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To see the entries on specific term, click on first letter of its name.
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A
Ashton Fagot:
Devonshire Term for the Yule log
B
Bibliomania:
Book-madness
Black Monday:
A term used for Easter Monday
Borrowed Days:
The three last of March
Boxing-day:
Date Christmas-boxes are solicited and collected
Burse:
A term of mediaeval Latin, implying expressly a purse
C
Cartomancy:
Divination by playing-cards
Childermas Day:
Commemoration of the Herod's massacre of children in Bethlehem
Cockney:
A person born within hearing of Bow bells
Crying the Mare:
Cry given out when the last crops are in
Curse of Scotland:
Name given to the Nine of Diamonds
Cut-purse rogue:
A dishonest person
D
Daft Days:
Applied to the season of the New Year in Scotland
Disstaff:
Old English legal term of female descendent
E
Egyptian Days:
Superstition which has regard to lucky or unlucky days
Ember-days
: Fasts for imploring the blessing on the produce of the earth
F
Fagot:
Bundle of ash-sticks bound or hooped round with bands of the same tree
First Footing:
Scottish New Year Day Tradition
Flitting Day:
Day most renters change their residences
Fourierism:
Name for 1830ish French Socialist movement
Foyster:
Street term for pickpocket
G
Gauge Days:
Another term used for the three Rogation Days
Getting into a Scrape:
Trouble golf-players have with the rabbit holes
Glove Money:
A term used when gloves were given as New Year's Day presents
God-cakes:
New Years Day Treat - filled with a kind of mince-meat
Grace's card:
Regarding the six of hearts
Greybeard:
Kind of stoneware jug
Greysteil:
As high a compliment as could well be paid to a gallant warrior
H
Handsel Monday:
First Monday of the Year
Hebrew alphabet of teeth:
The number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet
Hobson's Choice: This or no other -
Identified with Thomas Hobson
Hogmanay:
Ceremonies and customs Of New Year's in Scotland
Holyrood Day:
Day Empress Helena discovered the true cross
Horn Book:
Book used for learning the elements of English literature
I
Ides of March:
The Middle of March, Assassination day of Jules Caesar
Island of Honey:
Term used to describe England by first settlers
M
Man-in-the-Moon:
Regarding the image of a man on the surface of the Moon
Mandy Thursday:
Old name for the Thursday in holy week
Metonie cycle:
Refers to the 19 year cycle of moon changes
Michaelmas Day:
29th of September, properly named the day of St. Michael
Mountebacks:
Term used to describe traveling minstrels, quack, &c.
Mummers:
The History of the Mummers
N
Names for animals when going together in companies
Nypper:
Street term for a pick-purse or cut-purse
Nutcracker Night:
Name for Halloween in Northern England
O
Olympiads:
Greek mode of computing time
Omnibus:
A long coach, carrying fifteen or eighteen people
Order of the Fly:
Order of knighthood among the demons
P
Paschal Feast:
Common name of the Easter festival in the East
Patomimmes:
Form or acting
Pillar-saints:
Term used to describe a certain order of 4th century monk
Pin Money:
A term used when pins were given as New Year's Day presents
Q
Qiccertodecimans:
Used to describe people who kept Easter-day on the 14th
Quarantine:
A period of forty days
R
Rogation Days:
The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Holy Thursday
Rump and dozen:
A dinner and wine
S
Scarborough Warning:
Regarding the abruptness of the danger
Scratch-back:
How early back scratches were made
Sitting below the salt:
Below which it was proper for dependents to sit
Solstice:
Winter
Spear:
Old English legal term of male descendent
Specture Dogs:
Spirits of evil persons, who have been transformed into dogs
Spur-money:
Penalty paid for wearing spurs in a cathedral
Stephening:
Ancient custom, called Stephening
T
Tankard-bearer:
Name given to individuals who carried water
Tenebrae:
Name of service conducted on Wednesday in Holy Week
Touching for the King's Evil:
Cure for Scrofula
The Waits:
Regarding Musical Instruments
Turnspits:
Device that used dogs to turn meat while cooking
Twelfth-Cake:
Large cake baked to commemorate Twelfth-day
Twelfth-Day:
Last day of the Feast of the Nativity
U
Unlucky Days
W
Win the whetstone:
Equivalent to being the greatest liar in the company
Y
Yule log:
The History of the Yule Log
