Chapter Coroner to Coterie' of C by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Coroner to Coterie'

Coroner means properly the crown-officer. In Saxon times it was his duty to collect the Crown revenues; next, to take charge of Crown pleas; but at present to uphold the paternal solicitude of the Crown by searching into all cases of sudden or suspicious death. (Vulgo, crowner; Latin, corona, the crown.)

“But is this law?
Ay, marry, is't: crowner's quest law.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, v. 1.

Coronet A crown inferior to the royal crown. A duke's coronet is adorned with strawberry leaves above the band; that of a marquis with strawberry leaves alternating with pearls; that of an earl has pearls elevated on stalks, alternating with leaves above the band; that of a viscount has a string of pearls above the band, but no leaves; that of a baron has only six pearls.

Coronis Daughter of a King of Phocis, changed by Athena into a crow. There was another Coronis, loved by Apollo, and killed by him for infidelity.

Corporal Violet (See Violet .)

Corporation A large paunch.
   A municipal corporation is a body of men elected for the local government of a city or town.

Corps de Garde (French). The company of men appointed to watch in a guard-room; the guard-room.

Corps Diplomatique (French). A diplomatic body [of men].

Corps Legislatif (French). The lower house of the French legislature. The first assembly so called was when Napoleon I. substituted a corps legislatif and a tribunal for the two councils of the Directory, Dec. 24, 1799. The next was the corps legislatif and conseil d'état of 1807. The third was the corps legislatif of 750 deputies of 1849. The legislative power under Napoleon III. was vested in the Emperor, the senate, and the corps legislatif. (1852.)

Corpse Candle The ignis fatuus is so called by the Welsh because it was supposed to forbode death, and to show the road that the corpse would take. Also a large candle used at lich wakes- i.e. watching a corpse before interment. (German leiche, a corpse.)

Corpus Christi [body of Christ ]. A festival of the Church, kept on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday, in honour of the eucharist. There are colleges both at Cambridge and Oxford so named.

Corpus Delicti (Latin). The fundamental fact that a crime has really been committed; thus finding a murdered body is “corpus delicti” that a murder has been committed by someone.

Corpuscular Philosophy promulgated by Robert Boyle. It accounts for all natural phenomena by the position and motion of corpuscles. (See Atomic Philosophy .)

Corrector (See Alexander The Corrector .)

Correggio The Correggio of sculptors. Jean Goujon, who was slain in the massacre of St. Bartholomew. (1510-1572.)

Corroboree An Australian wardance.

“He roared, stamped, and danced corroboree, like any black fellow.”- Kingsley: Water-Babies, chap. viii. p. 300.

Corrouge The sword of Sir Otuel in mediaeval romance. (See Sword .)

Corrugated Iron Sheet iron coated with zinc. It is called corrugated or wrinkled because the sheet is made wavy by the rollers between which it is made to pass.

Corrupticolae A sect of heretics of the sixth century, who maintained that Jesus Christ was corruptible.