Chapter Crude Forms to Cucking-stool of C by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Crude Forms to Cucking-stool

Crude Forms in grammar. The roots or essential letters of words. The words are crude or unfinished. Thus am - is the crude form of the verb amo; bon - of the adjective bonus; and domin - of the noun dominus.

Cruel (The). Pedro, King of Castile (1334, 1350-1369).
   Pedro I. of Portugal; also called le Justicier (1320, 1357-1367).

Cruel (now Crewel) Garters. Garters made of worsted or yarn.

“Ha ! ha ! look, he wears cruel garters.”
Shakespeare: King Lear, ii. 4.

“Wearing of silk, why art thou so cruel?”
Woman's a Weathercock (1612).

Crummy That's crummy, that's jolly good. She's a crummy woman, a fine handsome woman. Crummy means fat or fleshy. The crummy part of bread is the fleshy or main part. The opposite of “crusty” = ill-tempered.

Crump “Don't you wish you may get it, Mrs. Crump? ” Grose says Mrs. Crump, a farmer's wife, was invited to dine with Lady Coventry, who was very deaf. Mrs. Crump wanted some beer, but, awed by the purple and plush, said, in a half-whisper, “I wish I had some beer, now.” Mr. Flunkey, conscious that his mistress could not hear, replied in the same aside, “Don't you wish you may get it?” At this the farmer's wife rose from table and helped herself. Lady Coventry, of course, demanded the reason, and the anecdote soon became a standing joke.

Crusades (2 syl.). Holy wars in which the warriors wore a cross, and fought, nominally at least, for the honour of the cross. Each nation had its special colour, which, says Matthew Paris (i. 446), was red for France; white for England; green for Flanders; for Italy it was blue or azure; for Spain, gules; for Scotland, a St. Andrew's cross; for the Knights Templars, red on white.
   The seven Crusades.
   (1) 1096- 1100. Preached up by Peter the Hermit. Led by Godfrey of Bouillon, who took Jerusalem. As a result of this crusade, Geoffrey of Bouillon became the virtual king of Jerusalem.
   (2) 1147-1149. At the instigation of St. Bernard. Led by Louis VII. and the Emperor Conrad. To secure the union of Europe.
   (3) 1189- 1193. Led by Richard Lionheart. For knightly distinction. This was against Saladin or Salah-Eddin.
   (4) 1202-1204. Led by Baldwin of Flanders and the doge. To glorify the Venetians.
   (5) 1217. Led by John of Brienne, titular King of Jerusalem. To suit his own purpose.
   (6) 1228-1229. Led by Frederick II. As a result, Palestine was ceded to Frederick (Kaiser of Germany), who was crowned king of Jerusalem.
   (7) 1248-1254 and (8) 1268-1270. To satisfy the religious scruples of Louis IX.

Crush To crush a bottle - i.e. drink one. Cf. Milton's crush the sweet poison. The idea is that of crushing the grapes. Shakespeare has also burst a bottle in the same sense (Induction of Taming the Shrew). (See Crack.)

“Come and crush a cup of wine.”
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, i. 2.

   To crush a fly on a wheel. To crack a nut with a steam-hammer; to employ power far too valuable for the purpose to be accomplished. The wheel referred to is the rack. (See Break A Butterfly.)

Crush-room (The) of an opera or theatre. A room provided for ladies where they can wait till their carriages are called. Called crush because the room is not only crowded, but all crush towards the door, hoping each call will be that of their own carriage. “Mrs. X.'s carriage stops the way,” “Lord X.'s carriage,” etc.

Crusoe (A). A solitary man; the only inhabitant of a place. The tale of Defoe is well known, which describes Robinson Crusoe as cast on a desert island, where he employs the most admirable ingenuity in providing for his daily wants.

“Whence creeping forth, to Duty's call he yields,
And strolls the Crusoe of the lonely fields.”
Bloomfield: Farmer's Boy.

Crust The upper crust (of society). The aristocracy; the upper ten-thousand.