Chapter Liquor up to Livered of L by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Liquor up to Livered

Liquor up Take another dram.

Lir (King). Father of Fionmala. On the death of Fingula, the mother of his daughter, he married the wicked Aoife, who, through spite, transformed the children of Lir into swans, doomed to float on the water till they heard the first mass-bell ring. Thomas Moore has versified this legend.

“Silent, O Moyle, be the roar of thy water,
Break not, ye breezes, your chain of repose,
While murmuring mournfully, Lir's lovely daughter
Tells to the night-stars the tale of her woes.”
Irish Melodies, No. ii. 9.

Liris A proud but lovely daughter of the race of man, beloved by Rubi, first of the angel host. Her passion was the love of knowledge, and she was captivated by all her lover told her of heaven and the works of God. At last she requested Rubi to appear before her in all his glory, and as she fell into his embrace was burnt to ashes by the rays which issued from him. (Moore: Loves of the Angels, story ii.)

Lisbo'a or Lisboa. Lisbon (q.v.)

“What beauties doth Lisbo'a first unfold.”
Byron: Childe Harold, 1. 16.

“And thou, famed Lisboa, whose embattled wall
Rose by the hand that wrought proud Ilion's fall.”
Mickle: Lusiad.

Lisbon A corruption of' Ulyssippo (Ulysses' polis or city). Said by some to have been founded by Lusus, who visited Portugal with Ulysses, whence “Lusitania” (q.v.); and by others to have been founded by Ulysses himself. This is Camoens' version. (See above.)

Lismahago (Captain), in Smollett's Humphry Clinker. Very conceited, fond of disputation, jealous of honour, and brim-full of national pride. This poor but proud Scotch officer marries Miss Tabitha Bramble. The romance of Captain Lismahago among the Indians is worthy of Cervantes.

Lisuarte of Greece One of the knights whose adventures and exploits are recounted in the latter part of the Spanish version of Amadis of Gaul. This part was added by Juan Diaz.

Lit de Justice Properly the seat occupied by the French king when he attended the deliberations of his parlement. The session itself. Any arbitrary edict. As the members of Parlement derived their power from the king, when the king himself was present their power returned to the fountain-head, and the king was arbitrary. What the king then proposed could not be controverted, and, of course, had the force of law. The last lit de justice was held by Louis XVI. in 1787.

Little Thomas Moore published a volume of amatory poems in 1808, under the name of Thomas Little.

“When first I came my proper name was Little– now I'm Moore. ”
Hood: The Wee Man.

Little Little by little. Gradually; a little at a time.
   Many a little makes a mickle. The real Scotch proverb is: “A wheen o' mickles mak's a muckle,” where mickle means little, and muckle much; but the Anglo-Saxon micel or mycel means “much,” so that, if the Scotch proverb is accepted, we must give a forced meaning to the word “mickle.”

Little Britain or Brittany. Same as Armorica. Also called Benwic.

Little Corporal (The). Napoleon Bonaparte. So called after the battle of Lodi, in 1796, from his low stature, youthful age, and amazing courage. He was barely 5 ft. 2 in. in height.

Little Dauphin (The). The eldest son of the Great Dauphin- i.e. the Duc de Bourgogne, son of Louis, and grandson of Louis XIV.

Little Ease The name of a prison cell too small to allow the prisoner to stand upright, or to lie down, or to assume any other position of ease. I have seen such a cell at St. Cyr; and according to Curiosity, or, The General Library, p. 69 (1738), cells of this kind were used “at Guildhall for unruly apprentices.”