Drawing-room is for withdrawing room, and only the final t of saint is left in Tooley St., famed for its three tailors, formerly Saint Olave Street, and tawdry. This latter word is well known to be derived from Saint Audrey's fair. It was not originally depreciatory—
"Come, you promised me a tawdry lace, and a pair of sweet gloves."
(Winter's Tale, iv. 3.)
and the full form is recorded by Palsgrave, who has Seynt Andries (read Audrie's) lace, "cordon." The verb vie comes from Old Fr. envier, to challenge, Lat. invitare, whence the phrase à l'envi l'un de l'autre, "in emulation one of the other" (Cotgrave); cf. gin (trap), Fr. engin, Lat. ingenium. The prefix dis or des is lost in Spencer (see p. [165]), spite, splay, sport, stain, etc.
In drat, formerly 'od rot, zounds for God's wounds, 'sdeath, odsbodikins, etc., there is probably a deliberate avoidance of profanity. The same intention appears in Gogs—
"'Ay, by gogs-wouns!' quoth he; and swore so loud,
That, all amaz'd, the priest let fall the book."
(Taming of the Shrew, iii. 2.)
Cf. Fr. parbleu for par Dieu, and Ger. Potz for Gottes.
This English tendency to aphesis is satirised in a French song of the 14th century, intentionally written in bad French. Thus, in the line—
"Or sont il vint le tans que Glais voura vauchier."[49]