Chapter Saturnalia to Sawdust Parlance of S by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Saturnalia to Sawdust Parlance

Saturnalia A time of licensed disorder and misrule. With the Romans it was the festival of Saturn, and was celebrated the 17th, 18th, and 19th of December. During its continuance no public business could be transacted, the law courts were closed, the schools kept holiday, no war could be commenced, and no malefactor punished. Under the empire the festival was extended to seven days.

Saturnian Days Days of dulness, when everything is venal.

“Then rose the seed of Chaos and of Night
To blot out order and extinguish light,
Of dull and venal a new world to mould,
And bring Saturnian days of lead and gold.”
Dunciad, iv.

    They are lead to indicate dulness, and gold to indicate venality.

Saturnian Verses Old-fashioned. A rude composition employed in satire among the ancient Romans. Also a peculiar metre, consisting of three iambics and a syllable over, joined to three trochees, according to the following nursery metre:-

“The queen was in the par-lour ...
The maids were in the garden ...”

“The Fescennine and Saturnian were the same, for as they were called Saturnian from their ancientness, when Saturn reigned in Italy, they were called Fescennine from Fescennina [sic ], where they were first practised.”- Dryden: Dedication of Juvenal.

Saturnine (3 syl.). A grave, phlegmatic disposition, dull and heavy. Astrologers affirm that such is the disposition of those who are born under the influence of the leaden planet Saturn.

Satyr The most famous representation of these goat-men is that of Praxiteles, a sculptor of Athens in the fourth century B.C.

Satyrane (3 syl.). A blunt but noble knight who delivered Una from the fauns and satyrs. The meaning is this: Truth, being driven from the towns and cities, took refuge in caves and dens, where for a time it lay concealed. At length Sir Satyrane (Luther) rescues Una from bondage; but no sooner is this the case than she falls in with Archimago, to show how very difficult it was at the Reformation to separate Truth from Error. (Spenser: Faërie Queene, bk. i.)

Sauce means “salted food,” for giving a relish to meat, as pickled roots, herbs, and so on. (Latin, salsus.)
   The sauce was better than the fish. The accessories were better than the main part. This may be said of a book in which the plates and getting up are better than the matter it contains.
   To serve the same sauce. To retaliate; to give as good as you take; to serve in the same manner.

“After him another came unto her, and served her with the same sauce; then a third ...”- The Man in the Moon, etc. (1609).

Sauce (To). To intermix.

“Then she fell to sauce her desires with threatenings.”- Sidney.

“Folly sauced with discretion.”- Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida, i. 2.

Sauce to the Goose is Sauce to the Gander (See Gander .)

Saucer Eyes Big, round, glaring eyes.

“Yet when a child (bless me!) I thought
That thou a pair of horns had'st got,
With eyes like saucers staring.”
Peter Pindar: Ode to the Devil.

Saucer Oath When a Chinese is put in the witness-box, he says: “If I do not speak the truth may my soul be cracked and broken like this saucer.” So saying, he dashes the saucer on the ground. The Roman