases the mansions of the
nobility left in charge of the trusted servant, the gamekeeper,
during the prolonged absence, either in the wars at home or in the
Crusades abroad, of their owners. The family arms served as a sign.
After the return of his master the servant, now an innkeeper, set up
an inn of his own contiguous to the original, and adopted the same
sign. Here we have an explanation of such grotesque inn signs--now
that their names have taken the place of the painted device--as the
Blue Boar, the Red Lion, etc. At times the innkeeper preferred the
sign of the “Green Man.”

=Innocents’ Day.= December 28th, commemorating the massacre of the Holy
Innocents by Herod. Anciently children were soundly whipped in their
beds before rising on this day. Being undeserving of such
punishment, they were taught to suffer pain for Christ’s sake.

=Inns of Court.= See “Inn.”

=In Quad.= This is not altogether thieves’ slang, though the gipsy word
for prison is _quaid_. Boys at our public schools say they are “in
quad” when they are confined to their own quadrangle. The phrase
became popular in connection with a prison when debtors were
confined in the Fleet, the Marshalsea, and Whitecross Street,
because they were free to receive visitors in the exercise court or
quadrangle.

=Insect.= From the root _seco_, to cut, because this tiny species of the
animal world is, as it were, cut deeply into three distinct parts:
the head, thorax, and abdomen.

=Interlaken.= The Swiss village situated “between the lakes” Brienz and
Thun.

=In the Jug.= Slang for “in prison.” The term is derived from the
Scottish _joug_, a kind of iron yoke or pillory for the head
designed for the punishment of rogues and vagabonds. When at a later
period a round house of stone was set up in the market-place for
such offenders, this earliest prison was popularly called “The Stone
Jug.”

=In the Nick of Time.= This expression originated in the nicks or
notches made in a piece of wood called a Tally, both as an
acknowledgment of money paid and by way of registering a person’s
arrival at a place of assembly. If, in the latter case, he arrived
late, his tally would not be nicked, as evidence of having put in an
appearance.

=In the Odour of Sanctity.= The ancient idea was that the bodies of
saints after death emitted a peculiar fragrant odour. This
originated in the profuse employment of incense at the
administration of the last solemn rites of the Viaticum.

=In the Soup.= An Americanism for “out of the running.” This had
reference originally to the hunting field when a rider was pitched
into a ditch of foul water after leaping a hedge.

=In the Stone Jug.= See “In the Jug.”

=In the Straw.= An expression denoting that a woman has been brought to
bed with a child. Straw was the usual stuffing of a bed formerly
among the poorer orders of the people.

=In the Suds.= An Americanism for being unprepared to receive visitors.
The allusion is to a washerwoman with her hands in the soapsuds.

=In the Swim.= To be admitted to a certain professional or financial
clique. River fish generally keep together, and an angler’s object
is to get what he calls “in the swim.” By so doing he may hook fish
after fish without difficulty.

=In the wrong Box.= The origin of this expression is simply this: When
Vauxhall, Cremorne, Ranelagh, Highbury Barn, and similar alfresco
resorts were in existence, they had rows of cosy hutches or boxes
all around for the benefit of those who wished to do their courting
in private, while they could at the same time listen to the music
and see the illuminations. It was no easy matter for anyone to find
his own box again among the many if he left it; consequently on
returning to his partner after sallying forth, he rendered his
presence obnoxious to strangers by suddenly finding himself in the
wrong box.

=Intrepid Fox.= A historic tavern in Soho named after Charles James Fox,
the great Whig Minister. At the time of the famous election of 1784
the redoubtable Sammy House, the landlord, served all customers
free, and also entertained several notable Whigs.

=Invention of the Cross.= The name of this Church festival, 3rd May,
commemorative of the finding of the True Cross by those sent in
quest of it by St Helena, sounds peculiar, but the word “invent” is
really from the Latin _invenire_, to find, discover, come upon.

=Inverary.= The county town of Argyleshire, “at the mouth of” the River
Aray.

=Inverness.= Situate at the mouth of the River Ness.

=Invincibles.= See “Irish Invincibles.”

=Ionia.= The ancient name of Asia Minor, settled by the _Ionians_, so
called after Ion, the son of Apollo according to Greek fable.

=Ionic.= The style of architecture so called was peculiar to Ionia in
Greece. The earliest of the Greek philosophers so called too were
all natives of Ionia.

=Iota.= From the name of the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet.
“Jot” is a softened form of this word.

=Iowa.= Indian for “the sleepy-ones”; applied by the Sioux to the Pahoja
or Graysnow tribe.

=Ireland.= From _Ierne_, Gaelic for “western isle.” The Greeks, who
heard of it through the Milesians, called this remote land of the
west _Iernis_, and the Romans _Hibernia_.

=Ireland Yard.= This property in Blackfriars was made over by its owner,
William Ireland, to Shakespeare, as appears in the deed of
conveyance now preserved in the Guildhall Library.

=Irish Invincibles.= A secret society whose members made it their boast
that they defied extermination. Carey, the informer, openly declared
that their mission was “the making of history by killing tyrants.”
The Phœnix Park murders were the work of the “Invincibles.”

=Irishman’s Crossing.= An Americanism for the mode of many people
anxious to cut off corners by crossing and recrossing the street, by
which process one’s way is actually made longer.

=Irish Stew.= So called because among the Irish peasantry the beef is
generally absent, the stew consisting wholly of onions and potatoes.

=Iron Chancellor.= The sobriquet of Prince Bismarck, Chancellor of the
German Empire, on account of his iron will.

=Iron City.= Pittsburg, world renowned for its ironworks.

=Iron Devil.= An inn sign corrupted from “The Hirondelle,” or swallow.

=Iron Duke.= The Duke of Wellington, distinguished for his unbending
will.

=Ironmonger Lane.= Where the artificers in iron congregated during the
reign of Edward I. Later they removed into Thames Street.

=Ironside.= The surname of the Anglo-Saxon king, Edmund II., on account
of the iron armour that he wore as a preservative against
assassination.

=Ironsides.= The name given to the Cromwellian soldiers on account of
their heavy armour and iron resolution.

=Irrawaddy.= Hindoo for “the father of waters.”

=Irving.= The patronymic of the late Sir Henry Irving was Brodribb. When
he went on the stage he took the name of Irving, out of his
admiration of the writings of the American author, Washington
Irving. Half-a-century ago no one ever thought of entering the
dramatic profession under his own name. Now that the stage has
become fashionable actors need no longer be actuated to select a
_nom de theatre_ out of regard to family pride.

=Irvingites.= The followers of the Rev. Edward Irving, who maintained
the sinfulness of Christ’s nature in common with that of ordinary
mankind. Deposed from his living by the Presbytery of the Church of
Scotland in 1830, he founded the “Apostolic Catholic Church.”

=Isabel.= The name given to a yellowish brown colour from the
circumstance that at the memorable siege of Ostend in 1601 Isabella,
the wife of the Duke of Austria, vowed she would not change her
linen until the town was taken. Unhappily for her, it held out
nearly three years. Rash vows are always followed by leisurely
repentance.

=Isis.= From the Celtic _uisg_, water. The word enters into many English
river names, notably the “Thames.” The University of Oxford is
called _Isis_ from the river upon which it stands.

=Islam.= From the Arabic _islama_, to bend. This term expressed an
entire submission or resignation to the will of God. By the
Mohammedans “Islam” is described as the true faith.

=Isle of Bourbon.= A French settlement named in compliment to the House
of Bourbon.

=Isle of Desolation.= When discovered by Captain Cook this island was
utterly devoid of animal life.

=Isle of Dogs.= A corruption of “Isle of Ducks,” owing to the great
numbers of water-fowl settled on the marshes. In our time it might
well be described as the “Isle of Docks.”

=Isle of Man.= Properly “Mona Isle,” from the Celtic _mæn_, a stone;
hence “Isle of Rocks.”

=Isle of St Helena.= Discovered on the Feast of St Helena, 1502.

=Isleworth.= Expresses a manorial dwelling beside the river. Sion House,
in which Lady Jane Grey resided for a time, was built upon the ruins
of an ancient nunnery. It is now the property of the Duke of
Northumberland, who removed thither the famous lion on the top of
the demolished Northumberland House at Charing Cross. The popular
belief that when this lion heard the clock of St Martin’s Church
strike it would wag its tail and turn round was on a par with that
of the washing of the Tower lions on the first of April.

=Islington.= The family settlement of the Islings.

=Is the Ghost walking?= See “Ghost walking.”

=Italics.= Thin sloping types, altogether different from the older
Roman, first used in an edition of Virgil by Aldo Manuzio, the
celebrated printer of Venice, in 1207.

=Italy.= The modern form of the Roman description of the country,
_Latium_, or “broad plain.” This resulted in the designation of all
the tribes of the conquered districts as _Latini_, or the _Latins_.

=Ivan the Terrible.= Ivan IV., son of the founder of the Russian Empire,
who rose to power from the position of Grand Duke of Moscow. This
second Ivan, at the age of fourteen, during the regency of his
mother, had the triumvirate put to death; whereupon he assumed the
title of Czar. His reputation for cruelty soon began to assert
itself. In the space of six weeks he caused to be put to death no
less than 25,000 (some authorities say 60,000) persons at Novogorod,
from the idea that they were plotting to deliver up that city to the
King of Poland. To crown all, in a fit of passion he killed his own
son.

=Ivory Black.= A pigment originally obtained from calcined ivory, but
now from bone.

=Ivy Lane.= From the ivy-covered houses of the prebendaries attached to
St Paul’s Cathedral.

J

=Jackanapes.= Properly “Jack-of-apes,” an impudent fellow who apes the
manners of his social superiors.

=Jackass.= The male ass.

=Jack-boots.= When first worn by cavalry these high leather boots were
covered with metal plates as a protection for the leg. The term Jack
is derived from the Norman-French _jacque_, a leathern jerkin worn
over a coat of mail. At a later period the _jacque_ itself was made
sword-proof by metal plates on its under side.

=Jacket.= Expressed originally the diminutive of the _jacque_--viz. a
short or sleeveless coat of leather. See “Jack-boots.”

=Jack Ketch.= The name formerly given to the common hangman, after
Richard Jacquett, who owned the manor of Tyburn, where malefactors
were executed previous to 1783.

=Jack-knife.= The name formerly given to a large folding pocket-knife,
and now used by sailors, in contradistinction to a “Penknife.” See
“Jack Tar.”

=Jackson.= The name of a river and several towns of the United States,
after General Andrew Jackson, the seventh President.

=Jack Straw’s Castle.= A noted hostelry at Hampstead, said to have been
built on the spot where Jack Straw, one of the leaders in Wat
Tyler’s insurrection, made his habitation on the hillside.

=Jack Tar.= A sailor, because he wears tarpaulins in “dirty weather.”
Jack is a generic name for a man or servant.

=Jacobins.= The French designation of the Black Friars or Dominicans,
from the situation of their earliest convent in the Rue St Jacques,
Paris, 1219.

=Jacobites.= The Catholic adherents of James II. and his lineal
descendants after the accession to the English throne of William
III. _Jacobus_ was the Latinised form of the King’s name.

=Jacobus.= The Scottish sovereign, valued at 25s., which became current
in England also at the union of the two crowns in the person of King
James I.

=Jacquard Loom.= After its inventor, Marie J. Jacquard of Lyons, who
died in 1834.

=Jacquerie.= The name given to an insurrection of French peasants in
1358. _Jacques_ is the generic name for a member of the artisan
class in France, owing to the _jacque_, or sleeveless white cotton
jacket, worn by them. The leader of this insurrection called himself
Jacques Bonhomme, being of the artisan class himself.

=Jag.= An Americanism for drunkenness. The word is employed in a variety
of ways: “He’s got a jag on”--“He’s on a drinking bout”; “He’s on
his jags”--“He knows how it is to have the jags”; “He has the jags
just now,” etc. etc.

=Jail Bird.= So called because the earliest kind of prison in this
country was an alfresco iron cage.

=Jailed.= An Americanism for being put in jail, sent to prison.

=Jalap.= From _Jalapa_ in Mexico, whence the root of this plant was
first brought to Europe for medicinal purposes in 1610.

=Jamaica.= From the West Indian _Caymaca_, signifying “a country
abounding in springs.”

=Jamaica Road.= See “Cherry Gardens Pier.”

=James Bay.= After James I., in whose reign this arm of Hudson’s Bay was
completely explored.

=James River.= After James I., in the fourth year of whose reign it was
navigated, and the English settlement called Jamestown, thirty-two
miles inland, formed.

=James Street.= In Covent Garden, in compliment to the Duke of York,
afterwards James II. That on the south side of the Strand received
the Christian name of one of the Brothers Adam, builders of the
Adelphi.

=Jamestown.= See “James River.”

=Jamie Duff.= The Scottish designation for a mourner or weeper at a
funeral. So called after an Edinburgh eccentric of this name;
nothing pleased him better than to attend a funeral, perhaps because
he enjoyed the ride in the coach.

=Jane Hading.= This famous French actress was christened Jeanne, but,
appearing on the stage while she was quite a child, her parents
habitually called her Jane, because, as she has herself explained,
being shorter, it would admit of the family name appearing in larger
letters on the playbill.

=Janissaries.= A militia of Turkish footguards originally composed of
the sons of Christian subjects, this being the tribute levied upon
the parents for allowing them to live in peace and safety. The
native term is _Jeniaskari_, new soldier.

=Janitor.= The American description of a caretaker or doorkeeper. This
term has long been obsolete in England; it was derived from the
Latin _janua_, door.

=Jansenists.= A religious sect headed by Cornelius Jansen, Bishop of
Ypres, France, early in the seventeenth century.

=January.= Called by the Romans _Januarius_, after Janus, the sun god,
who presided over the beginnings of things. In the temple of Janus
the figure of this god had two faces: one supposed to look on the
past, the other on the future.

=Japan.= A Western corruption, through the Portuguese _Gepuen_, of the
native name _Niphon_, or “land of the rising sun.” The brilliant
black varnish called “Japan” was first made by the people of the Far
East.

=Jarvey.= A cabman or car driver, so called after the name of a hackney
coach driver who was hanged.

=Jaunting Car.= The characteristic light vehicle in Ireland in which the
people enjoy a jaunt or excursion. English folk newly arrived in the
Emerald Isle do not always appreciate it. See “Hold hard.”

=Java.= A Malay word meaning “the land of nutmegs.”

=Jayhawker State.= Kansas, from the nickname borne by the soldiers of
Colonel Jennison of New York, who, being a jovial fellow, was called
a “Gay Yorker,” afterwards corrupted into “Jayhawker.” The people of
this state in process of time came to be styled “Jayhawkers.”

=Jedburgh.= A royal burgh situate at the confluence of the Rivers Tefy
and Jed. The ancient form of justice meted out here of hanging a man
first and trying him afterwards is frequently alluded to as
“Jedwood” or “Jeddart” justice.

=Jefferson.= The name of a river, a city, and a mount in the United
States, after Thomas Jefferson, the third President.

=Jeffreys Street.= After one of the family names of the Earl of
Brecknock, Marquis of Camden, the ground landlord.

=Jehu.= A cabman, in allusion to Jehu, the son of Nimshi, who, we are
told in 2 Kings ix. 20, drove furiously.

=Jeremiad.= A tale of woe, a doleful story. So called after the Prophet
Jeremiah, who wrote the “Book of Lamentations.”

=Jerked Meat.= Dried meat, more particularly beef dried in the open air.
The term is derived from the Chilian _charqui_, applied to dried
beef throughout Spanish America.

=Jerkin.= Expresses the diminutive of the Dutch _jurk_, coat, frock;
hence a short coat or jacket.

=Jermyn Street.= From the town house of Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans.

=Jerry Builder.= A speculative builder who runs up whole streets of
houses as cheaply as possible in order to sell them. The word
“Jerry,” derived from the French _jour_, day, is a corruption of
_joury_, meaning temporary, unsubstantial.

=Jersey.= From Czar’s-ey, or “Cæsar’s Isle,” so called by the Romans in
honour of Julius Cæsar. The close-fitting rowing shirt and female
bodice received the name of a Jersey because it was first worn by
the inhabitants of this isle.

=Jersey Lily.= The punning pet name of Mrs Langtry, when, as a society
star, she first adopted the stage as a profession. Her Christian
name is Lillie, and she was born in Jersey.

=Jerusalem.= Expresses the Hebrew for “habitation of peace.”

=Jerusalem Artichoke.= A corruption of “Girasole Artichoke,” from the
resemblance of the leaf and stem of this flower to the “Girasole,”
or sunflower.

=Jerusalem Chamber.= This apartment of Westminster Abbey, in which Henry
IV. died, received its name from the pictures of the Holy Land, in
connection with the Crusades, that adorned its walls.

=Jesuits.= The members of a powerful missionary order styled “The
Society of Jesus” which was founded in 1534 by Ignatius Loyola, on a
military basis, having himself been a soldier.

=Jesuits’ Bark.= Another name for the Peruvian or Cinchona Bark, because
discovered by the Jesuit missionaries in Peru.

=Jewin Street.= The ancient burying ground of the Jews while they were
permitted to reside within the city walls--viz. in the Old Jewry.
The suffix _in_ is a corrupt form of the Anglo-Saxon _en_,
expressing the plural, as in Clerken or clerks’ well.

=Jewry Street.= All that remains of the old name given collectively to
the Jewish quarter of London after this oppressed race had been
driven eastward of the city proper. This street was the Jews’ later
burial ground. The suffix _ry_ denotes a place or district.

=Jews’ Harp.= A corruption of “Jaws’ Harp,” because it is held between
the teeth.

=Jezebel.= A daring, vicious woman, so called after the wife of Ahab,
King of Israel.

=Jig.= From the French _gigue_, a lively dance, and the Italian _giga_,
a romp.

=Jilt.= From the Scottish _gillet_, a giddy young woman. This word
expressed the diminutive of Jill or Julia, a name used in a
contemptuous sense after Julia, the daughter of Augustus Cæsar, who
disgraced herself by her dissolute conduct.

=Jimmy.= A crowbar used by house burglars. The word is not so much
thieves’ slang as a corruption of _Jenny_, expressing the diminutive
of gin or engine, the general term formerly for a machine or
mechanical appliance.

=Jimpson Weed.= Properly “Jamestown Weed,” from the place in Virginia
where it was introduced.

=Jingo.= See “By Jingo.”

=Jingoes.= The British war party during the Russo-Turkish struggle of
1877-8, when there was grave likelihood of this country interfering.
The term became popular through the refrain in G. H. Macdermott’s
famous song:

“We don’t want to fight, but, by Jingo, if we do,
We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, we’ve got the money too.”

For a time the Jingo Party was in the ascendant.

=Joachims-Thaler.= See “Thaler.”

=Jockey.= The diminutive of Jock, which is the Scottish form of Jack or
John, expressive of a servant. The first jockeys engaged in horse
racing were boys, on account of their light weight; hence the term.

=Joe Miller.= A stale joke, corresponding to the modern “Chestnut.” Joe
Miller was a witty comedian whose sayings were compiled by John
Mottley in the reign of James II. Until about a hundred years ago
this was the only book of jests extant, and everyone who wished to
“set the table in a roar” freely drew upon it.

=Joey.= The popular nickname of Mr Joseph Chamberlain, of Fiscal Policy
fame.

=Johannis.= From Johannisberg, near Wiesbaden. This name is literally
“John’s Rock,” on which stands the famous castle.

=John Audley.= An old showman’s phrase, which still obtains in what is
called a portable theatre. As soon as a sufficient crowd for another
“house” has collected outside, the money-taker, or the showman
himself, calls out at the door “John Audley!” (originally it was the
question “Is John Audley here?”) as a hint to the performers to
finish quickly and dismiss the audience. This, it is said, was the
invention of Shorter, the comedian, while he was playing in booths
at country fairs.

=John Bull.= The Representative Englishman, bluff, long-suffering, and
open-hearted. This national nickname was derived from a satire of
the same title published by Dr John Arbuthnot in 1721.

=John Carpenter Street.= After the founder of the City of London School,
which occupies one side of this modern thoroughfare, having been
removed hither from Bow Lane in 1882. John Carpenter was town clerk
of the city of London in the reigns of Henry V. and VI.

=John Chinaman.= Ever since the outbreak of the gold fever in California
a Chinaman in that part of the United States has been addressed as
“John,” the Transatlantic generic name for a man-servant,
corresponding to the old English Jack.

=John Doe and Richard Roe.= Fictitious names, which prior to 1852, when
they were abolished, appeared in every legal process of ejectment in
place of the names of the real parties.

=John Dory.= The name of this fish is a corruption of the French
_Jaune-dorée_, yellow, golden, relative to the colour.

=Johnnies.= Overdressed, empty-pated scions of good families who spent
their surplus cash upon burlesque actresses, and hung about for them
at the stage door when the “sacred lamp of burlesque” burned
brightly at the Gaiety Theatre. Since “Jack” was the generic name
for a man or servant, so one distinguished for the possession of
more money than brains was, and is still, dubbed a “Johnnie.”

=John of Gaunt.= Properly of Ghent, his birthplace, in Flanders.

=John o’ Groat’s House.= Formerly the most northern habitation on the
mainland of Scotland, said to have been that of Johnny Groat, for
the accommodation of travellers who wished to cross the ferry to the
Orkney Isles. Its site may now be recognised by a green knoll.

=Johnson’s Court.= Although the great lexocographer, Dr Johnson, spent
ten years of his life in this Fleet Street court, it was not named
after him, but after another Johnson, whose property it was, and who
also resided in it.

=John Street.= In the Adelphi, after the Christian name of one of the
brothers Adam. In Piccadilly, after one of the family names of the
Berkeleys, the ground landlords.

=Joiner.= The provincial term for one who in London is called a
“Carpenter.” Literally a joiner of wooden building materials.

=Joint Ring.= Another name for a “Gimnal Ring.”

=Joint-Stock Company.= So called because the stock is vested jointly in
many persons.

=Jonathan’s.= The original name of the Stock Exchange, after a
coffee-house keeper whose house was the rendezvous of the earliest
dealers in stock.

=Jollies.= The sailors’ nickname for the Marines, because they are about
as useful to a ship as the “Jolly Boat” which floats behind it.

=Jolly Boat.= A corruption of “Jawl boat,” from the Danish _jolle_, a
small boat.

=Jordan.= Expresses the Hebrew for “the flowing.”

=Journeyman.= An artisan who hires himself out to labour, conformly to
the French _jour_, day, a day labourer.

=Juan Fernandez.= After the navigator, who discovered it in 1567. On
this isle Alexander Selkirk was the sole inhabitant from September
1704 until February 1707. Daniel Defoe made this adventurer the hero
of his celebrated story “Robinson Crusoe.”

=Jubilee Plunger.= The sobriquet of Ernest Benzon, who lost £250,000 on
the turf in two years after embarking upon his betting career in
1887, the Jubilee year of Queen Victoria’s reign.

=Judd Street.= The property of Sir Andrew Judd, Lord Mayor of London in
1551. By his will he bequeathed it to the endowment of a school at
Tonbridge, his native place.

=Judges’ Walk.= So called because a number of judges and barristers of
the King’s Bench made themselves temporary habitations in tents on
this breezy height of Hampstead during the Great Plague.

=Jug.= Thieves’ slang for prison. See “In the Jug.”

=Juggins.= A fool, a reckless fellow, so called after a noted character
of this name, who about twenty years ago squandered his whole
fortune by reckless betting on the turf.

=Juggler.= From the French _jougleur_, a jester or miscellaneous
entertainer who was the invariable companion of a troubadour during
the Middle Ages.

=Julep.= An American spirituous beverage, also a preparation to make
medicines less nauseous. The word is derived from the Arabic
_julab_, rose-water.

=July.= In honour of Julius Cæsar, who was born in this month.

=Jump a Claim.= A Far West expression meaning to deprive another of his
lawful claim; literally to jump into his diggings and take
possession.

=Jump on it with both Feet.= The Transatlantic mode of saying “I’ll
denounce it to the utmost of my power.”

=Jump the Game.= An Americanism for running away from one’s creditors.

=June.= The sixth month of the year; that of growth, agreeably to the
Latin _juvenis_, young. The Romans dedicated it to the “Juniores,”
or young soldiers of the State.

=Jungfrau.= Two reasons are assigned for the name (German, “The Maiden”)
given to this, one of the highest peaks of the Bernese Alps.
Firstly, because of the unsullied purity and dazzling whiteness of
the snow with which it is eternally clad; secondly, owing to the
fact that, its summit being inaccessible, no man has ever conquered
or ravished this mountain maiden.

=Junk.= A seaman’s term for rope ends and also the salt beef served out
on board ship. The word is derived from the Latin _Juncus_, a
bulrush, out of which ropes were anciently made. In the second sense
of the term the toughness of the meat is sarcastically implied.

=Jury.= From the Latin _jurare_, to swear.

=Jury Mast.= Properly “Joury Mast,” from the French _jour_, day, because
it is only a temporary mast put up to replace one carried away by
stress of weather.

=Justice is Blind.= An expression derived from the allegorical
representation of Justice, who, holding the scales, is blindfolded.
See “Scales of Justice.” This really had its origin in the custom of
the ancient Egyptians, who conducted their trials in a darkened
chamber, in order that the prisoner, the pleader, and the witnesses
being alike unseen, the judges could not be moved to undue sympathy,
and their judgment might be the more impartial.

=Justice Walk.= In this portion of Chelsea resided a London magistrate
whose name has not been handed down to posterity.

=Juteopolis.= The name given to Dundee on account of its staple
industry.

=Jutland.= The land of the Jutes.

=Juveniles.= In theatrical parlance the lovers’ parts. The principal
stage lover’s part, such as _Romeo_, is called the “juvenile lead.”
Other young men’s parts, that do not call for love making on the
stage, are styled “walking gentlemen.”

K

=Kaaba.= The stone building inside the great Mosque at Mecca; said to
have been erected over the spot where Adam first worshipped after
his expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The name is Arabic for
“square house.”

=Kaffraria.= The country of the Kaffirs or “unbelievers,” from the
Mohammedan standpoint. This term was applied not only to the natives
south of Abyssinia and the desert regions of Africa, but also to the
people of a country in Central Asia east of the Hindu Cush known
accordingly as Kafiristan. _Kaifer_ is Arabic for “infidel,” and the
suffix _stan_ expresses the Persian for “country.”

=Kailyard.= Scottish for cabbage garden.

=Kaisar.= The German form of the title of the Roman Emperors, “Cæsar.”

=Kalmucks.= A Western corruption of the native _Khalmick_, or
“Apostates,” the name given to this large family of the Mongolian
race because they rejected the doctrines of Buddha. It was these
Kalmucks who, under the name of “Huns,” descended upon Europe in the
fourth century.

=Kamptulicon.= From the Greek _Kampto_, to bend.

=Kansas.= The Indian name for the river, signifying “smoky water”;
afterwards applied also to the state.

=Keble College.= A memorial college at Oxford of the Rev. John Keble,
author of “The Christian Year,” whose death took place in 1866.

=Keelhaul.= To haul under the keel of a vessel from stem to stern by
means of ropes on either side. This was the most dreaded, because
the most dangerous, punishment meted out to seamen or apprentices by
tyrannical captains in former times. Readers of Captain Marryat’s
“Snarleyyow, or the Dog Fiend” will recollect what that meant to the
hapless victim.

=Keeping Crispin.= An old phrase for the shoemakers’ annual holiday on
the Feast of St Crispin, their patron saint, 25th October. In some
parts of the country we hear of it in connection with what passes
elsewhere under the name of “Cobblers’ Monday.”

=Keep it Dark.= The reference was originally to treasure kept in a place
of concealment.

=Keep on Pegging at it.= See “Peg Away.”

=Keep the Ball Rolling.= An expression derived from the game of Bandy,
in which the two sets of players, armed with hooked sticks,
continually sent the ball rolling to opposite goals.

=Keep the Pot Boiling.= The antithesis of a hand-to-mouth existence;
meaning the command not only of something for the stock pot but also
needful fuel.

=Keep the Wolf from the Door.= By paying one’s way others will prosper
likewise, and ravenous creditors clamouring at the door for their
just demands will be non-existent. The wolf is represented by a
greedy landlord hungering for his rent, or, failing that, the
household goods.

=Keep your Nose to the Grindstone.= To continue hard at work without
cessation. If a tool is not held close to the grindstone the stone
will go round all the same, but the tool does not get sharpened. So
a man may loiter over his work, but the actual accomplishment is
nil.

=Keep your Pecker up.= Have courage, and hold your head erect. _Pecker_
is slang for the mouth, in allusion to fowls which peck their
food--in other words, they strike at it with the _beak_.

=Keep your Weather Eye open.= Be on a sharp look-out in the right
direction. A sailor looks towards the wind in order to forecast the
weather.

=Kendal.= Expresses the dale of the River Ken.

=Kendal Green.= Green cloth made at Kendal in Westmoreland, for which
this town was long famous. The cloths produced here still bear the
name of “Kendals.”

=Kennington.= The town which grew up in the king’s meadow. Henry VIII.
had a rural retreat erected here.

=Kensington.= Described in Anglo-Saxon records as _Kynsington_, or
king’s meadow town.

=Kensington Gore.= After Gore House, the residence of the Countess of
Blessington, that occupied part of the site of the Royal Albert
Hall.

=Kent.= Called by the Romans Cæsar Cantium after the _Cantii_, who
peopled this _Kenn_, headland or corner, of Albion’s Isle.

=Kentish Fire.= The name given to rapturous volleys of cheers, such as
that which distinguished the Kentish men when they applauded the “No
Popery” orators in 1828-9.

=Kentish Man.= A native of the county of Kent, west of the Medway.

=Kentish Town.= A corruption of “Kantelowes Town,” built upon the manor
of the same name. The modern spelling of this family name is
“Cantlowes,” which is that given to a street on the south side of
Camden Road.

=Kent Street.= Leads out of London to the great Kentish highway to
Dover. At one time the landlords in this street took away the front
doors of tenants who were more than a fortnight in arrears of paying
their rent. This, styled a “Kent Street Ejectment,” was found
effectual in getting rid of unprofitable tenants.

=Kentucky.= Indian for “long river.”

=Keppel Street.= From the “Admiral Keppel” at the corner of this street
and Fulham Road.

=Kerchief.= See “Handkerchief.”

=Kersey.= From Kersey, in Suffolk, once famed for its woollen
manufacture.

=Kettledrum.= A rounded drum, so called from its shape; also the name
given to a tea party, both on account of the noise made by the
guests, and because the hostess metaphorically beats them up at the
time of sending out her invitations. See “Drum.”

=Kettle of Fish.= See “Pretty Kettle of Fish.”

=Kew.= Styled in ancient documents Kay-hoo, meaning a quay on a _hoo_ or
_oe_, which expressed the Danish for an island; also a spit of land
at the mouth of a river or creek.

=Keystone State.= Pennsylvania, geographically considered as seventh
among the thirteen original states of the Union.

=Khaki.= Expresses the Hindoo for “colour of cow dung.” This term came
into prominence during the South African War, when all British
uniforms were made of materials of this hue, so as to make our
troops less conspicuous to the enemy.

=Khan.= Expresses the Persian, from a Tartar word, for a lord or prince.

=Khedive.= From the Persian _khidiw_, a king. In the Turkish _khadiv_
the title expresses a ruler one grade removed from a Sultan.

=Kicker.= An Americanism for one who at a public meeting objects to a
proposal.

=Kick the Bucket.= An expression derived from the primitive mode of a
man hanging himself by standing on a bucket, and then kicking it
aside. The “drop” in this case could not have been a long one.

=Kidnap.= Not only is this word accepted English in the absence of a
more refined equivalent, but it is also made to do service in the
case of an adult taken away against his will. Kid, of course,
expresses a young goat, and is slang for a child. The second portion
of the term is likewise slang, from _nab_, to steal.

=Kidney Bean.= The coarse bean shaped like a kidney.

=Kiel.= From the Danish _keol_, a ship.

=Kilbride.= The church of St Bride or Bridget.

=Kilburn.= Expresses the _kil_, or cell, of “one Godwynne, a holy
hermit,” beside the _bourn_, or brook.

=Kildare.= From the Celtic _kildara_, the cell or hermitage among the
oaks. A monastery was founded here by St Bridget towards the close
of the fifth century.

=Kilkenny.= The _kil_, or church, of St Kenny or Canice in connection
with the ancient abbey dedicated to St John.

=Killarney.= A corruption of “Killeaney,” from the church of the
Dominican monastery on the banks of the River Leane.

=Kindergarten.= Expresses the German for a children’s garden or
playground. The system of juvenile education so called aims at
self-tuition by means of toys and games.

=Kinetoscope.= The name originally given to our modern “living
pictures,” from the Greek _kinetikos_, “putting in motion.” See
“Mutoscope.”

=King Charles Spaniel.= The small species of “Spaniel” which was such a
favourite with Charles I.

=King Edward’s Grammar School.= A superior academical institution
founded and endowed for the tuition of Latin and Greek grammar by
Edward VI.

=King Edward Street.= After Edward VI., the “Boy King,” founder of
Christ’s Hospital, or Blue Coat Grammar School, hard by.

=Kingfisher.= The king of fisher birds that dive into water for their
prey, so called on account of its gay plumage.

=King James’s Bible.= The Authorised Version ordered to be prepared and
given to the people by James I.

=King-maker.= Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, so called because he was
instrumental in placing both Edward IV. on the Yorkist and Henry VI.
on the Lancastrian side on the throne after espousing their
individual cause.

=King of Bath.= The sobriquet of Richard Nash, also known as Beau Nash,
who for more than half-a-century was Master of Ceremonies at the
fashionable Assembly Rooms of Bath.

=King’s Arms.= An inn sign, originally representing the counterfeit
presentment or royal arms of an individual sovereign, but now a mere
name, which must have done duty alike in honouring a long line of
monarchs.

=King’s Bench.= Anciently the superior Court of Law presided over by the
King in person, when he sat on an oaken bench. Wherever he went in
state this Court followed him. Judges and magistrates are still said
to occupy the Bench.

=King’s College.= At Cambridge, founded in 1441 by Henry VI. In London,
the foundation by a royal charter of George IV. in 1828.

=King’s County.= In honour of Philip of Spain, the husband of Queen
Mary. The original name was Ossaly.

=King’s Cross.= So called from a statue of George IV. set up here at the
accession of that monarch, and taken down in 1842 to make way for
the Great Northern Railway terminus. It is highly probable that an
ancient cross stood on the same spot, since, quite apart from the
fact that Queen Boadicea was defeated by the Romans at Battle Bridge
hereabouts, it was in this neighbourhood too that King Alfred waged
a sanguinary conflict with the Danes.

=King’s Evil.= The name given to scrofula, from the old superstitious
idea that it could be cured by the touch of a king or queen.

=Kingsgate Street.= So called from the gate through which James I.
passed across the meadows to Theobalds in Hertfordshire, his
favourite hunting seat.

=King’s Head.= See “King’s Arms.”

=Kingsland.= This district marked the southern limits of the ancient
royal domain of Enfield Chase.

=King’s Lynn.= Anciently called “Lynn Episcopi,” being the property of
the Bishop of Norwich. At the dissolution of the monasteries Henry
VIII. sequestered this estate, and gave the town the name of Lynn
Regis, or King’s Lynn. The word _Lynn_ is Celtic for “pool.”

=King’s Own Men.= The 78th Foot, so called from their Gaelic motto:
“Cuidichr Rhi” (Help the King).

=King’s Road.= In compliment to Charles II., who caused this highway
between Chelsea and Fulham Palace to be made passable.

=Kingston.= The capital of Jamaica, after William III., in whose reign
(1693) it was founded.

=Kingston-on-Thames.= From the ancient stone on which seven of the
Anglo-Saxon kings were crowned. This interesting relic is now
enclosed with iron railings near the Town Hall.

=Kingstown.= Originally “Dunleary,” the name was changed in honour of
the visit of George IV. in September 1821.

=King Street.= That in Covent Garden, after Charles I., in whose reign
it was laid out. In St James’s, after James I. In Cheapside, in
honour of Henry IV., who passed down it to open the new Guildhall.
At Westminster, because this was the direct road between the Court
and the Abbey.

=Kingsway.= The name given by the London County Council to the new
thoroughfare from Holborn to the Strand opened by King Edward VII.
in 1905.

=King William Street.= In the city, after William IV., who performed the
inaugural ceremony of declaring the London Bridge open for traffic,
1st August 1831. The street of the same name west of the Strand was
newly laid out in his reign as a direct thoroughfare to Leicester
Square.

=Kirkcudbright.= Expresses the Celtic for “the Church of St Cuthbert.”

=Kirkdale.= The church in the dale or vale of Pickering.

=Kirke’s Lambs.= The nickname bestowed upon the 2nd Foot, under the
command of Captain Kirke, during the “Bloody Assizes,” and having
for their badge the Paschal Lamb.

=Kirschwasser.= German for “Cherry Water,” this beverage being distilled
from the juice of the black cherry.

=Kiss-me-Quick.= The name of a small bonnet popular in England midway
during the last century. Though of the “coal scuttle” pattern it did
not extend beyond the face, and was chiefly worn by ladies going to
parties or the play.

=Kiss the Place and make it better.= The expression, commonly employed
by mothers and nurses to pacify children when they have hurt
themselves, is a survival of the days of the sorcerers, who
pretended to cure a disease by sucking the affected part.

=Kiss the Scavenger’s Daughter.= See “Scavenger’s Daughter.”

=Kit.= A soldier’s outfit, which he carries on his person when on the
march. The name is derived from the Dutch _kitte_, a wooden beer-can
strapped on the soldier’s belt.

=Kit-Cat.= The name given by artists to a three-quarter length portrait,
and also to a canvas measuring 28 by 36 inches, in allusion to the
portraits of uniform size, and all painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller,
to suit the dimensions of the apartments occupied by the famous
Kit-Cat Club. This club was long held at the house of a pastrycook
called Christopher Cat in Shire Lane, Fleet Street (now Serle’s
Place), after whom, familiarly styled “Kit-Cat,” it took its name.
His own mutton pies were the staple refreshment, from which
circumstance such pies were until quite modern times also called
“Kit-Cats.”

=Kleptomania.= The name given to an impulsive desire to steal or
appropriate that which is ready to hand; so called from the Greek
_kleptes_, thief, and _mania_, madness.

=Knacker.= From the Icelandic _knakkr_, a saddle; hence a dealer in and
slaughterer of old horses.

=Knapsack.= From the Dutch and German _knappen_, to bite or chew, and
_zak_, a sack. Like the original German and Dutch forms of this
receptacle for a soldier’s necessaries on the march, the Swiss still
carry a bag made of goatskin.

=Knave.= From the German _knabe_, a boy. The tricks peculiar to a boy no
doubt caused this term to be applied to a deceitful or otherwise
reprehensible fellow. The knave in a pack of cards represents, of
course, the knight or servant to the king and queen.

=Knife-board.= The advertisement-board on either side of an omnibus
roof, so called on account of its fancied resemblance to the
domestic knife-sharpener. On the old-fashioned omnibuses the roof
passengers sat back to back, with their feet touching the
“knife-board,” and it was facetiously said they thereon sharpened
their wits.

=Knife and Fork Tea.= See “High Tea.”

=Knight.= From the Saxon _knicht_, a servant, which is the origin also
of the modern German _knecht_, a man-servant.

=Knight Bachelor.= One who in the days of chivalry forswore marriage
until he had performed some feat of valour, and so merited renown.

=Knight Banneret.= A knight hastily created on the field of battle in
recognition of signal bravery. This was done by tearing off a
streamer from a banner and handing it to him as a token of
investiture.

=Knight Errant.= One who went forth in quest of adventures, more
particularly to win the admiration of fair ladies, by rescuing them,
in common with the weak and oppressed, from the feudal lords whose
rapacity in those barbarous ages knew no bounds. The word _errant_,
like its modern equivalent _errand_, was derived from the Latin
_errare_, to wander. It was in ridicule of this system of
knight-errantry that Cervantes wrote his immortal romance “Don
Quixote.”

=Knight of the Yard Stick.= An Americanism for a draper’s assistant or a
retail dry-goods salesman; what in England people often style a
“Counter Jumper.”

=Knightrider Street.= The place of assembling of the knights of old on
their way in procession to the Smithfield tournaments.

=Knightsbridge.= Tradition has it that two knights who went to receive a
blessing from the Bishop of London at Fulham Palace suddenly
quarrelled, and fought a deadly combat on the bridge which anciently
spanned the Westbourne where now stands Albert Gate. A public-house
close by, demolished within the last three years, bore the sign of
“The Fulham Bridge.”

=Knights Hospitallers.= The Second Order of Knights of the Crusades, who
founded and protected the hospital at Jerusalem for the
accommodation of pilgrims to the Holy Places. When at a later period
they erected a larger hospital in connection with the church
dedicated to St John the Baptist, they assumed the title of “Knights
of St John of Jerusalem.”

=Knights of Malta.= The Knights Hospitallers who, having taken Rhode
Island, were at length expelled therefrom by the Turks, and took up
their establishment permanently at Malta.

=Knights of St John of Jerusalem.= See “Knights Hospitallers.”

=Knights of the Road.= Highwaymen, who were always good horsemen.

=Knights Templars.= The military Order of Knights of the Crusades,
styled “Soldiers of the Temple.” Their aim was to wrest the Holy
Sepulchre from the hands of the Saracens, and maintain it through
futurity.

=Knights Teutonic.= An independent Order of Knights of the Crusades
composed of nobles from the cities of Bremen and Lubeck for the
protection of German pilgrims to the Holy Land.

=Knickerbockers.= The people of the city of New York. When Washington
Irving wrote his “History of New York” he assumed the name of
Diedrich Knickerbocker, in allusion to the wide breeches worn by the
early settlers of the colony, then called by them New Amsterdam;
hence the application of the term “Knickerbockers” to knee-breeches
generally. New York is known as “The Knickerbocker City.”

=Knocked into a Cocked Hat.= Prostrated or completely flattened out like
a cocked hat, which, as its name implies, could be cocked or carried
under the arm.

=Know-nothings.= A secret society in the United States pledged to the
checking of foreign immigration and political influence by
foreigners which came into existence about the year 1848, and
finally split upon the slavery question in 1860. When asked what its
party or political aims were, all the members merely replied: “I
don’t know; I know nothing.”

=Knows the Ropes.= Said of one who thoroughly understands his calling. A
naval phrase, since a sailor must know all the ropes belonging to
his ship.

=K’nucks.= In Canada the name given to French Canadians; elsewhere to
Canadians generally. It has been stated on the authority of an
intelligent French Canadian, by way of accounting for the origin of
this term, that “the word ‘Cannuck’ is a corruption of ‘Connaught,’
the name we usually apply to the Irish, who are mostly emigrants
from that province of Ireland.”

=Kohinoor.= A famous diamond which came into the possession of Queen
Victoria on the annexation of the Punjaub in 1849. Its name
expresses the Hindoo for “Mountain of Light.”

=Kolis.= The nickname of the 51st King’s Own Light Infantry, from the
initials of their regimental name.

=Koordistan.= Pursuant to the Persian _stan_, the country of the Koords,
“fierce, strong.”

=Kopeck.= A Russian copper coin of the value of three-eights of an
English penny. So called from _kopye_, the native term for a lance,
because this coin originally had upon it the representation of a
lancer on horseback.

=Kops Ale.= A non-alcoholic ale brewed from the best Kentish hops, and
not to be distinguished by appearances from the intoxicant. The name
was chosen as a near approach to Hops Ale.

=Koran.= Properly _Al Koran_, Arabic for “the book,” “the reading,” or
“the thing to be read.”

=Koumiss.= A Mongolian term for an intoxicating beverage made by the
Kalmucks from camels’ or mares’ milk by fermentation and
distillation. “Koumiss” is the popular Russian beverage.

=Kraal.= The Kaffir term for a collection of huts shaped like a beehive
and arranged in circular form, a native South African village.

=Kremlin.= The citadel of Moscow, so called from the Russian _krem_, a
fortress.

=Krems White.= A pigment extensively produced at Krems in Austria.

=Kreuzer.= A copper coin of Germany conspicuous for a _kreuz_, or cross,
on its reverse side. Its value was the sixtieth part of a gulden or
florin.

=Krupp Gun.= After its inventor, and made at the famous Krupp Steel
works at Essen in Germany.

=Kümmel.= The German name for a beverage, expressive of “Carraway,” from
the seeds of which it is made.

=Kummerbund.= A Hindoo term for waistband. It became current in England
two or three years ago during the excessively hot weather, when
waistcoats were discarded, and the trouser tops concealed by a
brilliant blue or scarlet sash.

=Kurdistan.= See “Koordistan.”

=Kursaal.= A place of entertainment at Southend-on-Sea. The name is
German, literally “Cure-hall,” expressive of the public
assembly-room at a “Kurhaus,” or hydropathic establishment,
corresponding to the pump-room at a west of England health resort.

=Kyrle Society.= A modern society having for its aims the improvement of
the homes of the poorer orders. It originated with the Misses M. and
O. Hill in 1875, and was formally inaugurated by Prince Leopold a
couple of years later. The title of the society was derived from
John Kyrle of Ross, Herefordshire, whose artistic tastes and
benevolent disposition contributed to the happiness and well-being
of the people on his estate and all the country round about.