Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 5.djvu/341

 12 S. V. DEC., 1919.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

335

which has somewhat gone out of fashion. " Stum bling-block " was introduced by Tindale in his version of the New Testament, but the phrase "stumble over a block" (of wood) is earlier. The cricket sense of "stump" is traced back to 1735, but the pulling up of stumps is a still earlier phrase. "Stunning," a popular adjective for a time, answering to the present "tophole," did not lash, we gather, beyond the eighties of last century. "Stupefy" is rightly so spelt, following its Latin origin, but it was till recently spelt "stupify." "Stupid" has the same sense, meaning originally "deadened" or "dulled in the faculties." "Sturdy" is an old word, for it originally meant 44 giddy," and its derivation is still unsettled. All the suggestions offered seem decidedly fanciful in sense, but we cannot say that any of them is far fetched in view of " muscle '*='' little mouse," and other known peculiarities of derivation. The "stymie "of the golfer is also of obscure origin It is curious that the Dictionary does not put it baok beyond 1856.

Looking again at the Preface attached to the sec- tion edited by Mr. Onions we find that the number of main words included under 'S' is 27,929, of which 5,487 are obsolete. The number of quotations is 298,006, truly a heroic record of diligence !

The section begins in the middle of "Sweep,' which with its derivations is an important word 'Sweep-stake' 1 originally meant "Sweeping," or taking the whole of the stake, and was used in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for "a clea sweep." Among the derivations of "sweet" is Shakespeare's pretty "sweeting" which did not catch on in later language as a term of endearment, though English is generally lacking in such expres- sions. The original William after whom the ' Sweet-william " was named no man knows, i 'Swelt" will be new to most people, being obsolete for many years, except in dialect. The cognate [* Sweal." to scorch, is in Barnes's 'Glossary of the Dorset Dialect.' " Swelth," " swench," and " swepe'' \ whip) are other effective sounding words now lost bo the language. "Swig" includes six words. h notation in the nineteenth century. " Farewell, life! my senses swim" occurs in Hood's 'Stansas,' \pril, 1845. "Swing" is a long and interesting yord, and has a special sense derived from a ictitious Captain Swing, under whose name in- imidatiim letters were sent to farmers and land- Owners in 1830-1. " Swingeing damages," when so jpelt, reveals the origin of the verb as " swinge," i' beat, thrash." The word " Swisser " reminds us hat old-fashioned people within our memory used ailway is a joy introduced apparently in 1838. I Swot," the hard work of the schoolboy, is illus- jrated first from our own columns, which give its ierivation at Sandhurst. " Symposium " originally leans a drinking party, and Plato's famous dia- pgue has led to its use for discussions of the driest haracter, in which there may be much " swotting," lit there is little "swigging." "Syringa" is used lossoms, but the botanist calls it "Philadeiphus." '' is curious that the term " mock-orange." which as quite a good one, should have been discarded 1 favour of a Greek form of word The learned (imes of plants seem to indicate that they were inored by the common people, and mainly recog- Ised by men of science.
 * 'Swim" irf the sense of giddiness has no poetical
 * o talk of " Swisserland." The "switchback"
 * y ordinary people fora well-known shrub with white

L'lntermediaire des chercheurs et curieux. 10 Nov. iy i i/.

OUR French contemporary, as the editor laments, is hampered by difficulties not unknown to us ; never- theless it appears three times a month and the number before us is full of interest. There is no equivalent to Notes, but an abundance of Queries and Replies, with a small section at the end headed ' Trouvailles et Curiosites." At least one of our own frequent contributors finds a place in its columns, and we see that "Why don't they eat cake?" is being now discussed as it was discussed a little time back in ' N. and Q.' The foreign subscription is at present 18 fr. a year, but the editor gives a warning that with 1920 it will be raised to 26 fr. We wish U Intermediaire every success in face of the obstacles it has to overcon^e.

BOOKSELLERS' CATALOGUES.

FROM Hrn. Gilhofer & Ranschburg (Bogner- gasse 2, Wien I.) comes their latest catalogue of books upon the Fine Arts. It mainly comprises the libraries of a couple of connoisseurs, who, judging from the contents of the thick list before us, must have had a trained and practised eye in the selec- tion of their volumes. For here are books on all branches of art, not only modern works, but also the large folios of the eighteenth centuiy, including works on ancient, mediaeval and oriental art, sculpture and painting, with a fine series of stan- dard books on modern stylists. In all there are sixteen sections, most of them being sub-divided, in which every branch of artistic study is well represented, even down to an excellently arranged section on silhouettes and playing cards. Hrn. Gilhofer and Ranschburg are to be congratulated upon this, their latest compilation, and as the prices are far from excessive, would-be collectors are advised to send for a copy of the catalogue and to place their orders as early as possible.

WE have received a copy of Catalogue No. .382, English Literature of the Eighteenth Century, from Messrs. Maggs Bros., 34 and 35 Conduit Street London, W. It contains no less than 516 different items. There is a considerable section on Political Economy.containing many rare pamphlets on the trade and currency of Great Britain. There are also many important Goldsmith items, including the first edition of k The Deserted Village.' We notice a number of rare books on Freemasonry, including the first edition of Anderson's ' Constitu- tion of the Freemasons of 1723,' with the engraved frontispiece. Defoe is well represented with an uncut copy of the first edition of 'A Journal on the Plague Year,' which is probably unique in its uncut state. Defoe's ' Review of the British Nation,' complete with the exception of two num- bers ; this is Defoe's possibly greatest and certainly scarcest work. No astual complete set is known to exist ; up to now the Huth copy was considered the most complete, but Messrs. Maggs' copy is much more complete, as they possess the additional volume which is so excessively rare that Lowndss states only a few numbers exist, and that the latest known number is 85. Messrs. Maggs' volumes comprise up to No. 106, the final number. Ano her interesting first edition is Coleridge's 'Fall of Robespierre,' historical drama, Cambridge, 1794, the author's first publication, and written in con-