Chapter Agla to Air one's opinions of A by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Agony properly means contention in the athletic games; and to agonise is the act of contending. (Greek, agon, a game of contest, as well as a "place of assembly").

Agony, meaning "great pain," is the wrestle with pain or struggle with suffering.

Agony Column of a newspaper. A column containing advertisements of missing relatives and friends; indicating great distress of mind in the advertiser.

Agrarian Law from the Latin ager (land), is a law for making land the common property of a nation, and not the particular property of individuals. In a modified form, it means a redistribution of land, giving to each citizen a portion.

Agrimony The older spelling was Argemony, and Pliny calls it argemonia, from the Greek argemos, a white speck on the eye, which this plant was supposed to cure.

Ague (A cure for) (See Homer.)

Ague-cheek Sir Andrew Aguecheek, a straight-haired country squire, stupid even to silliness, self-conceited, living to eat, and wholly unacquainted with the world of fashion. The character is in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Agur's Wish (Prov. xxx. 8). "Give me neither riches nor poverty."

Ahasuerus or Ahashverosh. A title common to several Persian kings. The three mentioned in the Bible are supposed to be Cyaxares (Dan. xi. l); Xerxes (Esther); and Cambyses (Ezra iv. 6).

An alabaster vase found at Halicarnassus gives four renderings of the name Xerxes, viz., Persian, Khshayarsha; and the Greek, Xerxes; the Sanskrit root Kshi means "to rule," Kshathra (Zend Ksathra), a king.

Ahead The wind's ahead - i.e., blows in the direction towards which the ship's head points; in front. If the wind blows in the opposite direction (i.e., towards the stern) it is said to be astern. When one ship is ahead of another, it is before it, or further advanced. "Ahead of his class," means at the head. Ahead in a race, means before the rest of the runners.

To go ahead is to go on without hesitation, as a ship runs ahead of another.

Ahithophel or Achitophel A treacherous friend and adviser. Ahithophel was David's counsellor, but joined Absalom in revolt, and advised him "like the oracle of God" (2 Sam. xvi. 20--23). In Dryden's political satire, Achitophel stands for the Earl of Shaftesbury. (See Achitophel.)

Ahmed (Prince). Noted for the tent given him by the fairy Pari-banou, which would cover a whole army, but might be carried in one's pocket; and for the apple of Samarcand, which would cure all diseases. - Arabian Nights, Prince Ahmed, etc.

This tent coincides in a marvellous manner with the Norse ship called Skidbladnir (q.v.). (See Solomon's Carpet.)

Aholibah (Ezek. xxiii. 4, 11, etc.). The personification of prostitution. Used by the prophet to signify religious adultery or harlotry. (See Harlot.)

"The great difficulty in exposing the immoralities of this Aholibah is that her [acts] are so revolting." - Papers on the Social Evil, 1885.

Aholibamah A granddaughter of Cain, loved by the seraph Samiasa. She is a proud, ambitious, queen-like beauty, a female type of Cain. When the flood came, her angel- lover carried her under his wings to some other planet. - Byron: Heaven and Earth.