Chapter Nucta to Nunc Dimittis of N by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Nucta to Nunc Dimittis

Nucta or miraculous drop which falls in Egypt on St. John's day (June), is supposed to have the effect of stopping the plague. Thomas Moore refers to it in his Paradise and the Peri.

Nude Rabelais wittily says that a person without clothing is dressed in “grey and cold” of a comical cut, being “nothing before, nothing behind, and sleeves of the same.” King Shrovetide, monarch of Sneak Island, was so arrayed. (Rabelais: Gargantua, iv. 29.)
   The nude statues of Paris are said to be draped in “cerulean blue.”

Nugget of Gold Nugget, a diminutive of nug or nog, as logget is of log. “A nog of sugar” (Scotch) is a lump, and a “nugget of gold” is a small lump. So a “log of wood” is a billet (Latin, lignum), and “loggets” (Norfolk) are sticks of toffy cut up into small lumps.
   A correspondent in Notes and Queries says nog is a wooden ball used in the game of shinney. Nig, in Essex, means a “piece;” and a noggin of bread means a hunch.

Nulla Linea (See Line. )

Nulli Secundus Club The Cold-stream Guards.

Numa The second king of Rome, who reduced the infant state to order by wise laws.

Numancia A tragedy by Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, but never published in his lifetime.

Number Nip The gnome king of the Giant Mountains. (Musaeus: Popular Tales.)

“She was like one of those portly dowagers in Number Nip's society of metamorphose and turnips.”- Le Fanu: The House in the Churchyard, p. 132.

Number One Oneself.
   To take care of number one, is to look after oneself, to seek one's own interest; to be selfish.

Number of the Beast “It is the number of a man, and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Rev. xiii. 18). This number has been applied to divers persons previously assumed to be Antichrist; as Apostates, Benedictos, Diocletian, Evanthas, Julian (the Apostate), Lampetis, Lateinos, Luther, Mahomet, Mysterium, Napoleon I., Niketes, Paul V., Silvester II., Trajan, and several others. Also to certain phrases supposed to be descriptive of the Man of Sin, as Vicar-General of God, Arnoume (I renounce), Kakos Odegos (bad guide), Abinu Kadescha Papa (our holy father the pope), e.g. -

M	a	o	m	e	t	i	s
40,	1,	70,	40,	5,	300,	10,	200 = 666
L	a	t	e	i	n	o	s
30,	1,	300,	5,	10,	50,	70,	200 = 666
L	u	th	r	a	n	o	s
30,	400,	9,	100,	1,	50,	70,	6 = 666

   The Nile is emblematic of the year.

N	e	i	l	o	s
50,	5,	10,	30,	7,	200 = 365

Numbers (from 1 to 13), theological symbols:-
   (1) The Unity of God.
   (2) The hypostatic union of Christ, both God and man.
   (3) The Trinity.
   (4) The number of the Evangelists.
   (5) The wounds of the Redeemer: two in the hands, two in the feet, one in the side.
   (6) The creative week.
   (7) The gifts of the Holy Ghost (Rev i. 12). Seven times Christ spoke on the cross.
   (8) The number of the beatitudes (Matt. v. 3-11).
   (9) The nine orders of angels (q.v.).
   (10) The number of the Commandments.
   (11) The number of the apostles who remained faithful.
   (12) The original college.
   (13) The final number after the conversion of Paul.

Numbers    Army of soldiers. Regiment, etc.
   Assembly of people.
   Batch or Caste of bread.
   Bench of bishops, magistrates, etc.
   Bevy of roes, quails, larks, pheasants, ladies, etc.
   Board of directors.
   Brood of chickens, etc.
   Catch of fish taken in nets, etc.
   Clump of trees.
   Cluster of grapes, nuts, stars, etc
   Collection of pictures, curiosities, etc.
   Company of soldiers.
   Congregation of people at church, etc.
   Covey of game birds.
   Crew of sailors.
   Crowd of people.
   Drove of horses, ponies, beasts, etc
   Drum, a crush of company.
   Federation. A trade union.
   Fell of hair.
   Fleet of ships.
   Flight of bees, birds, stairs, etc.
   Flock of birds, sheep, geese, etc.
   Forest of trees.
   Galaxy of beauties.
   Gang of slaves, prisoners, thieves, etc.
   Haul of fish caught in a net.
   Head of cattle.
   Herd of bucks, deer, harts, seals, swine, etc.
   Hive of bees.
   Host of men.
   House of senators.
   Legion of “foul fiends.”
   Library of books.
   Litter of pigs, whelps, etc.
   Menagerie of wild beasts.
   Mob of roughs, wild cattle, etc.
   Multitude of men. In law, more than ten.
   Muster of peacocks.
   Mute of hounds.
   Nest of rabbits,