Harper’s Book of Facts, 1905.
Persons in England who refused to attend church.
Harper’s Book of Facts, 1905.
Sending letters free of postage, right claimed by members of Parliament about 1660.
Harper’s Book of Facts, 1905.
By the old common-law of England, anything which had caused the death of a human being became forfeit to the sovereign or lord of the manor, and was to be sold for the profit of the poor.
Harper’s Book of Facts, 1905.
This term has been used in various epochs to denote a strong beer or ale… The term was used in medieval England, and it still occasionally appears as a poetic alternative to malt liquor.
The World Encyclopedia of Food by L. Patrick Coyle, 1982.
The custom of spitting on money is common in various parts of the world. In England it was sometimes called handsel and was reputed to bring good luck.
The Annotated Dracula by Leonard Wolf, 1975.
A man who for trifling payment was believed to take upon himself, by means of food and drink, the sins of a deceased person… Usually each village had its official sin-eater to whom notice was given as soon as death occurred.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910. From All There Is to Know by Alexander Coleman, 1994.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910. From All There Is to Know by Alexander Coleman, 1994.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1910. From All There Is to Know by Alexander Coleman, 1994.
Village in Nottingham, England; the reputed simplicity of the inhabitants gave rise to the expression “the wise men of Gotham.”
International Book of Names by C.O. Sylvester Mawson, 1933.
Town on the Usk, England, traditional seat of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
International Book of Names by C.O. Sylvester Mawson, 1933.
“The Trial of the Pyx” occurs every five years in England. It is simply the testing of the amount of gold and silver used in the coins issued from the mint.
Curious Questions by Sara H. Killikelly, 1889.
The phrase is much older than Alice in Wonderland. The best theory is that one of the leading families of Cheshire, England, had the face of a lion as part of its coat of arms. In the hands of local sign painters, the lion’s image gradually got to look like a grinning cat.
Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris, 1977.
The sauce of the first Thanksgiving dinner in this country was undoubtedly called fenberry sauce at the time, since cranberry was known in England as fenberry and it was not until years later that the Dutch gave it the name of cranberry from their kranbeere.
Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris, 1977.
