Kamptulicon. From the Greek Kampto, to bend.
Kansas. The Indian name for the river, signifying “smoky water”; afterwards applied also to the state.
Keble College. A memorial college at Oxford of the Rev. John Keble, author of “The Christian Year,” whose death took place in 1866.
Keelhaul. To haul under the keel of a vessel from stem to stern by means of ropes on either side. This was the most dreaded, because the most dangerous, punishment meted out to seamen or apprentices by tyrannical captains in former times. Readers of Captain Marryat’s “Snarleyyow, or the Dog Fiend” will recollect what that meant to the hapless victim.
Keeping Crispin. An old phrase for the shoemakers’ annual holiday on the Feast of St Crispin, their patron saint, 25th October. In some parts of the country we hear of it in connection with what passes elsewhere under the name of “Cobblers’ Monday.”
Keep it Dark. The reference was originally to treasure kept in a place of concealment.
Keep on Pegging at it. See “[Peg Away].”
Keep the Ball Rolling. An expression derived from the game of Bandy, in which the two sets of players, armed with hooked sticks, continually sent the ball rolling to opposite goals.
Keep the Pot Boiling. The antithesis of a hand-to-mouth existence; meaning the command not only of something for the stock pot but also needful fuel.
Keep the Wolf from the Door. By paying one’s way others will prosper likewise, and ravenous creditors clamouring at the door for their just demands will be non-existent. The wolf is represented by a greedy landlord hungering for his rent, or, failing that, the household goods.