Chapter Laugh on the Other Side of Your Mouth to Law of L by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Laugh on the Other Side of Your Mouth to Law

Laugh on the Other Side of Your Mouth To make a person laugh on the other side of his mouth is to make him cry, or to cause him annoyance. To “laugh on the wrong side of one's face” is to be humiliated, or to lament from annoyance.

“Thou laughest there: by-and-by thou wilt laugh on the wrong side of thy face.”- Carlyle: The Diamond Necklace, chap. iii.

Laughing Philosopher Democritos of Abdera, who viewed with supreme contempt the feeble powers of man. (B.C. 460-357.) (See Weeping Philosopher .)

Laughing-stock A butt for jokes.

Laughter We are told that Jupiter, after his birth, laughed incessantly for seven days.
   Calchas, the Homeric soothsayer, died of laughter. The tale is that a fellow in rags told him he would never drink of the grapes growing in his vineyard, and added, if his words did not come true he would be the soothsayer's slave. When the wine was made, Calchas, at a great feast, sent for the fellow, and laughed so incessantly at the non-fulfilment of the prophecy that he died. (E. Bulwer Lytton: Tales of Miletus, iv.)
    (See Ancaeus and Death From Strange Causes.)

Launce The clownish serving-man of Proteus, famous for his soliloquies to his dog Crab. (Shakespeare: Two Gentlemen of Verona.)

Launcelet (See Lancelot .)

Launched into Eternity Hanged.

“He ate several oranges on his passage, inquired if his lordship was ready, and then, as old Rowe used to say, `was launched into eternity.'- Gilly Williams to Lord Harrington. (This man was his lordship's servant, hanged for robbery.)

Launfal (Sir). Steward of King Arthur. He so greatly disliked Queen Gwennere, daughter of Ryon, King of Ireland, that he feigned illness and retired to Carlyoun, where he lived in great poverty. Having obtained the loan of a horse, he rode into a forest, and while he rested himself on the grass two damsels came to him, who invited him to rest in their lady's bower hard by. Sir Launfal accepted the invitation, and fell in love with the lady, whose name was Tryamour. Tryamour gave the knight an unfailing purse, and when he left told him if he ever wished to see her all he had to do was to retire into a private room, and she would instantly be with him. Sir Launfal now returned to court, and excited much attention by his great wealth; but having told Gwennere, who solicited his love, that she was not worthy to kiss the feet of his lady-love, the queen accused him to Arthur of insulting her person. Thereupon Arthur told him, unless he made good his word by producing this paragon of women, he should be burned alive. On the day appointed, Tryamour arrived; Launfal was set at liberty and accompanied his mistress to the isle of Oleron, and no man ever saw him more. (Thomas Chester: Sir Launfal, a metrical romance of Henry VI.'s time.)

Laura, the name immortalised by Petrarch, was either the wife of Hugues de Sade, of Avignon, or a fictitious name used by him on which to hang incidents of his life and love. If the former, her maiden name was Laura de Noves.
   Laura. Beppo's wife. (See Beppo.)

Lauras (Greek, laura.) An aggregation of separate cells under the control of a superior. In monasteries the monks live under one roof; in lauras they live each in his own cell apart; but on certain occasions they assemble and meet together, sometimes for a meal, and sometimes for a religious service.

Laureate Poets so called from an ancient custom in our universities of presenting a laurel wreath to graduates in rhetoric and poetry. Young aspirants were wreathed with laurels in berry (orné de baies de laurier). Authors are still so “crowned” in France. The poets laureate of the two last centuries have been-
   Ben Jonson, 1615, appointed by King James.
   Sir William Davenant. 1637.
   John Dryden, 1670.
   Thomas Shadwell, 1688.
   Nahum Tate, 1692.
   Nicholas Rowe, 1715.
   Laurence Eusden, 1718.
   Colley Cibber, 1730.
   William Whitehead, 1757
   Thomas Warton, 1783.
   Henry James Pye, 1790.
   Robert Southey, 1813.
   William Wordsworth,