343. Who were the “Roundheads”?
In English history this nickname was given, in the reign of Charles I., to the Puritans or parliamentary party, who were accustomed to wear their hair cut close to the head. The term was soon extended in its application so as to include all the adherents of the Parliament, whether Puritans or not. The origin of the term is not certainly known. Some attribute it to the circumstance that staid and serious persons at the time of the civil wars were used to wear black skullcaps reaching down to the ears. Others say it was because the Puritans wore their hair short, while the opposite party, the Cavaliers, wore theirs in long ringlets. According to Haydn, the Puritans were in the habit of putting a round bowl or wooden dish upon their heads, and cutting their hair by the edge or brim. Still another account is, that Queen Henrietta Maria, at Stratford’s trial, asked “who that round-headed man was,” meaning Mr. Pym, her attention having been directed to him “because he spake so strongly.”
344. What was the origin of the expression “Simon Pure”?
This expression, which means “the real man,” had its origin in the name of a Pennsylvania Quaker in Mrs. Centlivre’s comedy, “A Bold Stroke for a Wife.” Being about to visit London to attend the quarterly meeting of his sect, his friend, Aminadab Holdfast, sends a letter of recommendation and introduction to another Quaker, Obadiah Prim, a rigid and stern man, who is guardian of Anne Lovely, a young lady worth £30,000. Colonel Feignwell, another character in the same play, who is enamoured of Miss Lovely and her handsome fortune, availing himself of an accidental discovery of Holdfast’s letter and of its contents, succeeds in passing himself off on Prim as his expected visitor. The real Simon Pure, calling at Prim’s house, is treated as an impostor, and is obliged to depart in order to hunt up witnesses who can testify to his identity. Meantime Feignwell succeeds in getting from Prim a written and unconditional consent to his marriage with Anne. No sooner has he obtained possession of the document, than Simon Pure reappears with his witnesses, and Prim discovers the trick that has been put upon him.
345. What was the origin of the phrase “To catch a Tartar”?
An Irish soldier, in a battle against the Turks, shouted to his commanding officer that he had caught a Tartar. “Bring him along, then,” said the general. “But he won’t come.” “Then come along yourself.” “Arrah! an’ so I would, but he won’t let me,” answered Paddy. Hence arose the saying “To catch a Tartar,” meaning to be outdone.
346. Which is the oldest street in New England?
Leyden Street, in Plymouth, Mass. It is so called in memory of the Dutch city where the Pilgrim Fathers had stopped for a season.
347. What was the origin of the phrase “To haul over the coals”?
One method of extorting money from the Jews, by the kings or barons, was at one time to haul them over the coals of a slow fire, until they yielded to their demands; hence this phrase, meaning to scold, to take to task.