Chapter End-irons to Ensign of E by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

End-irons to Ensign

End-irons Two movable iron cheeks or plates, still used in cooking-stoves to enlarge or contract the grate at pleasure. The term explains itself, but must not be mistaken for andirons or "dogs."

End Paper The blank fly-leaves of a book.

End of the World (The). According to rabbinical mythology, the world is to last six thousand years. The reasons assigned are (1) because the name Jehova contains six letters; (2) because the Hebrew letter m occurs six times in the book of Genesis; (3) because the patriarch Enoch, who was taken to heaven without dying, was the sixth generation from Adam (Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch); (4) because God created the world in six days; (5) because six contains three binaries - the first 2000 years were for the law of nature, the next 2000 years the written law, and the last 2000 the law of grace.
   Seven would suit this fancy quite as well: there are seven days in a week; Jehovah contains seven letters; and Enoch was the seventh generation of the race of man; and the first two binaries were not equal periods.

Ends
   To burn the candle at both ends. To be like a man on double business found, who both neglects. Of course, no candle could burn at both ends, unless held horizontally, as the lower end would be extinguished by the melted wax or tallow.
   To make two or both ends meet. To make one's income cover expenses; to keep out of debt. The allusion is to a belt somewhat too tight. The French say joindre les deux bouts.

Endemic Pertaining to a locality. An endemic disease is one common to a particular district, from which it shows no tendency to spread. Thus intermittent fevers are endemic in marshy places.

Endorse I endorse that statement. I accept it; I fully accord with it. The allusion is to the commercial practice of writing your name on the back of a bill of exchange or promissory note if you choose to make yourself responsible for it. (Latin, in-dorsum, on the back.)

Endymion in Greek mythology, is the setting sun with which the moon is in love. Endymion was condemned to endless sleep and everlasting youth, and Selene kisses him every night on the Latmian hills.

"The moon sleeps with Endymion,
And would not be awaked."
Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice, v. 1.

Enemy How goes the enemy? or What says the enemy? What o'clock is it? Time is the enemy of man, especially of those who are behind time.

Enfant Terrible (An) [lit., a terrible child]. A moral or social nuisance.

Enfield Rifle So called from the factory at Enfield where it is made.

Enfilade (French) means literally to spin out; to put thread in [a needle], as enfiler une aiguille; to string beads by putting them on a thread, as enfiler des perles. Soldiers being compared to thread, we get the following metaphors: to go through a place as thread through a needle - to string artillery by placing it in a line and directing it against an enemy; hence, to scour or rake with shot.

England Verstegan quaintly says that Egbert was "chiefly moved" to call his kingdom England "in respect of Pope Gregory's changing the name of Engelisce into Angellyke. " And this "may have moved our kings upon their best gold coins to set the image of an angel." (Restitution of Decayed Intelligence in Antiquities concerning ... the English Nation, p. 147.)
    The Angles migrated from the east of the Elbe to Schleswig (between the Jutes and the Saxons). They passed over in great numbers to Britain during the 5th century, and in time established the kingdoms of the heptarchy.

England Expects that Every Man will do his Duty The parole signalled by Horatio Nelson to his fleet before the battle of Trafalgar.

England's Darling Hereward the Wake, in the time of William the Conqueror. The "Camp of Refuge" was established in the Isle of Ely, and the Earl of Morcar joined it in 1071. It was blockaded for three months by William, and Hereward (3 syl.) with some of his followers escaped.