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

Little-Endians The two great empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu waged a destructive war against each other, exhausted their treasures, and decimated their subjects on their different views of interpreting this vital direction contained in the 54th chapter of the Blun-decral (Koran): “All true believers break their eggs at the convenient end.” The godfather of Calin Deffar Plane, the reigning emperor of Lilliput, happened to cut his finger while breaking his egg at the big end, and very royally published a decree commanding all his liege and faithful subjects, on pains and penalties of great severity, to break their eggs in future at the small end. The orthodox Blefuscudians deemed it their duty to resent this innovation, and declared a war of extermination against the heretical Lilliputians. Many hundreds of large treatises were published on both sides, but those of a contrary opinion were put in the Index expurgatorius of the opposite empire. (Gulliver's Travels Voyage to Lilliput, iv.)

“The quarrel between the Little-endians and the Big-endians broke out on Thursday, like the after-fire of a more serious conflagration.”- The Times.

Little Englanders Those who uphold the doctrine that English people should concern themselves with England only: they are opposed to colonisation and extension of the Empire.

Little-Go The examination held in the Cambridge University in the second year of residence. Called also “the previous examination,” because it precedes by a year the examination for a degree. In Oxford the corresponding examination is called The Smalls. (See Mods .)

Little Jack Horner (See Jack .)

Little John A big stalwart fellow, named John Little (or John Nailor), who encountered Robin Hood, and gave him a sound thrashing, after which he was rechristened, and Robin stood godfather. Little John is introduced by Sir Walter Scott in The Talisman.

“`This infant was called John Little,' quoth he;
`Which name shall be changed anon,
The words we'll transpose, so wherever he goes,
His name shall be called Little John.”
Ritson: Robin Hood, xxi.

   Little John was executed on Arbor Hill, Dublin.
   It will be remembered that Maria in Twelfth Night, represented by Shakespeare as a little woman, is by a similar pleasantry called by Viola, “Oliva's giant;” and Sir Toby says to her, “Good night, Penthesile'a”- i.e. Amazon.

Little Masters A name applied to certain designers, who worked for engravers, etc., in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Called little because their designs were on a small scale, fit for copper or wood. The most famous are Jost Amman, for the minuteness of his work; Hans Burgmair, who made drawings in wood illustrative of the triumph of the Emperor Maximilian; Hans Sebald Beham; Albert Altdorfer, and Henrich Aldegraver. Albert Dürer and Lucas van Leyden made the art renowned and popular.

Little Nell A child of beautiful purity of character, living in the midst of selfishness, worldliness, and crime. (Dickens: Old Curiosity Shop.)

Little Ones (The). The small children, and young children generally.

Little Paris Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and Milan, in Italy, are so called, from their gaiety and resemblance in miniature to the French capital.

Little Pedlington The village of quackery and cant, humbug, and egotism, wherever that locality is. A satire by John Poole.

Little Red Ridinghood This nursery tale is, with slight alterations, common to Sweden, Germany, and France. It comes to us from the French, called Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, in Charles Perrault's Contes des Temps.