Page:Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.djvu/17

Rh professed to believe what Abraham believed before he was circumcised. The sect was forbidden by the Emperor Joseph II. in 1783.

Abram-oolour. Probably a coruption of Abron, meaning anburn. Halliwell quotes the following from Corilanus, ii. 3: "Our heads are some brown, some black, some Abram, some bald.” And again, "Where is the eldest son of Priam, the Abram-coloured Trojan?" A goodly, long, thick Abram-coloured beard."—Blurt, Master Constable.

 Abram-Man, or Abraham Cove. A Tom-o' Bedlam; a naked vagabond; a begging impostor.

The Abraham Ward, in Bedlam, hadfor its inmates begging lunatics, who used to array themselves "with party-coloured ribbons, tape in their hats, a fox-tail hangin down, a long stick with streamers," and beg alms; "for all their seeming madness, they had wit enough to steal as they went along."—Canting Academy.

See King Lear, ii. 3.

In Beaumont and Fletcher we have several synonyms:—

 Abrax&prime; as Stones. Stones with the word Abraxas engraved on them, and used as talismans. They wore cut into symbolic forms combining a fowl’s head, a serpent’s body, and human limbs. (See .)

 Abreast. Side by side, the breasts being all in a line.

The ships were all abreast—'i.e., their heads were all equally advanced, as soldiers marching breast.

Abridge is not formed from the word bridge; but comes from the Latin abbrevidre, to shorten, from brevis (short), through the French abdréger (to shorten).

Abroach. To set mischief abroach is to set it afoot. The is from a cask of liquor, which is broached that the liquor may be drown from it. (Fr., brocher, to prick, abrocher.)

Abroad. You are all abroad. Wide of the mark; not at home with the subject. Abroad ; in all directions.

Abrogate, When the Roman senate wanted a law to be passed, they asked the people to give their votes in its favour, The Latin for this is rogāre legem (to solicit or propose a law). If they wanted a law repealed, they asked the people to vote against it; this was abrogāre legem (to solicit against the law).

Ab&prime;salom. James, Duke of Monmonth, the handsome but rebellious son of Charles II. in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel (1649-1685).

 Absalom and Achitophel. A political satire by Dryden (1649-1685). David is meant for Charles II.; Absalom for his natural son James, Duke of Monmouth, handsome like Absalom, and, like him, rebellious. Achitophel is meant for Lord Shaftesbury, Zimri for the Duke of Buckingham, and Abduel for Monk. The selections are so skilfully made that the history of David seems repeated. Of Absalom, Dryden says (Part i.):—

 Abscond&prime; means properly to hide;but we generally use the word in the sense of stealing off secretly from an employer. (Latin, abscondo.)

Absent. "Out of mind as soon as out of sight." Generally misquoted "Out of sight, out of mind."—Lord Brooke.

The absent are always wrong. The translation of the French proverb, Les absents ont toujours tort.

Absent Man (The). The character of Bruyère's Absent Man, translated in the Spectator and exhibited on the stage, is a caricature of Comte de Brancas.

 Ab&prime;solute. A Captain Absolute, a bold, despotic man, determined to have his own way. The character is in Sheridan's play called The Rivals.

Sir Anthony Absolute, a warm-hearted, testy, overbearing country squire, in the same play. William Dowton (1764-1851) was pick-named "Sir Anthony Absolute."

Absquat&prime;ulate. To run away or abscond, A comic American word, from ab and squat (to go away from your squatting). A squatting is a tenement taken in some unclaimed part, without purchase or permission. The persons who take up their squatting are termed squatters.