Lincoln. Originally Llyn-dun, the Celtic for “Pool hill,” or the town built on the eminence overlooking the Swanpool, which was not drained until the eighteenth century. When the Romans established themselves here they called it Lindum Colonia, or the colony beside the pool. Of this name, therefore, Lincoln is a softened abbreviation.
Lincoln College. Founded at Oxford by Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln, in 1427.
Lincoln’s Inn. Anciently the town mansion of the Earls of Lincoln, built by Henry de Lacey, Earl of Lincoln, in the fourteenth century.
Line of Business. A theatrical phrase for the special kind of parts in which an actor is experienced. One who plays the “Juveniles” would not be entrusted with an “Old Man’s” part, and so forth.
Liner. A steamship belonging to a regular line or service of fast sailers--e.g. the Cunard Line.
Lingo. Slang for language, derived from the Latin lingua, the tongue.
Lingua Franca. A common language along the Mediterranean shores, being a mixture of French and Italian. See “[Lingo].”
Linoleum. A floorcloth, into the manufacture of which linseed oil enters largely.
Linseed Lancers. The nickname of the Army Medical Corps.
Lion. An ancient inn sign derived from the heraldic device of a particular monarch, or it might be, the Lord of the Manor. According to the colour of the animal in that device, so the name of the inn, after a mere name was substituted for the painted representation, came to be designated. Hence “Red Lion,” “Black Lion,” etc.