Chapter Hallelujah to Hand of H by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Hallelujah to Hand

Hallelujah is the Hebrew halelu-Jah, "Praise ye Jehovah."

Hallelujah Lass (A). A young woman who wanders about with what is called "The Salvation Army."

Hallelujah Victory A victory gained by some newly-baptised Bretons, led by Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre (A.D. 429). The conquerors commenced the battle with loud shouts of "Hallelujah!"

Halloo when out of the Wood or Never halloo till you are out of the wood. Never think you are safe from the attacks of robbers till you are out of the forest. "Call no man happy till he is dead." "Many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip."

Halloween (October 31st), according to Scotch superstition, is the time when witches, devils, fairies, and other imps of earth and air hold annual holiday. (See Halloween, a poem by Robert Burns.)

Halter A Bridport dagger (q.v.). St. Johnstone's tippet.

Halter or rather Halster. A rope for the neck or halse, as a horse's halter. (Anglo-Saxon, hals, the neck; but there is also the word hælfter, a halter.)

"A thievisher knave is not on live, more filching, no more false;
Many a truer man than he has hanged up by the halse [neck]."
Gammer Gurton.

Haltios In Laplandic mythology, the guardian spirits of Mount Niemi.

"From this height [Niemi, in Lapland] we had opportunity several times to see those vapours rise from the lake, which the people of the country call Haltios, and which they deem to be the guardian spirits of the mountain." - M. de Maupertuis.

Ham and Heyd. Storm demons or weather-sprites. (Scandinavian mythology.)

"Though valour never should be scorned,
Yet now the storm rules wide;
By now again to live returned
I'll wager Ham and Heyd."
Frithiof Saga, lay xi.

Hamadryads Nymphs of trees supposed to live in forest- trees, and die when the tree dies. (Greek, hama, together with drus, a forest-tree.)
    The nymphs of fruit-trees were called "Melides" or "Hamamelids."

Hameh In Arabian mythology, a bird formed from the blood near the brains of a murdered man. This bird cries "Iskoonee!" (Give me drink!), meaning drink of the murderer's blood; and this it cries incessantly till the death is avenged, when it flies away.

Hamet The Cid Hamet Benengeli. The hypothetical Moorish chronicler from whom Cervantës professes to derive his adventures of Don Quixote.

"Of the two bad cassocks I am worth ... I would have given the latter of them as freely as even Cid Hamet offered his ... to have stood by." - Sterne.

Hamilton The reek of Mr. Patrick Hamilton has infected as many as it did blow upon, i.e. Patrick Hamilton was burnt to death by Cardinal Beaton, and the horror of the deed contributed not a little to the Reformation. As the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church, so the smoke or reek of Hamilton's fire diffused the principles for which he suffered (1504-1528).
    Latimer, at the stake, said: "We shall this day light up such a candle in England as shall never be put out."

Hamiltonian System A method of teaching foreign languages by inter-linear translations, suggested by James Hamilton, a merchant (1769-1831).

Hamlet A daft person (Icelandic, amlod'), one who is irresolute, and can do nothing fully. Shakespeare's play is based on the Danish story of Amleth' recorded in Saxo-Grammaticus.

Hammel (Scotch). A cattle-shed, a hovel. (Hame = home, with a diminutive affix. Anglo-Saxon, ham, home. Compare hamlet.)