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Bunkum. Originally a Congressman’s speech, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” An oratorial flight not intended to carry a proposal, but to catch popular applause. The representative for Buncombe, in North Carolina, occupied the time of the house at Washington so long with a meaningless speech that many members left the hall. Asked his reason for such a display of empty words, he replied: “I was not speaking to the House, but to Buncombe.”
Bureau. French for a writing-desk, from buro, a drugget, with which it was invariably covered.
Burgess Roll. See “Roll Call.”
Burgundy. A wine produced in the French province of the same name.
Burke. To stop or gag–e.g. to burke a question. After an Irishman of this name, who silently and secretly took the lives of many peaceable citizens by holding a pitch plaster over their mouths, in order to sell their bodies to the doctors for dissection. He was hanged in 1849. His crimes were described as “Burking.”
Burleigh Street. From the residence of Lord Burleigh in Exeter Street, hard by.
Burlington Street (Old and New). After Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington and Cork, from whom Burlington House, refronted by him, also received its name.
49Burmah. From the natives, who claim to be descendants of Brahma, the supreme deity of the Hindoos.
Burton Crescent. After the name of its builder.
Bury St Edmunds. A corruption of the Borough of St Edmund, where the Saxon king and martyr was crowned on Christmas Day, 856. Taken prisoner and killed by the Danes, he was laid to rest here. Over the site of his tomb Canute built a Benedictine monastery.
Bury Street. Properly Berry Street, after its builder.
Bury the Hatchet. At a deliberation of war the hatchet is always in evidence among the Indians of North America, but when the calumet, or pipe of peace, is being passed round, the symbol of warfare is carefully hidden.
Busking. Theatrical slang for an al fresco performance to earn a few coppers. To “go busking on the sands” is the least refined aspect of a Pierrot Entertainment. See “Sock and Buskin.”
Buy a Pig in a Poke. A man naturally wants to see what he is bargaining for. “Poke” is an old word for a sack or large bag, of which pocket expresses the diminutive.
By Gad. A corruption of the old oath “By God.”
By George. Originally this oath had reference to the patron saint of England. In more modern times it was corrupted into “By Jove,” so that it might have applied to Jupiter; then at the Hanoverian Succession the ancient form came in again.
By Hook or by Crook. The final word here is a corruption of Croke. More than a century ago two eminent K.C.’s named Hook and Croke were most generally retained by litigants in action at law. This gave rise to the saying: “If I can’t win my case by Hook I will by Croke.”
By Jingo. An exclamation traceable to the Basque mountaineers brought over to England by Edward I. to aid him in the subjection of Wales at the time when 50the Plantagenets held possession of the Basque provinces. “Jainko” expressed the supreme deity of these hillmen.
By Jove. See “By George.”
By the Holy Rood. The most solemn oath of the crusaders. “Rood,” from the Anglo-Saxon rod, was the Old English name for Cross.
By the Mass. A common oath in the days of our Catholic ancestors, when quarrels were generally made up by the parties attending Mass together.
By the Peacock. See “Peacock.”
By the Skin of my Teeth. An expression derived from Job xix. 20: “My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.”
Byward Tower. A corruption of Bearward Tower, the residence of the Tower “Bearward.” The bear-house at our national fortress in the time of James I. is mentioned in Nichol’s “Progresses and Processions.”
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Cab. Short for “Cabriolet,” or little caperer, from cabriole, a goat’s leap. See “Capri.”
Cabal. A political term formed out of the initials of the intriguing ministry of 1670–thus: Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington, and Lauderdale.
Cabinet. The designation of Ministers of State, who first conducted their deliberations in a cabinet, from the Italian gabinetto, a small room. A picture or photograph of this size received its name from the apartment for which it was best suited.
Cabin Girls. Waitresses at the “Cabin” Restaurants Limited.
Cablegram. An Americanism for telegram.
Cadiz. Called Gades by the Romans, from the Phœnician Gadir, enclosed, shut in.
51Cadogan Square. From the Earl of Cadogan, the lord of the manor of Chelsea.
Cahoot. An Americanism for partnership or company, derived from the French capute, hut, cabin. Men who share a cabin or shanty are said to be “in cahoot.”
Caitiff. An old term of contempt for a despicable person, derived from the Latin captivis, a captive, slave.
Caius College. The name given to Gonville College, Cambridge, after its refoundation by Dr Caius by royal charter in 1558.
Cake Walk. A musical walking competition round a cake, very popular among the negroes of the southern states. The couple adjudged to walk most gracefully receive the cake as a prize.
Calcutta. From Kalikutta, “the village of Kali,” the goddess of time.
Caledonia. The country of the Caels or Gaels; Gadhel in the native tongue signified a “hidden cover.”
Caledonian Road. From the Royal Caledonian Asylum for Scottish orphans, now removed.
Calico. First brought from Calicut in the East Indies.
California. Called by Cortez Caliente Fornalla, or “hot furnace,” on account of its climate.
Caliph. From the Arabic Khalifah, a successor.
Called over the Coals. A corruption of “Hauled over the Coals.”
Camberwell. From the ancient holy well in the vicinity of the church of St Giles, the patron saint of cripples. Cam is Celtic for “crooked.”
Cambria. The country of the Cimbri or Cymri, who finally settled in Wales.
Cambric. First made at Cambray in Flanders.
Cambridge. From the bridge over the Cam, or “crooked” river. See “Cantab.”
52Camden Town. After the Earl of Camden, the ground landlord.
Camellia. Introduced into Europe by G. J. Camelli, the German missionary botanist.
Camera Obscura. Literally a dark chamber.
Cameron Highlanders. The Scottish regiment of infantry raised by Allan Cameron in 1793.
Camisard. A military term for a night attack, after the Camisards, Protestant insurgents of the seventeenth century, who, wearing a camise, or peasant’s smock, conducted their depredations under cover of night.
Camomile Street. From the herbs that grew on the waste north of the city.
Campania. An extensive plain outside Rome, across which the “Appian Way” was constructed. The word comes from the Latin campus, a field.
Campden Square. From the residence of Sir Baptist Hicks, created Viscount Campden.
Canada. From the Indian ka
Canary. Wine and a species of singing bird brought from the Canary Islands, so called, agreeably to the Latin canis, on account of the large dogs found there.
Candia. Anciently Crete, called by the Arabs Khandæ, “island of trenches.”
Candy. An Americanism for sweetmeats. The Arabic quand, sugar, gave the French word candi.
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53Canonbury. From the manorial residence of the priors of St Bartholomew Church, Clerkenwell, of which the ancient tower remains.
Cant. After Alexander and Andrew Cant, a couple of bigoted Covenanters, who persecuted their religious opponents with relentless zeal, and at the same time prayed for those who suffered on account of their religious opinions.
Cantab. Of Cambridge University. The River Cam was anciently called the Granta; hence the Saxon name of the city Grantabrycge, or the bridge over the Granta, softened later into Cantbrigge.
Canterbury. The fortified place or chief town of “Kent.”
Canterbury Music Hall. This, the first of the London music halls, opened in 1848, grew out of the old-time popular “free-and-easy,” or “sing-song,” held in an upper room of what was until then a tavern displaying the arms of the city of Canterbury, and styled the “Canterbury Arms.”
Cantlowes Road. See “Kentish Town.”
Canvas Back. A species of sea-duck, regarded as a luxury on account of the delicacy of its flesh. So called from the colour of the plumage on its back.
Cape Finisterre. Adapted by the French from the Latin finis terra, “land’s end.”
Capel Court. The Stock Exchange, so called from the residence of Sir William Capel, Lord Mayor in 1504.
Cape of Good Hope. So called by John II., King of Portugal, after Diaz had touched this point of Africa, as a favourable augury for the circumnavigation of the globe.
Cape Horn. Named Hoorn, after his birthplace, by Schouten, the Dutch navigator, who first rounded it.
Capri. From the Latin caper, a he-goat, expresses the island of wild goats.
54Capuchin Friars. From the pointed cowl or capuce worn by them.
Carat Gold. So called because gold and precious stones were formerly weighted against carat seeds or seeds of the Abyssinian coral flower.
Carbonari. Italian for charcoal-burners, in whose huts this secret society held its meetings.
Carburton Street. From the Northamptonshire village on the ducal estate of the ground landlord.
Cardiff. From Caer Taff, the fort on the Taff.
Cardigan. After Ceredog, a famous chieftain.
Caribbean Sea. From the Caribbs, which West Indian designation signifies “cruel men.” Corrupted through the Spanish Caribal, we have derived the word “Ca
Carlton House Terrace. From Carlton House, built by Lord Carlton, later the residence of Frederick, Prince of Wales, the father of George III.
Carmagnole. A wild song and dance which came into prominence during the French Revolution. It received its name from Carmagnolas, a town in Piedmont, whence the Savoyard boys carried the tune into the south of France.
Carmarthen. A corruption of Caer-merlin, or the fortress built by Merlin, in the neighbourhood of which he was born.
Carmelites. White Friars of the order of Mount Carmel.
Carnarvon. The fortress on the Arfon, or water.
Carolina. After Carollus, the Latinised name of Charles II., who granted a charter of colonisation to eight of his favourites.
Caroline Islands. In honour of Charles I. of Spain.
Carpenter. Originally one who made only the body or wooden portion of a vehicle. So called from the Latin 55carpentum, waggon. An ordinary worker in wood was, and still is in the English provinces, a joiner.
Carpet Knight. A civilian honoured with a knighthood by the sovereign. One who has not won his spurs on the field, like the knights of old.
Carry Coals to Newcastle. To do that which is altogether superfluous. It would be ridiculous to take coals to a place where they are found in abundance.
Cartaret Street. After John Cartaret, Earl of Granville, Secretary of State, and one of the most popular ministers of the reign of George II.