Phrases and Sayings

WHICH BY THEIR LITERAL FORM DO NOT BEAR OUT THE MEANING THEY ARE USED IN, AND TERMS NOT YET SATISFACTORILY ACCOUNTED FOR.

HE TOOK THE BULL BY THE HORNS.

To begin an attack by the best way to succeed in it; to take the surest means to carry the point; to do all that could be done, so that, if failure follows, it is because the attempt was impracticable by the best means within the chief's power. Hie tuck tije bol by, die hooren's; q. e. here head calls contrivance in; that is, as it ought to be; here the head invokes to its aid the skill of others, that is giving the case all the chance for success it admits of; in the attempt in question the chief (the head) summons to his side ingenuity itself (all that can be had) this is what suits the occasion; thus implying wisdom at the head summoning all the skill within its reach to its assistance. A pigheaded chief trusts to himself, and fails from self conceit and incapacity. A wise one knows that to combine all the ingenuity and skill within his command is the best way to succeed, and at all events secures him from reproach of neglect, if failure takes place. Hie, hier, here, in this case. Tuck, tuk, artifice, contrivance, machination, machinery of mind, cunning, device, deception. Tije the subjunctive form of tijen in the sense of to invoke, to summon, to call upon, to cite appearance. By, beside, near, to. Hooren, to belong to, to become, to be fitting, to be proper, to be all that is right; and here used substantively;

VOL. I

B

if in the original the word was not hoorend, and then it would be as the participle present of the verb, and probably it was so. 'S, is, is. Tuck sounds precisely as we pronounce took. Tije as the. Hooren's or hoorend's sounds horns. Bol, head.

HE PUT HIS NOSE OUT OF JOINT.

He got the better of him, ousted him; he supplanted him. Hie put is noose uit afjonst; q. e. here mischief is extinguished even in disgrace itself; the evil of disgrace is drawn out of it; what mischief [evil] there might have been, in an ordinary affair of disfavour, is here neutralized; implying he who has supplanted [taken the place of] the other was suited for it, and the other not; that the ouster is the fitter of the two to have what the other had. We use much, in this view, the phrase "good out of evil;" at bottom a travesty of goed houdt af evel; q. e. goodness defies wickedness; that is, in other words, the might of God keeps off the devil, implying, be but good and you may set the wicked at defiance; if they attack you, goodness will be your protection, will secure you the reward of invulnerable self-content and happy peace of mind what higher can be acquired by man? Evil used absolutely, always imports wickedness, unadulterated essence, all bad, and from such no good can be extracted; so that good out of evil, is an absurdity, an impossibility: when we say a misfortune is an evil; it is always in the modified sense of the special effect of the peculiar mischance in question; not as general or universal evil, but its peculiar or partial modification concluded by the context. A man is poor; that is an evil to him and those who interest themselves in him, but not to others, not to all besides. It is not EVIL. Evil absolutely used is as the universal principle or nature of wickedness. Hie, here. Putten, to extract, to exhauɛt, and so to extinguish, to neutralize, to

annul. Noose, noise, mischief, badness, annoyance. Uit, wt, out. Afjonst, afgonst, afgunst, disfavour, disgrace, displeasure, disinclination towards. Uit de weisheidsbron putten, is to draw from the fountain of wisdom. Our noise and the French noise, disturbance, belong to noose, noyse and so do the latin nocere, norius, and a long train of other words.

HE IS OUT AT THE ELBOWS.

Used in the sense of he is in a state of penury; his is a state of misery from sheer want. Hie is uit aet; die hel-boos; q. e. here provision is all gone, the person as vexed as hell; here's no food; the sufferer spitefully angry; or it will construe into, -here is a case of sheer want [starvation] and that is a hellish provoking one [enough to put in a passion]. The phrase is evidently jocular in both forms. In the literal construction of the travesty, perfect nonsense; a man's elbows may come through the sleeve of his coat, but he dont come with them. And even the elbows must be the ellipsis of coat sleeves! So that we should have an enigma instead of the plain sound sense of a light hearted popular saying Hie, hier here. Uit aet, no food, supply exhausted. Hel, helle, hell. Boos, spitefully vexed, out of temper. Hel doncker, quite dark, dark as hell.

THE MAN IS HANDSOME ENOUGH IF HE DOES NOT FRIGHTEN HIS HORSE.

In the sense of great beauty is not requisite for a man; that is, if he has the other qualities of one, perfection in that point will be dispensed with, done without, overlooked; in fine, that a moderate share of beauty is sufficient for a man. De man is handsaem in hof heffe hij dos nae't vereischten 'es oorts; q. e. the man is suited to (fit for) the court if he does but put on the same dress as is required in tha

place; that is, if he does but conform himself to the habits of the place; if he will but do as other courtiers do; and implying if he is but servile enough to wear the livery of the court (and so put on the appearance of a servant) it is taken for granted there, he will do all else required of him in any way; and infers, no other quality is in request at a court than servile compliancy, with it success is infallible there. The original meaning being one which might be considered offensive, has been turned from the court to the person or figure. Handsaem, dextrous, well suited to; hof, court; vereischten is that which is requisite, the requisite, and sounds frighten. Dos, dress, habit, uniform, but as well-lined choice cloathing. Heffen, to take up or upon, and so to put on, to wear [bear.]

EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY.

In the sense of, in the long run every man has his desert, that which he is entitled to, as regards either reward or punishment; and thus implying a righteous superintendance in respect to man. Ijver je dooge haest'es deé q. e. zeal; [earnestness, sincerity] is never long in earning the reward it deserves; is always returned in its full value, is worth its weight in gold, in the sense of-the being in earnest never fails of a proportionate return, either in self-satisfaction or else in other value. Dooge, the third person, potential mood, of doogen, to be worth. Haest, soon. 'Es, des, at the time, in this case. Deê, deghe, due value, due prosperity, success. Je, ever, always.

MONEY MAKES THE MARE TO GO.

In the sense of, money can do any thing; money is all powerful. De menig muyck's de meer te goe; q. e. they are the little that give value to the great, in other words, the humbler classes give the higher their importance; implying the higher spring from