Painted Hall. The picture gallery of Greenwich Hospital received this name on account of its superbly painted ceiling.
Painter. The rope by which the “Jolly Boat” or any other is attached to a vessel, so called from the Latin panther, through the French pantier, a drag net.
Paint the Town. An Americanism for a night’s drunken frolic; the allusion is to a drunkard’s red nose.
Palace Car. An Americanism for a “Pullman” or Saloon car.
Palaver. From the Portuguese palavra, “a talk.”
Pale Faces. The name popularly bestowed upon the whites by the North American Indians.
Palestine. From the Hebrew Palæstina, “the land of strangers.” This was the ancient Philistia, the country of the Philistines, a term derived like that of Palestine from the root phalash, to emigrate or wander.
Pall Mall. From a species of croquet, called Paille Maille, introduced by Charles II. after his involuntary exile in France, and played by him and his courtiers here when the thoroughfare was open to St James’s Park.
Palmer. The name bestowed upon a “Pilgrim” returning from the Holy Land who carried a palm branch, usually affixed to his head-gear, as a proof that he had actually accomplished his self-imposed task. On arriving at the place whence he had set out he repaired to the church or chapel, and offered the palm to the parish priest, who laid it on the altar on his behalf.
Palmetto City. Augusta, the capital of the Palmetto State.