Chapter Spring Gardens to Stagirite of S by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Spy (of Vanity Fair). Leslie Ward, successor of “Ape” (Pellegrini, the caricaturist).

Spy Wednesday The Wednesday before Good Friday, when Judas bargained to become the spy of the Jewish Sanhedrim. (Matt. xxvi. 3-5, 14-16.)

Squab Pie Pie made of squabs- i.e. young pigeons; also a pie made of mutton, apples, and onions.

Cornwall squab-pie, and Devon white-pot brings.
And Leicester beans and bacon, fit for kings.”
King: Art of Cookery.

Squad The awkward squad consists of recruits not yet fitted to take their places in the regimental line. Squad is a mere contraction of squadron.

Squalls Look out for squalls. Expect to meet with difficulties. A nautical term.

“If this is the case, let the ministry look out for squalls."- Newspaper paragraph, July 6th, 1894

Square To put oneself in the attitude of boxing, to quarrel. (Welsh, cwer' - i.e. cweryl, cwerylu, to quarrel.)

“Are you such fools
To square for this?”
Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus, ii. 1.

Square the Circle To attempt an impossibility. The allusion is to the mathematical question whether a circle can be made which contains precisely the same area as a square. The difficulty is to find the precise ratio between the diameter and the circumference. Popularly it is 3.14159 ... the next decimals would be 26537, but the numbers would go on ad infinitum.

Squash A sort of pumpkin, called by the American Indians ascutaquash.

Squib (A). A political joke, printed and circulated at election times against a candidate, with intent of bringing him into ridicule, and influencing votes.

“Parodies, lampoons, rightly named squibs, fire and brimstone, ending in smoke, with a villainous smell of saltpetre.”- Dean Hole; Rose-garden and Pulpit.

Squint-eyed [Guercino ]. Gian Francesco Barbieri, the great painter. (1590-1666).

Squintifego Squinting.

“The squintifego maid
Of Isis awe thee, lest the gods for sin
Should with a swelling dropsy stuff thy skin.”
Dryden: Fifth Satire of Juvenal.

Squire of Dames Any cavalier who is devoted to ladies. Spenser, in his Faërie Queene (bk. iii. chap. vii.) introduces the “squire,” and records his adventure.

Stabat Mater The celebrated Latin hymn on the Crucifixion, which forms a part of the service during Passion week, in the Roman Catholic Church. It was composed by Jacopone, a Franciscan of the thirteenth century, and has been set to music by Pergolese, also by Rossini.
   In the catalogue of the Library of Burgundy, No. 13,993, is the following:-

“Item fol. 77. Benedictus Papa XII. composuit hane orationem: `Stabat Mater dolorosa iuxta crucem,' etc., concessitque cuilibet confesso poenitenti dicenti eam pro qualibet vice 30 dies indulgentium.” (Sixteenth century.)

Stable-door Locking the stable-door after the horse [or steed] is stolen. Taking precautions after the mischief is done.

Stable Keys, as those of cow-houses, have frequently a perforated flint or horn appended to them. This is a charm to guard the creatures from nightmare. The flint is to propitiate the gnomes, and the horn to obtain the good graces of Pan, the protector of cattle.