alma mater (L.), benign mother—applied by old students to their university.
Alnaschar, a figure in Galland's Arabian Nights who, having no basis but a basket of glass-ware for sale, dreams of making a fortune and marrying a princess, but in his pride kicks the princess of his dream, and so destroys the real foundation of his fortune—hence any one whose illusions of good fortune are disastrously dispelled.
alopecia (L.,—Gr.), fox mange: a skin disease, which destroys the hair.
à l'outrance (Fr.), erroneously written for à outrance (q.v.).
alparca, alpargate (Port., prob. from Basque), a hempen shoe or sandal.
al pasto (It.), according to a fixed rate—of meals in a restaurant.
alpeen (Ir.), a cudgel.
al piu (It.), at most.
al segno (It.), to the sign—a direction to the performer to go back to and repeat from the place marked thus—
