Chapter End-irons to Ensign of E by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Englentyne (3 syl.). The Nonne or Prioress of Chaucer's pilgrims. An admirable character sketch. (Canterbury Tales; Prologue, 118-164.) (See Eloi.)

English French A kind of perversity seems to pervade many of the words which we have borrowed from the French. Thus curate (French vicaire); Vicar (French curé).
   Encore (French bis).
   Epergne (French surtout); Surtout (French pardessus).
   Screw (French vis), whereas the French écrou we call a nut; and our vice is étau in French.
   Some still say à l'outrance (French à outrance).
   We say double entendre, the French à deux ententes.
    The reader will easily call to mind other examples.

Englishman The national nickname of an Englishman is "a John Bull." The nation, taken in the aggregate, is nicknamed "John Bull." The French nickname for an Englishman is "Godam." (See Bull.)

Englishman's Castle His house is so called, because so long as a man shuts himself up in his own house, no bailiff can break through the door to arrest him or seize his goods. It is not so in Scotland.

Enid The daughter and only child of Yniol, and wife of Prince Geraint, one of the Knights of the Round Table. Ladies called her "Enid the Fair," but the people named her "Enid the Good." (Idylls of the King; Geraint and Enid.)

Enlightened Doctor (The). Raymond Lully, of Palma, one of the most distinguished men of the thirteenth century. (1234-1315.)

Enniskillens The 6th Dragoons; instituted 1689, on account of their brave defence of the town of Enniskillen, in favour of William III.
    This cavalry regiment must not be confounded with the Inniskillings or Old 27th Foot, now called the "1st battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers," which is a foot regiment.

Ennius The Chaucer or father of Roman poets. (B.C. 239-169.)
   The English Ennius. Layamon, who wrote a translation in Saxon of Wace's Brute.
   The French Ennius. Guillaume di Lorris (1235-65), author of the Romance of the Rose, called the Iliad of France. Sometimes Jehan de Meung (1260-1320), who wrote the continuation of the same romance, is so called.
   The Spanish Ennius. Juan de Mena, born at Cordova. (1412-56.)

Enough (Anglo-Saxon, genoh or genog.) Enough! Stop now, you have said all that is needful.
   Enough is as good as a feast.
   Latin: "Illud satius est, quod satis est."
   French: "On est assez riche, quand on a le nécessaire."
    At one time Enow was used for numbers reckoned by tale, as: There are chairs enow, nails enow, men enow, etc.; but now enough does duty for both words, and enow is archaic.

Ensconce (2 syl.). To hide; to put under cover. Literally, to cover with a sconce, or fort. (German, schanze, a fort; Danish, schans; Swedish, skans; Latin, abscondo, to hide.)

Ensemble The tout ensemble. The general effect; the effect when the whole is regarded. (French.)

Ensign (French, enseigner.)
   Of ancient Athens. An owl.
   America. The Stars and Stripes.
   The British Navy. The Union Jack (q. v.). The white ensign (Royal Navy) is the banner of St. George with the Jack cantoned in the first quarter. The red ensign is that of the merchant service. The blue ensign is that of the navy reserve.
   China. A dragon.
   Ancient Corinth. A flying horse - i.e. Pegasos.
   Ancient Danes. A raven.
   Ancient Egypt. A bull, a crocodile, a vulture.
   England (in the Tudor era). St. George's cross.
   Ancient France. The cape of St. Martin; then the oriflamme.
   The Franks (Ripuarian). A sword with the point upwards.
   The Franks (Salian). A bull's head.
   The Gauls. A wolf, bear, bull, cock.
   The ancient Lacedemonians. The Greek capital letter L (lambda L).
   The ancient Messenians. The Greek letter mu (M).
   The ancient Persians. A golden eagle with outstretched wings on a white field; a dove; the sun.
   The Paisdadian dynasty of Persia. A blacksmith's apron. (See Standard.)
   The ancient Romans. An eagle for the legion; a wolf, a horse, a boar, etc.
   Romulus. A handful of hay or fern (manipulus).
   The ancient Saxons. A trotting horse.
   The ancient Thebans. A sphinx.
   The Turks. Horses' tails.
   The ancient Welsh. A dragon.