Costermonger

A costermonger is (or was- since the term is rarely used now) a hawker of fruit and vegetables from a barrow. A costard was the 14th century name for a type of large, ribbed apple and later came to be the name given to apples in general. A costard-monger was initially an apple-seller. The name gradually changed to costermonger.

Break a Leg

L'Archiduchesse is appearing in a theatrical performance and I had intended to wish her luck. Then I recalled that one wasn't supposed to do that so I sent her a message
saying 'Break a Leg'.

While the idea behind the phrase is quite old, possibly dating from medieval belief in malevolent spirits, "break a leg" itself is fairly recent. It was whispered in theatre circles starting in the 1920s or 30s, and first appeared in print around in 1957 when a play with that name was performed.

The exact origin of "break a leg" isn't clear. Several etymology resources note the phrase's similarity to a German saying hals und beinbruch, meaning "neck and leg break." It is sometimes said that the German expression is actually a corruption of a Hebrew blessing hatzlakha u-brakha, “success and blessing”, which may have been borrowed via Yiddish. It's used to mean good luck. One theory is that German-speaking or Yiddish-speaking Jews brought the saying with them to America early in the 20th century. Many of these immigrants worked in the theatre, so the translated phrase spread.

There is the possibility, however, that it referred to the actors bending their knees at the end of the performance to take a bow when the play had gone well. Other potential origins that get a mention here or there include the fact that Sarah Bernhardt had a leg amputated and her success was such that even to mention her name was considered good fortune in acting circles. One person who literally broke his leg on stage was John Wilkes Booth when he jumped down onto the stage after assassinating Lincoln! Not much luck for any of them in that!

'Break a Leg' belongs with other superstitions, such as that it is bad luck to whistle in a theatre, that you should never utter the final line of a play at the dress rehearsal, or that you must never say the name MacBeth (referring to it instead as The Scottish Play). Actors have always been a superstitious bunch, as you might expect from a profession in which employment is sporadic, audiences fickle and reputations fragile.

Bow chicka bow wow

Originally, this was something males said to alert each other of an attractive female. Now it is more commonly used to simply make a phrase sexual. As a result, the phrase "bow chicka bow wow" has come into usage to refer to something sexual, whether explicit or implied. It is also used as a euphemism for sexual activities.

Man to friend as girl walks by "Bow chicka bow wow!"
Friend "Where?"

Sempiternal

Sempiternal means dateless; having no known beginning and presumably no end; seemingly everlasting or eternal. I'm not quite sure of where the difference lies between that and eternal unless there is a slight element of uncertainty about it. It may be that the crossword compiler who used it was simply filling in spaces! Anyone who knows if there is a difference might like to comment.
 

Upper crust

The origin of the saying ‘upper crust’ to mean the aristocracy is said by some to have come from the fact that only the well-off were given the upper crust of a loaf. (Because of the style of early ovens the bottom of the loaf would tend to be burned by comparison with the top.) There is no written evidence for this usage. Another idea is that pies for the nobility had an upper crust whereas the poor could only afford one layer of pastry – the one underneath the contents. Again there is no written evidence for this origin.

However, the idea of the head being referred to as the upper crust does appear in print as early as 1823 when Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue said – “...but to hear it from the chaffer [mouth] of a rough and ready costard-monger, ogling his poll from her walker [feet] to her upper crust [head].”

It is therefore quite likely that this was simply extended to suggest those at the top / head of the social strata.

"The upper crust seem to think bad manners are of no account." 

Redolent

If I had been asked to define redolent I would have said it meant "evocative". At the same time I would have said it was generally applied in respect of scent - for example 'redolent of pine forests on a sunny, damp morning." What I have actually done is add together its two separate meanings.

It does mean evocative; serving to bring to mind but it also has a separate meaning of fragrant or aromatic; having a sweet scent. Most people seem to add the two meanings together as I did.

"His verse is redolent of that of Shakespeare."
"The pinkish flowers are redolent of sweet violets."
 

Barrette

Beth mentioned the other day that her hair was now long enough to tie back - so long as she used a barrette. I had never heard the term barrette before so I rushed off to find the definition.

Barrette - a pin for holding women's hair in place; a clasp or clip for gathering and holding the hair; a piece of jewelry (or jewellery if you are British) used to tie hair back, available in many sizes and styles.


This Beth modelling a barrette! Beth commented "Actually the silver piece is, I think, not technically a barrette--it is similar to one but works a little differently. It's actually a unique type of hair thing that I got at an artisan's booth at an outdoor fair! The little yellow-ish beige-ish clip is a type of barrette though." Judging by the fairly loose dictionary definitions it seems as though the silver one may also qualify.

Peregrination

Peregrination is a rarely used term for travelling or wandering, especially on foot and at random. It was used originally to refer to a pilgrimage.

"His peregrinations took him all over Europe, particularly the Eastern side."
 

Peccadillo

Strictly speaking, a peccadillo is an indiscretion, a petty misdeed, or a minor sin. More recently, the use of the word has been extended to mean a flaw or a peculiarity.

The plural can be spelled with or without an e before the s.

"All butterflies have their little peccadilloes and one of the Peacock's is to land on pieces of white paper to sunbathe." 

Casement

The term casement is used to describe a conventional window, with the sash hinged on its vertical side. In England casement windows open outwards but in France they open inwards.

A casement is also a chamber or bomb proofed vault, built within the walls of a fort.