Chapter Civil War to Clavie of C by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Civil War to Clavie

Civil War War between citizens (civilês). In English history the term is applied to the war between Charles I. and his Parliament; but the War of the Red and White Roses was a civil war. In America the War of Secession (1861-1865) was a civil war.

Civis Romanus Sum This single plea sufficed to arrest arbitrary condemnation, bonds, and scourging. Hence, when the centurion commanded Paul “to be examined by scourging,” he virtually pleaded “Civis Romanus sum”; and asked, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a Roman citizen, and uncondemned? ” (1) No Roman citizen could be condemned unheard; (2) by the Valerian Law he could not be bound; (3) by the Sempronian Law it was forbidden to scourge him, or to beat him with rods. (See also Acts xvi. 37, etc.)

Civitas Solis A political and philosophical romance by Thomas Campanella (1568-1639), born at Stillo, or Stilo, in Italy. This romance is a kind of Utopia, formed on the model of Plato's Republic. His society is a sort of convent-life established on the principles of a theocratic communism.

Clabber Napper's Hole Near Gravesend; said to be named after a free-booter; but more likely the Celtic Caerber l'arber (water-town lower camp).

Clack Dish A dish or basin with a movable lid. Some two or three centuries ago beggars used to proclaim their want by clacking the lid of a wooden dish.

“Can you think I get my living by a bell and clack-dish?
... “How's that?
“Why, begging, sir.” Family of Love (1608).

Claft An Egyptian head-dress with long lappets pendent on the shoulders, as in the statue of Amenophis III.

Clak-ho-haryah At Fort Vancouver the medium of intercourse is a mixture of Canadian-French, English, Indian, and Chinese. An Englishman goes by the name of Kint-shosh, a corruption of King George; an American is called Boston; and the ordinary salutation is clak-ho-haryah. This is explained by the fact that the Indians, frequently hearing a trader named Clark addressed by his companions, “Clark, how are you?” imagined this to be the correct English form of salutarion. (Taylor: Words and Places.)

Clam (See Close As A Clam .)

Clan-na-Gael (The). An Irish Fenian organisation founded in Philadelphia in 1870, and known in secret as the “United Brotherhood”; its avowed object being to secure “the complete and absolute independence of Ireland from Great Britain, and the complete severance of all political connection between the two countries, to be effected by unceasing preparation for armed insurrection in Ireland.” (See Dynamite Saturday .)
    In 1883 Alexander Sullivan was elected one of the three heads of this club, to which is due the dynamite outrages in London (January, 1885), and the design to murder the Queen's ministers.

Clap-trap Something introduced to win applause: something really worthless, but sure to take with the groundlings. A trap to catch applause.

Clapper A plank bridge over a stream; a ferry-gate. A roofing-board is called a clap-board.

“A little low and lonesome shed,
With a roof of clap-boards overhead.”
Alice Cary: Settlers' Christmas Eve.

   Probably a corruption of clath-board, a covering board, from Anglo-Saxon, clath, a covering, whence our clothes.
    Boards for making casks are also called “clap-boards.”

Clapperclaw To jangle and claw each other about. (Dutch and German, klappen, to strike, clatter.)

“Now they are clapper-clawing one another I'll go look on.”- Shakespeare: Troilus, and Cressida, v. A.

    A clapper-claw is a back-scratcher.

Clapper - dudgeons Abram-men (q.v.). The clapper is the tongue of a bell, and in cant language the human “tongue.” Dudgeon is a slang word for a beggar.