Chapter Achor to Ad valorem of A by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Achor to Ad valorem

Achor God of flies, worshipped by the Cyreneans, that they might not be annoyed with these tiny tormentors. (See Flies, God of.)

Acis The son of Faunus, in love with Galatea. Polyphemos, his rival, crushed him under a huge rock.

Acme The crisis of a disease. Old medical writers used to divide the progress of a disease into four periods: the ar-che, or beginning; the anabasis, or increase, the acme, or term of its utmost violence, and the pa-rac-me, or decline. Figuratively, the highest point of anything.

Acmonian Wood (The). The trystplace of unlawful love. It was here that Mars had his assignation with Harmonïa, who became the mother of the Amazons.

"C'est là que ... Mars eut les faveurs de la nymphe Harmonie, commerce dont naquirent les Amazones" - Etienne: Géographie.

Acoime tæ An order of monks in the fifth century who watched day and night. (Greek, watchers.)

Acolyte (3 syl.) A subordinate officer in the Catholic Church, whose duty is to light the lamps, prepare the sacred elements, attend the officiating priests, etc. (Greek, a follower.)

Aconite The herb Monkshood or Wolfsbane. Classic fabulists ascribe its poisonous qualities to the foam which dropped from the mouths of the three-headed Cerbërus, when Hercules, at the command of Eurystheus, dragged the monster from the infernal regions. (Latin, aconitum.)

"Lurida terribiles miscent Aconita novercæ." Ovid: Metamorphoses, i. 147.

Acrasia (Self-indulgence). An enchantress who lived in the "Bower of Bliss," situate in "Wandering Island" She transformed her lovers into monstrous shapes, and kept them captives. Sir Guyon having crept up softly, threw a net over her, and bound her in chains of adamant; then broke down her bower and burnt it to ashes. - Spenser Faëry Queen, ii. 12.

Acrates (3 syl.) i.e., incontinence; called by Spenser the father of Cymochlës and Pyrochles. - Faëry Queen, ii. 4.

Acre "God's acre," a cemetery or churchyard. The word "acre," Old English, aæcer, is akin to the Latin ager and German acker (a field).

Acre-fight A duel in the open field. The combats of the Scotch and English borderers were so called.

Acre-shot A land tax. "Acre" is Old English, æcer (land), and "shot" is scot or sceat (a tax).

Acres A Bob Acres - i.e., a coward. From Sheridan's comedy called The Rivals. His courage always "oozed out at his fingers' ends."

Acroamatics Esoterical lectures; the lectures of Aristotle, which none but his chosen disciples were allowed to attend. Those given to the public generally were called exoteric. (Acroamatic is a Greek word, meaning delivered to an audience, to attend lectures.)

Acroatic Same as esoteric. (See Acroamatics.)

Acrobat means one who goes on his extremities , or uses only the tips of his fingers and toes in moving about. (It is from the two Greek words, akros baino, to go on the extremities of one's limbs.)

Acropolis The citadel of ancient Athens.

Of course, the word is compounded of akros and polis = the city on the height, i.e., the high rock

Acrostic (Greek, akros stichos) The term was first applied to the verses of the Erythræan sibyl, written