Page images
PDF
EPUB

Not what is she, but what hath she. Protinus ad consum de moribus ultima fiet Quæstio, &c. Juven.

Donna brutta è mal de stomaco, donna bella mal de te ugly woman is a disease of the stomach, a handsome ‹ disease of the head.

Maison faite et femme à faire. to make. i. e. One that is a Fille brunette gaie et nette.

A house ready made, b
virgin, and young.
A brown lass is gay and

[merged small][ocr errors]

AN ALPHABET

Neithe

and

go to bl To turn t dead till

Ne femina ne tela al lume di candela.-Ital. nor linen by candle-light. No folly to being in love: or where love is in the case, thed stay doctor is an ass.

[Span. aker

He who marrieth does well, but he who marrieth not, better.
Si quieres hembra, escoge la el sabado, y no el Domingo. If
thou desirest a wife, choose her on Saturday rather than on a
Sunday. i. e. see her in an undress.

El consejo de la muger es poco, y el que no le toma es loco.
A woman's counsel is not worth much, but he that despises it is
no wiser than he should be.

Dry bread is better with love than a fat capon with fear. Catal.
Femme sotte se cognoit à la cotte. You may know a foolish

woman by her finery.

Quien lexos se va a casar, ô và engañado ô va à engañar. He who goes far from home for a wife, either means to cheat, or will be cheated.

Mas quiero el necio en su casa que el cuerdo en la agena.

A

fool knows more in his own house than a wise man in another's. Muger negra trementina en ella.—A black woman hath turpentine in her. The Spaniards consider dark women the wholesomest.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

The cat hath eaten her count.

It is spoken of women with child that go beyond their reckoning. He lives under the sign of the cat's foot.

He is hen-peck'd; his wife scratches him.

To be cheek by jowl.

Whores and thieves go by the clock.

He's in clover. i. e. He is in easy circumstances.

Quoth the young cock, I'll neither meddle nor make.

When he saw the old cock's neck wrung off for taking part with the master; and the old hen's for taking part with the dame.

To order without a constable.

He's no conjuror.

Marry come up, my dirty cousin.

Spoken by way of taunt, to those who boast themselves of their birth parentage, or the like.

Cousin-germans quite removed.

He's fallen into a cow-t-d.

He looks like a cow-t-d stuck with primroses.

To a cow's thumb.

Crack me that nut, quoth Bumsted.

To rock the cradle in one's spectacles.

Cream-pot love.

Such as young fellows pretend to dairy-maids, to get cream and other good things of them. Some say cupboard love.

Cuckolds are Christians.

The story is well known of the old woman, who, hearing a young fellow call his dog a cuckold, said to him, Are you not ashamed to call a dog by a Christian's name?

He has deserved a cushion.

That is, he hath gotten a boy.

To kill a man with a cushion.

A curtain-lecture.

Such an one as a wife reads her husband when she chides him in bed. If a cuckold come, he'll take away the meat; viz. If there be no salt on the table.

It's better to be a-cold than a cuckold.

For want of company, welcome trumpery.

That's the cream of the jest.

It's but a copy of his countenance.

Not what is she, but what hath she. bw-point. Las cañas 98 moribus ultima fiet Quæstio, &c. Juvele canes into lances. Donna brutta è mal de stomaco, donna lyou see his brains out. ugly woman is a disease of the stomach.

disease of the head.

try, ridiculous rhymes. Maison faite et femme à faire. A house, to breed on. A red to make. i. e. One that is a Fille brunette gaie et nette.

virgin, an

A brown

Ne femina ne tela al lume di candela.— eat a good breakfast in nor linen by candle-light.

No folly to being in love: or where 14, doctor is an ass.

or acts the bride. way you will, there's no

He who marrieth does well, but he who n
Si quieres hembra, escoge la el sabado, y 1
thou desirest a wife, choose her on Saturda ty.
Sunday. i. e. see her in an undress.
El consejo de la muger es poco, y el que
A woman's counsel is not worth much, but
no wiser than he should be.

Dry bread is better with love than a fat cap
Femme sotte se cognoit à la cotte. You

woman by her finery.

in away,

gentlemen,

Quien lexos se va a casar, ô và engañado ô va3 who goes far from home for a wife, either mea. be cheated.

Mas quiero el necio en su casa que el cuerdo é fool knows more in his own house than a wise m2 Muger negra trementina en ella.-A black wor tine in her. The Spaniards consider d wholesomest

like

[blocks in formation]

muse young children or reach something good for them.

e hath two. commonly the most.

you have gain

The cat hath eaten her count.

It is spoken of women with child that go beyond their reckoning. He lives under the sign of the cat's foot.

He is hen-peck'd; his wife scratches him.

To be cheek by jowl.

Whores and thieves go by the clock.

He's in clover. i. e. He is in easy circumstances.

Quoth the young cock, I'll neither meddle nor make.

When he saw the old cock's neck wrung off for taking part with the master; and the old hen's for taking part with the dame.

To order without a constable.

He's no conjuror.

Marry come up, my dirty cousin.

Spoken by way of taunt, to those who boast themselves of their birth parentage, or the like.

Cousin-germans quite removed.

He's fallen into a cow-t-d.

He looks like a cow-t-d stuck with primroses.

To a cow's thumb.

Crack me that nut, quoth Bumsted.

To rock the cradle in one's spectacles.

Cream-pot love.

Such as young fellows pretend to dairy-maids, to get cream and other good things of them. Some say cupboard love.

Cuckolds are Christians.

The story is well known of the old woman, who, hearing a young fellow call his dog a cuckold, said to him, Are you not ashamed to call a dog by a Christian's name?

He has deserved a cushion.

That is, he hath gotten a boy.

To kill a man with a cushion.

A curtain-lecture.

Such an one as a wife reads her husband when she chides him in bed. If a cuckold come, he'll take away the meat; viz. If there be no salt on the table.

It's better to be a-cold than a cuckold.

For want of company, welcome trumpery.

That's the cream of the jest.

It's but a copy of his countenance.

His cow hath calved, or sow pigged.

He hath got what he sought for, or expected.

With cost one may make pottage of a stool foot.

D.

THE dasnel dawcock sits amongst the doctors.

Corchorus inter olera. Corchorus is a small herb of little account: some take it to be the male pimpernel. There is another herb so called, which resembles mallows, and is much enten by the Egyptiars.

When the devil is blind.

Heigh ho! the devil is dead.

Strike, Dawkin; the devil is in the hemp.

The devil is good to some.

'Tis good sometimes to hold a candle to the devil.

Holding a candle to the devil is assisting in a bad cause, an evil matter

The devil is in the dice.

When the devil is a hog you shall eat bacon.

To give one the dog to hold. i. e. To serve one a dog trick. 'Tis a good dog can catch any thing.

He looks like a dog under a door.

Make a-do, and have a-do.

I know what I do when I drink.

Drink off your drink, and steal no lambs.

Drift is as bad as unthrift.

He was hanged that left his drink behind him.

Good fellows have a story of a certain malefactor, who came to be suspected upon leaving his drink behind him in an ale-house, at the news of à hue and cry.

A good day will not mend him, nor a bad day impair him.
I'll make him dance without a pipe.

i. e. I'll do him an injury, and he shall not know how.

E.

I'LL warrant you for an egg at Easter.

He has all his eyes about him. i. e. He looks well after his affairs.

'Tis along with your eyes, the crows might have helped it when you were young.

F.

You two are finger and thumb.

The Italians say, Hanno legato il bellico insieme. They have tied their navels together: i. s They are inseparable companions.

« PreviousContinue »