Dr. Johnson and succeeding dictionary makers give as the meaning of the word Rebus, "a word represented by a picture;" but we need not go further than its literal translation, "by things," to arrive at a true idea of this enigma. The Rebuses with which we are now about to concern ourselves will be formed by a series of objects (things) which, when taken as a whole, will be found to complete the riddle. This is a pastime in which many of our great men have taken delight. Lord Macaulay is to be credited with the following:—
| Here's plenty of water you'll all of you say, | (c) | Sea |
| And, minus the h, a thing used every day, | (a) | Hay |
| And here is nice beverage, put them together; | (t) | Tea |
| What is it, with claws, but with never a feather? | CAT. |
We doubt whether this was one of the historian's first efforts, for every endeavour must have a beginning, and this rebus bears the marks of a practised hand.
Subjoined are further examples of the Rebus enigma:—
a A gatherer of honey; b a form of supplication; c a fruit; d a bird; e a title; f a fish oft found on the breakfast-table; g one of Ireland's emblems; h a forest tree; i a county in the north of England.
If these words you rightly puzzle out,
'Twill prove you know what you're about
Join their initials, 'twill produce a word
Which if applied to you would be absurd.
Answer: a Bee; b Litany; c Orange; d Canary; e King; f Haddock; g Emerald; h Ash; i Durham.—BLOCKHEAD.