Hock Tuesday. Anciently a high festival throughout England, in commemoration for the final expulsion of the Danes, who had ravaged the eastern portions of our country for more than two centuries. This occurred on Easter Tuesday 1074. Most of the Danes were slaughtered off-hand by first hamstringing, or cutting their hams or houghs, which prevented them from making for their boats; hence the term Hock for the festival. The English landlords levied what was called “Hock Money” on this day from their tenants, in return for which they treated them to a good supper. In modern times people stopped pedestrians in the streets with ropes, and declined to release them until they had parted with hock money.
Hocus-pocus. The gibberish of a conjurer when performing his tricks; said to have been derived from one Ochus Bochus, a celebrated wizard of Northern Europe, three centuries ago. The early conjurers were thought to use these words as an invocation to this magician. Nowadays our sleight-of-hand professors dispense with words, and fire off a pistol, doubtless to prove that they can do the trick in a crack.
Hodge. The generic name for a farm labourer; a corruption of Hedger.
Hoist with his own Petard. Caught in his own trap, blown up with his own engine of destruction. The petard was an ancient infernal engine filled with gunpowder; he who fired it stood in great danger of sacrificing his own life.
Holborn. Anciently spelt “Holeburne,” the bourn or stream in a hollow. This was the River Fleet, which had an outlet into the Thames. Further north, in Clerkenwell, it was called “the River of Wells.”
Holborn Bars. The western limits of the city of London.
Hold hard. This exclamation, when the advice really means to stop or “leave go,” sounds ridiculous. It originally meant, as it still does in the Emerald Isle, to keep a firm hold with both hands on the back rail of an Irish jaunting car lest the rider might be thrown out of it.
Hole in the Wall. A tavern sign, derived from the fact that this house was originally approached either through an opening made in the ancient city wall or else through another house that stood in front of it.
Holiday. The modern form of “Holy Day,” expressive of a great feast in the Church calendar.
Holland. From the Danish ollant, “marshy ground.” The linen cloth of the same name was first made in Holland.