Chapter Wrangle to Wyvill of W by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Wrangle to Wyvill

Wrangle (Mr. Caleb), a hen-pecked young husband, of oily tongue and plausible manners, but smarting under the nagging tongue and wilful ways of his fashionable wife.

Mrs. Wrangle, his wife, the daughter of sir Miles Mowbray. She was for ever snubbing her young husband, wrangling with him, morning, noon, and night, and telling him most provokingly “to keep his temper.” This couple led a cat-and-dog life: he was sullen, she quicktempered; he jealous, she open and incautious.—Cumberland: First Love (1796).

Wrath’s Hole (The), Cornwall. Bolster, a gigantic wrath, wanted St. Agnes to be his mistress. She told him she would comply when he filled a small hole, which she pointed out to him, with his blood. The wrath agreed, not knowing that the hole opened into the sea; and thus the saint cunningly bled the wrath to death, and then pushed him over the cliff. The hole is called “The Wrath’s Hole” to this day, and the stones about it are coloured with blood-red streaks all over.—Polwhele: History of Cornwall, i. 176 (1813).

Wray (Enoch), “the village patriarch,” blind, poor, and 100 years old; but reverenced for his meekness, resignation, wisdom, piety, and experience.—Crabbe: The Village Patriarch (1783).

Wrayburn (Eugene), barrister-at-law; an indolent, idle, moody, whimsical young man, who loves Lizzie Hexham. After he is nearly killed by Bradley Headstone, he reforms, and marries Lizzie, who saved his life.— Dickens: Our Mutual Friend (1864).

Wren, who built St. Paul’s Cathedral. His epitaph is—

Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.

Wren (Jenny), whose real name was Fanny Cleaver, a dolls’ dressmaker, and the friend of Lizzie Hexham, who at one time lodged with her. Jenny was a little, deformed girl, with a sharp, shrewd face, and beautiful golden hair. She supported herself and her drunken father, whom she reproved as a mother might reprove a child. “Oh,” she cried to him, pointing her little finger, “you bad old boy! Oh, you naughty, wicked creature! What do you mean by it?”—Dickens: Our Mutual Friend (1864).

Writing on the Wall (The), a secret but mysterious warning of coming danger. The reference is to Belshazzar’s feast (Dan. v. 5, 25–28).

Wrong (All in the), a comedy by Murphy (1761). The principal characters are sir John and lady Restless, sir William Bellmont and his son George, Beverley and his sister Clarissa, Blandford and his daughter Belinda. Sir John and lady Restless were wrong in suspecting each other of infidelity, but this misunderstanding made their lives wretched. Beverley was deeply in love with Belinda, and was wrong in his jealousy of her, but Belinda was also wrong in not vindicating herself. She knew that she was innocent, and felt that Beverley ought to trust her, but she gave herself and him needless torment by permitting a misconception to remain which she might have most easily removed. The old men were also wrong: Blandford, in promising his daughter in marriage to sir William Bellmont’s son, seeing she loved Beverley; and sir William, in accepting the promise, seeing his son was plighted to Clarissa. A still further complication of wrong occurs: sir John wrongs Beverley in believing him to be intriguing with his wife; and lady Restless wrongs Belinda in supposing that she coquets with her husband; both were pure mistakes, all were in the wrong, but all in the end were set right.

Wronghead (Sir Francis), of Bumper Hall, and M.P. for Guzzledown; a country squire, who comes to town for the season with his wife, son, and eldest daughter. Sir Francis attends the House, but gives his vote on the wrong side; and he spends his money in the hope of obtaining a place under Government. His wife spends about £100 a day on objects of no use. His son is on the point of marrying the “cast mistress” of a swindler, and his daughter of marrying a forger; but Manly interferes to prevent these fatal steps, and sir Francis returns home to prevent utter ruin.