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Brewer's: Resurrection Men
Grave robbers. First applied to Burke and Hare, in 1829, who rifled graves to sell the bodies for dissection, and sometimes even murdered people for the same purpose. Source: Dictionary…Brewer's: Retiarius
A gladiator who made use of a net, which he threw over his adversary. As in thronged amphitheatre of old The wary Retiarius trapped his foe. Thomson: Castle of Indolence, canto ii.…Summer Sizzlers | July 2000
by Beth Rowen Loser American Pie's Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari (perhaps better known as Lester Burnham's object of obsession in American Beauty) leave behind high-school hijinks and graduate to…Brewer's: Court of the Gentiles
(The). They are but in the Court of the Gentiles. They are not wholly God's people; they are not the elect, but have only a smattering of the truth. The “Court of the Israelites” in the…Brewer's: Footing
He is on good footing with the world. He stands well with the world. This is a French phrase, Être sur un grand pied dans le monde. “Grand pied” means “large foot,” and the allusion is to…Brewer's: Lamb's Conduit Street
(London). Stow says, “One William Lamb, citizen and clothworker, born at Sutton Valence, Kent, did found near unto Oldbourne a faire conduit and standard; from this conduit, water clear as…Brewer's: Humbug
A correspondent in Notes and Queries (March 5th, 1892) suggests as the fons et origo of this word the Italian Uomo bugiardo, a lying man. To hum used to signify “to applaud,” “to pretend…Brewer's: Finger Benediction
In the Greek and Roman Church the thumb and first two fingers represent the Trinity. The thumb, being strong, represents the Father; the long or second finger, Jesus Christ; and the first…Brewer's: Mince the Matter
Not to mince the matter. To speak outright; not to palliate or gloss over the matter. Terence has “Rem profer palam” (Heauitimoroumenos, v. 2, 41). The French say, “Je ne le lui ai point…Brewer's: Weasel
Weasels suck eggs. Hence Shakespeare- The weazel Scot Comes sneaking, and so sucks the princoly egg. Henry V., i. 2. “I…Trending
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