Chapter Bird in thy Bosom to Bites and Bams of B by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

and has received its name of bishop from its colour.
   Cardinal is made by using white wine instead of red.
   Pope is made by using tokay.

“When I was at college, Cup was spiced audit ale; Bishop was “cup” with wine (properly claret or burgundy) added; Cardinal was “cup” with brandy added. All were served with a hedge-hog [i.e. a whole lemon or orange bristling with cloves] floating in the midst. Each guest had his own glass or cup filled by a ladle from the common bowl (a large silver one).”

   The bishop hath put his foot in it. Said of milk or porridge that is burnt, or of meat over-roasted. Tyndale says, “If the podech be burned-to, or the meate ouer rosted, we saye the byshope hath put his fote in the potte,” and explains it thus, “because the bishopes burn who they lust.” Such food is also said to be bishopped.

Bishop Barnaby The May-bug, lady-bird, etc.

Bishop in Partibus (See In Partibus .)

Bishop of Hippo St. Augustine. (354-430) is often so referred to. He held the See for many years.

Bishop's Apron represents the short cassock which, by the 74th canon, all clergymen were enjoined to wear.

Bishop's Bible (The ). (See under Bible, page 131, col. 2.)

Bishop's Mitre Dean Stanley tells us that the cleft of a bishop's mitre represents the mark of the crease of the mitre, when folded and carried under the arm, like an opera hat. (Christian Institutions, p. 154.)

Bissextile Leap-year. We add a day to February in leap-year, but the Romans counted the 24th of February twice. Now, the 24th of February was called by them “dies bissextus” (sexto calendas Martias), the sextile or sixth day before March 1st; and this day being reckoned twice (bis) in leap-year, was called “annus bissextus.”

Bisson or Bisen [blind] is the Anglo-Saxon bisen. Shakespeare (Hamlet, ii. 2) speaks of bisson rheum (blinding tears), and in Coriolanus, ii. 1, “What harm can your bisson conspectuities glean out of this character?”

Bistonians The Thracians; so called from Biston, son of Mars, who built Bistonia on the Lake Bistonis.

“So the Bistonian race, a maddening train,
Exult and revel on the Thracian plain;
With milk their bloody banquets they allay.
Or from the lion rend his panting prey;
On some abandoned savage flercely fly,
Seize, tear, devour, and think it luxury.”
Pitt: Statius, Book ii.

Bit A piece.
   A bit of my mind, as “Ill tell him a bit of my mind,” I'll reprove him. Same word as bite, meaning a piece bitten off, hence a piece generally. (Anglo-Saxon, bitan, to bite.)
   Bit by bit. A little at a time; piece- meal.
   Not a bit, or Not the least bit. Not at all; not the least likely. This may be not a morsel, or not a doit, rap, or sou. “Bit” used to be a small Jamaica coin. We still talk of a threepenny-bit. Bit, of course, is the substantive of bite, as morsel (French morceau) of mordre.

Bit (of a horse ). To take the bit in (or between) his teeth. To be obstinately self-willed; to make up one's mind not to yield. When a horse has a mind to run away, he catches the bit “between his teeth,” and the driver has no longer control over him.

“Mr. X. will not yield. He has taken the bit between his teeth, and is resolved to carry out his original measure.”- Newspaper paragraph, April, 1886.

Bit Money. The word is used in the West Indies for a half pistareen (fivepence). In Jamaica, a bit is worth sixpence, English; in America, 12 1/2 cents; in Ireland, tenpence.
   The word is still thieves' slang for money generally, and coiners are called bit-makers.
    In English we use the word for a coin which is a