Chapter Cool Tankard to Coq-a-l'ane of C by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Copts The Jacobite Christians of Egypt, who have for eleven centuries been in possession of the patriarchal chair of Alexandria. The word is probably derived from Coptos, the metropolis of the Thebaid. These Christians conduct their worship in a dead language called “Coptic” (language of the Copts).

“The Copts [of Egypt] circumcise, confess to their priests, and abstain from swine's flesh. They are Jacobites in their creed.”- S. Olin; Travels in Egypt (vol. i. chap viii. p. 102).

Copus A drink made of beer, wine, and spice heated together, and served in a “loving-cup.” Dog-Latin for cupellon Hippocratis (a cup of hippocras).

Copy That's a mere copy of your countenance. Not your real wish or meaning, but merely one you choose to present to me.
   Copy is a printer's term both for original MS. and printed matter that is to be set up in type.

Copyhold Estate Land which a tenant holds [or rather, held ] without any deed of transfer in his own possession. His only document is a copy of the roll made by the steward of the manor from the court- roll kept in the manor-house.

“The villein took an oath of fealty to his lord for the cottage and land which he enjoyed from his bounty. ... These tenements were suffered to descend to their children ... and thus the tenure of copyhold was established.”- Lingard: England (vol. ii. chap. i. p. 27, note).

Copyright The law of copyright was made in 1814 (54 Geo. III. c. 156). It enacted that an author should possess a right in his work for life, or for twenty-eight years. If he died before the expiration of twenty- eight years, the residue of the right passed to the heirs.
   By Talfourd's or Lord Mahon's Act (1842) the time was extended to forty-two years, and at least seven years after decease: for example, if the time unexpired exceeds seven years, the heirs enjoy the residue; if less, the heirs claim seven years.
    In the first case eleven copies of the work had to be given for public use; by Lord Mahon's Act the number was reduced to five: i.e. one to each of the following institutions, viz. the British Museum, the Bodleian (Oxford), the University library (Cambridge), the Advocates' library (Edinburgh), and the library of Trinity College (Dublin).
   The six omitted are Sion College, the Scotch Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen, and St. Andrews, and King's Inn (Dublin).

Coq-a-l'ane A cock-and-bull story; idle nonsense, as “Il fait toujours des coq-à-l'âne ”- he is always doing silly things, or talking rubbish.
   Il m'a répondu par un coq-à-l'âne - His reply was nothing to the purpose.