HOUSEHOLD BEVERAGES.
[1.] “Made-over tea.” In Chinese tea houses, large jars are kept, into which the dregs of all the tea that has been used are thrown. These exhausted leaves are dried, carefully rolled again, and thrown upon the market for a second sale. It is said this tea is easily detected if coloring matter has been used, but when re-rolled without, only a chemical analysis can disclose the fraud.
[2.] “Reliable.” Much fault has been found by critics with this word. It is claimed that it has no right to a place in our language. Able or ible is a suffix which, added to the stem of a transitive verb, gives an adjective which may be defined by placing the word able before the passive infinitive of the verb whose stem has been used; for example: tolerable, able to be tolerated; admissable, able to be admitted; deniable, able to be denied, etc. But reliable means able to be relied upon. The preposition has to be supplied. The proper form of the adjective would be the awkward word, “relionable,” or “reliuponable.” The word is favored in the dictionaries, but trustworthy is preferable.
[3.] “Cosey.” A wadded cap made to fit the tea-pot closely, and thus hold in the aroma and the heat.
[4.] “Café au lait,” cä-fā ō lā.