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

Corruption of Blood Loss of title and entailed estates in consequence of treason, by which a man's blood is attainted and his issue suffers.

Corsair' means properly “one who gives chase.” Applied to the pirates of the northern coast of Africa. (Italian corso, a chase; French corsaire; Latin cursus.)

Corsned means the “cursed mouthful.” It was a piece of bread “consecrated for exorcism,” and given to a person to swallow as a test of his guilt. The words of “consecration” were, “May this morsel cause convulsions and find no passage if the accused is guilty, but turn to wholesome nourishment if he is innocent.” (Saxon, corse, curse; snaed, mouthful.) (See Choke .)

Cortes (2 syl.). The Spanish or Portuguese parliament. The word means “court officers.”

Cortina The skin of the serpent Pytho, which covered the tripod of the Pythoness when she delivered her oracles. “Tripodas cortina tegit” (Prudentius: Apophthegmata, 506); also the tripod itself, or the place where the oracle was delivered. (Virgil: AEneid, vi. 345.) “Neque te Phoebi cortina fefellit.”

Corvinus [a raven ]. Janos Hunyady, Governor of Hungary, is so called from the raven on his shield.
   There were two Romans so called- viz. Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messala, and Valerius Messala Corvinus.
   Marcus Valerius was so called because, in a single combat with a gigantic Gaul during the Gallic war, a raven flew into the Gaul's face and so harassed him that he could neither defend himself nor attack his adversary.

Corybantic Religion An expression applied by Prof. Huxley to the Salvation Army and its methods. The rowdy processions of the Salvation Army (especially at Eastbourne, 1891), resembling the wild ravings of the ancient Corybantes, or devotees of Bacchus, more than sober, religious functions, have given colour to the new word.

Corycian Cave (The), on Mount Parnassus; so called from the nymph Corycia. The Muses are sometimes called Corycides (4 syl.).

“The immortal Muse
To your calm habitations, to the cave
Corycian ... will guide his footsteps.”
Akenside: Hymn to the Naiads.

Corycian Nymphs (The). The Muses. (See above.)

Corydon A swain; a brainless, love-sick spooney. It is one of the shepherds in Virgil's eclogues.

Coryphaeus (The) or “Corypheus.” The leader and speaker of the chorus in Greek dramas. In modern English it is used to designate the chief speaker and most active member of a board, company, or expedition.

Coryphaeus of German Literature (The). Goethe, “prince of German poets” (1749-1812).

“The Polish poet called upon ... the great Coryphæus of German literature.”- See Notes and Queries, 27th April, 1878.

Coryphaeus of Grammarians Aristarchos of Samothrace. A coryphaeus was the leader of the Greek chorus; hence the chief of a department in any of the sciences or fine arts. Aristarchos, in the second century B.C., was the chief or prince of grammarians. (Greek, koruphaios, leader.)

Coryphee A ballet-dancer. (See preceding column.)

Cosa (plu. Cosas). A theoretic speculation; a literary fancy; a whim of the brain (Indian).

Cosmiel (3 syl.). The genius of the world. He gave Theodidactus a boat of asbestos, in which he sailed to the sun and planets. (Kircher: Ecstatic Journey to Heaven.)

Cosmopolite (4 syl.). A citizen of the world. One who has no partiality to any one country as his abiding- place; one who looks on the whole world with “an equal eye.” (Greek, cosmospolites.)