Chapter Three-tailed Bashaw to Thunder of T by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Three-tailed Bashaw to Thunder

Three-tailed Bashaw (See Bashaw .)

Three Tuns A fish ordinary in Billingsgate, famous as far back as the reign of Queen Anne.

Threshers Members of the Catholic organisation instituted in 1806. One object was to resist the payment of tithes. Their threats and warnings were signed “Captain Thresher.”

Threshold Properly the door-sill, but figuratively applied to the beginning of anything; as, the threshold of life (infancy), the threshold of an argument (the commencement), the threshold of the inquiry (the first part of the investigation). (Saxon, thoerscwald, door-wood; German, thürschwelle; Icelandic, throsulldur. From thür comes our door.)

Thrift-box A money-box, in which thrifts or savings are put. (See Spendthrift .)

Throgmorton Street (London). So named from Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, head of the ancient Warwickshire family, and chief banker of England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

Through-stone (A). A flat gravestone, a stone coffin or sarcophagus, also a bond stone which extends over the entire thickness of a wall. In architecture, called “Perpent” or “Perpend Stones” or “Throughs.” (French, Pierre parpainge.)

“Od! he is not stirring yet, mair than he were a through-stane.”- Sir W. Scott: The Monastery (Introduction).

Throw To throw the helve after the hatchet. (See Helve .)

Throw Throw lots of dirt, and some will stick. Find plenty of fault, and some of it will be believed. In Latin, Fortiter calumniari, aliquid adhærebit.

Throw Up the Sponge (To). (See Sponge .)

Throw your Eye on Give a glance at. In Latin, oculos [in aliquem] conjicere.

“Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
On you young boy.”
Shakespeare: King John. iii. 3.

Throwing an Old Shoe for Luck (See under Shoe .)

“Now, for goode luck caste an old shoe after me.”- Haywood (1693-1756).

“Ay, with all my heart, there's an old shoe after you.”- The Parson's Wedding (Dodsley, vol. ix. p. 499).

Thrums Weaver's ends and fagends of carpet, used for common rugs. (The word is common to many languages, as Icelandic, thraum; German, trumm; Dutch, drom; Greek, thrumma; all meaning “fag- ends” or “fragments.”)

“Come, sisters, come, cut thread and thrum;
Quail, crush, conclude, and quell!”
Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream. v. 1.

   Thread and thrum. Everything, good and bad together.

Thrummy Cap A sprite described in Northumberland fairy tales as a “queer-looking little auld man,” whose exploits are generally laid in the cellans of old castles.

Thug [a cheat]. So a religious fraternity in India was called. Their patron goddess was Devi or Kali, wife of Siva. The Thugs lived by plunder, to obtain which they never halted at violence or even murder. In some provinces they were called “stranglers” (phansigars), in the Tamil tongue “noosers” (ari tulukar), in the Canarese “catgut thieves” (tanti kalleru). They banded together in gangs mounted on horseback, assuming the appearance of merchants; some two or more of these gangs concerted to meet as if by accident at a given town. They then ascertained what rich merchants were about to journey, and either joined the party or lay in wait for it. This being arranged, the victim was duly caught with a lasso, plundered, and strangled. (Hindu, thaga, deceive.)