Hounslow, one of the gang of thieves that conspire to break into Lady Bountiful’s house.—Farquhar, The Beaux’ Stratagem (1705).
Houri, plu. Houris, the virgins of paradise; so called from their large black eyes (hûr al oyûn). According to Mohammedan faith, intercourse with these lovely women is to constitute the chief delight of the faithful in the “world to come.”—Al Korân.
House that Jack Built (The), a cumulative nursery story, in which every preceding statement is repeated after the introduction of a new one; thus;
- 1. [This is] the house that Jack built.
- 2. [This is] the malt that lay in ...
- 3. [This is] the rat that ate ...
- 4. [This is] the cat that killed ...
- 5. [This is] the dog that worried ...
- 6. [This is] the cow with the crumpled horn, that tossed ...
- 7. [This is] the maiden all forlorn, that milked ...
- 8. [This is] the man all tattered and torn, that kissed ...
- 9. This is the priest all shaven and shorn, that married ...
A similar accumulation occurs in another nursery tale, with this difference—the several clauses are repeated twice: once by entreaty of the old woman to perform some service to get her pig to cross over a bridge that she may get home; and then the reverse way, when each begins the task requested of them. It begins with a statement that an old woman went to market to buy a pig; they came to a bridge, which the pig would not go over, so the old woman called to a stick, and said:
- 1. [Stick, stick, beat pig, for] pig won’t go over the bridge, and I shan’t get home to-night.
- 2. [Fire, fire] burn stick, stick won’t beat pig ...
- 3. [Water, water] quench fire, fire won’t ...
- 4. [Ox, ox] drink water, water won’t ...
- 5. [Butcher, butcher] kill ox, ox won’t ...
- 6. [Rope, rope] hang butcher, butcher won’t ...
- 7. [Rat, rat] gnaw rope, rope won’t ...
- 8. [Cat, cat] kill rat, rat won’t ...
Then the cat began to kill the rat, and the rat began to gnaw the rope, and the rope began ... etc., and the pig went over the bridge, and so the old woman got home that night.
Dr. Doran gave the following Hebrew “parable” in Notes and Queries:—
- 1. [This is] the kid that my father bought for two zuzim [=1/2d.].
- 2. [This is] the cat that ate ...
- 3. [This is] the dog that bit ...
- 4. [This is] the stick that beat ...
- 5. [This is] the fire that burnt ...
- 6. [This is] the water that quenched ...
- 7. [This is] the ox that drank ...
- 8. [This is] the butcher that killed ...
- 9. This is the angel, the angel of death, that slew ...
Hous´sain (Prince), the elder brother of Prince Ahmed. He possessed a carpet of such wonderful powers that if any one sat upon it it would transport him in a moment to any place he liked. Prince Houssain bought this carpet at Bisnagar, in India.—Arabian Nights (“Ahmed and Paribanou”).