Chapter Nine to Nip-cheese of N by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Nine to Nip-cheese

Nine To look nine ways. To squint.

Nine The superlative of superlatives in Eastern estimation. It is by nines that Eastern presents are given when the donor wishes to extend his bounty to the highest pitch of munificence.

“He [Dakianos] caused himself to be preceded by nine superb camels. The first was loaded with 9 suits of gold adorned with jewels, the second bore 9 sabres, the hilts and scabbards of which were adorned with diamonds; upon the third camel were 9 suits of armour, the fourth had 9 suits of horse furniture; the fifth had 9 cases full of sapphires; the sixth had 9 cases full of rubies, the seventh, 9 cases full of emeralds, the eighth had 9 cases full of amethysts; and the ninth had 9 cases full of diamonds.”- Comte de Caylus: Oriental Tales; Dakianos and the Seven Sleepers

Nine Crosses Altar crosses, processional crosses, roods on lofts, reliquary crosses, consecration crosses, marking crosses, pectoral crosses, spire crosses, and crosses pendent over altars. (Pugin: Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornaments.)

Nine Crowns (See Crowns .)

Nine Days' Wonder (A). Something that causes a great sensation for a few days, and then passes into the limbo of things forgotten. In Bohn's Handbook of Proverbs we have “A wonder lasts nine days, and then the puppy's eyes are open,” alluding to cats and dogs, which are born blind. As much as to say, the eyes of the public are blind in astonishment for nine days, but then their eyes are open, and they see too much to wonder any longer.

“King: You'd think it strange if I should marry her.
Gloster: That would be ten days' wonder, at the least.
King: That's day longer than a wonder lasts.”
Shakespeare: 3 Henry VI., iii. 2.

Nine Gods (The). (1) Of the Etruscans: Juno, Minerva, and Tinia (the three chief); the other six were Vulcan, Mars, and Saturn, Hercules, Summanus, and Vedius.

“Lars Porsena of Clusium
By the nine gods he swore
That the great house of Tarquin
Should suffer wrong no more.”
Macaulay: Lays of Ancient Rome (Horatius, i.).

   (2) Of the Sabines (2 syl.). Hercules, Romulus, Esculapius, Bacchus, Æneas, Vesta, Santa, Fortuna, and Fides.

Nine Points of the Law Success in a law-suit requires (1) a good deal of money; (2) a good deal of patience; (3) a good cause; (4) a good lawyer; (5) a good counsel; (6) good witnesses; (7) a good jury; (8) a good judge; and (9) good luck.

Nine Spheres (The). Milton, in his Arcades, speaks of the “celestial syrens' harmony that sit upon the nine enfolded spheres.” The nine spheres are those of the Moon, of Mercury, of Venus, of the Sun, of Mars, of Jupiter, of Saturn, of the Firmament, and of the Crystalline. Above these nine heavens or spheres come the Primum Mobile, and then the Heaven of the heavens, or abode of Deity and His angels.
   The earth was supposed to be in the centre of this system.

Nine Worthies Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabæus; Hector, Alexander, and Julius Cæsar; Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon.

“Nine worthies were they called, of different rites-
Three Jews, three pagans, and three Christian knights.”
Dryden: The Flower and the Leaf.

   Nine worthies (privy councillors to William III.):-
   Whigs Devonshire, Dorset, Monmouth, and Edward Russell.
   Tories: Caermarthen, Pembroke, Nottingham, Marlborough, and Lowther.
   Nine worthies of London. (See Worthies.)

Ninepence Nimble as ninepence. Silver ninepences were common till the year 1696, when all unmilled coin was called in. These ninepences were very pliable or nimble, and, being bent, were given as love tokens, the usual formula of presentation being To my love, from my love. (See Nice As Ninepence .)

Ninian (St.). The apostle of the Picts (fourth and fifth centuries).