Chapter Bee to Before the Mast of B by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

be found (in the English sense) in any- French author, does not prove that it was never used in Anglo- French. We have scores of perverted French words, with English meanings, unrecognised by the French; for example: encore, double entendre, surtout (a frock coat), epergne, and so on.
   (6) Historic etymology has its value, but, like all other general rules, it requires to be narrowly watched, or it may not unfrequently over-ride the truth. Historically, Rome comes from Romulus, Scotland from Scota or Scotia, Britain from Brutus. All sorts of rubbishy etymology belong to the historic craze.
   Beefeaters. Yeomen Extraordinary of the Guard appointed as warders of the Tower by Edward VI. They wear the same costume as the Yeomen of the Guard mentioned above. (See Buphagos.)

Beef-steak Club owed its origin to an accidental dinner taken by Lord Peterborough in the scene-room of Rich, over Covent Garden Theatre. The original gridiron on which Rich broiled the peer's steak is still preserved in the palladium of the club, and the members have it engraved on their buttons. (History of the Clubs of London.)

Beefington or Milor Beefington, a character in Canning's mock tragedy, The Rovers, a burlesque, in the Anti-Jacobin, on the sentimental German dramas of the period. Casimere is a Polish emigrant, and Beefington an English nobleman, exiled by the tyranny of King John.

Beelzebub God of flies, supposed to ward off flies from his votaries. One of the gods of the Philistines. (See Achor .) The Greeks had a similar deity, Zeus Apomyios. The Jews, by way of reproach, changed Beelzebub into Baal Zeboub (q.v.), and placed him among the dæmons. Milton says he was next in rank to Satan, and stood

“With Atlantean shoulders, fit to bear
The weight of mightiest monarchies.”
(Book ii.)

“One next himself in power, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palestine, and named
Beëlzebub.” Paradise Lost, i. 79-81.

Beer Ceres, when wandering over the earth in quest of her daughter, taught men the art of making beer, because “ils me ne purent apprendre l'art de faire le vin.” (Mem. de l'Academis des Inscriptiones, xvii.) (See Ale .)
   He does not think small beer of himself. [See Small Beer].

Beer and Skittles Life is not all beer and skittles, i.e. not all eating, drinking, and play; not all pleasure; not all harmony and love.

“Sport like life, and life like sport,
Isn't all skittles and beer.”

Beer aux Mouches or Beer aux corneilles. To stand gaping in the air (at the flies or the rooks). Béer, Old French for bayer, to gape.

Beeswing The film which forms on the sides of a bottle of good old port. This film, broken up into small pieces, looks like the wings of bees. A port drinker is very particular not to “break the beeswing” by shaking the bottle, or turning it the wrong way up.
   Beeswinged port is old port which has formed its second crust or beeswing.

Beetle (To). To overhang, to threaten, to jut over (Anglo-Saxon, beot-ian, to menace). Hence beetle or beetled brow.

“Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff,
That beetles o'er his base into the sea.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, i. 4.

Beetle-crusher A large, flat foot. The expression was first used in Punch, in one of Leech's caricatures. Those who know London know how it is overrun with cockroaches, wrongly called black-beetles.

Befana The good fairy of Italian children, who is supposed to fill their stockings with toys when they go to bed on Twelfth Night. Some one enters the children's bedroom for the purpose, and the wakeful youngsters cry out, “Ecco la Befana.” According to legend, Befana was too busy with house affairs