Brewer's: Rush

Not worth a rush. Worthless. The allusion is to the practice of strewing floors with rushes before carpets were invented. Distinguished guests had clean fresh rushes, but those of inferior grade had either the rushes which had been already used by their superiors, or none at all. The more modern expression is “Not worth a straw.”

“Strangers have green rushes, when daily guests are not worth a rush.” —Lilly: Sappho and Phaon.

Friar Rush. Will-o'-the-Wisp; a strolling demon, who once on a time got admittance into a monastery as a scullion, and played the monks divers pranks. (See Friar's Lanthorn.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language