Chapter Coke to College Colours of C by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Cole = money. (See Coal )

Cole (King ). A legendary British king, described as “a merry old soul” fond of his pipe, fond of his glass, and fond of his “fiddlers three.” (Kg. Coïl, i.)

Colemira (3 syl.). A poetical name for a cook; being, of course, compounded of coal and mire.

“ `Could I,' he cried, `express how bright a grace
Adorns thy morning hands and well-washed face,
Thou wouldst, Colemira, grant what I implore,
And yield me love, or wash thy face no more.' ”
Shenstone: Colemira, an Eclogue.

Colin Clout A name which Spenser assumes in The Shepherd's Calendar, and in the pastoral entitled Colin Clout's Come Home Again, which represents his return from a visit to Sir Walter Raleigh, “the Shepherd of the Ocean.”

Colin Tampon The nickname of a Swiss, as John Bull is of an Englishman, Brother Jonathan of a North American, and Monsieur Crapaud of a Frenchman.

Collapse The scheme collapsed. Came to nothing. An inflated balloon is said to collapse when the gas has escaped and the sides fall together, or pucker into wrinkles. As a collapsed balloon will not mount, a collapsed scheme will not go off. (Latin, collapsus, collabor, to fall or sink together.)

Collar    Against the collar. Somewhat fatiguing. When a horse travels up-hill the collar distresses his neck, so foot-travellers often find the last mile or so “against the collar,” or distressing. Authors of long books often find the last few pages wearisome and against the grain.
   In collar. In harness. The allusion is to a horse's collar, which is put on when about to go to work.
   Out of collar. Out of work, out of place. (See above.)
   To slip the collar. To escape from restraint; to draw back from a task begun.
   To work up to the collar. To work tooth and nail; not to shirk the work in hand. A horse that lets his collar lie loose on his neck without bearing on it does not draw the vehicle at all, but leaves another to do the real work.

“As regarded himself, the path lay plain. He must work up to the collar, hot and hard, leaving himself no time to feel the parts that were galled and wrung.”- Mrs. Edwardes: A Girton Girl, chap. iv.

Collar (verb). To collar one. To seize by the collar; to prig; to appropriate without leave.
   To collar the cole or coal. To prig the money. (See Coal)

Collar-day (A ). In royal levees, means that attendants are to wear all their insignia and decorations, such as medals, stars, ribbons, and orders. This is done on grand occasions by order of the Crown. The Queen's Collar-day is when she wears the Order of the Garter.

Collar of Arsinoe (4 syl.) or Collar of Alphesibea, given by her to her husband Alcmeon, was a fatal gift; so was the collar and veil of Eriphyle, wife of Amphiaraos. (See Fatal Gifts )

Collar of SS A decoration restricted to the Lord Chief Justices of the Queen's Bench, the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, the Lord Mayor of London, the Kings-of-Arms, the Heralds, the Sergeant-at- Arms, and the Sergeant Trumpeter. (Coussan's Heraldry. ) (See SS.)

Collectivists Collectivism is the opposite of Individualism. In the latter system, everyone is to be his own master, and everything is to be free and in common. In the former system, government is to be the sole employer, the sole landlord, and the sole paymaster. Private property is to be abolished, competition to be stamped out; everyone must work for his living, and the State must find the work. Bellamy's novel of Looking Backward will give a pretty fair notion of what is meant by Collectivism. (See Individualists )

College (New ). Newgate prison. “To take one's final degree at New College” is to be hanged. “King's College” is King's Bench Prison, now called Queen's College. Prisoners are “collegiates.” College is the Latin collegium, and has a very wide range, as, College of the Apostles, College of Physicians, College of Surgeons, Heralds College, College of Justice, etc.; and on the Continent we have College of Foreign Affairs, College of War, College of Cardinals, etc.