Chapter Gipsy to Glasgow Arms of G by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Girl This word has given rise to a host of guesses: -
   Railey suggests garrula, a chatterbox.
   Minshew ventures the Italian girella, a weather-cock.
   Skinner goes in for the Anglo-Saxon ceorl, a churl.
   Why not girdle, as young women before marriage wore a girdle [girle]; and part of a Roman marriage ceremony was for the bridegroom to loose the zone.
   As for guessing, the word gull may put in a claim (1 Henry iv. 1); so may the Greek koure, a girl, with a diminutive suffix koure-la, whence gourla, gourl, gurl, girl.
   (The Latin gerula means a maid that attends on a child. Chaucer spells the word gurl.)
   Probably the word is a variation of darling, Anglo-Saxon, deorling.

Girondists (g soft). French, Girondins, moderate republicans in the first French Revolution. So called from the department of Gironde, which chose for the Legislative Assembly five men who greatly distinguished themselves for their oratory, and formed a political party. They were subsequently joined by Brissot, Condorcet, and the adherents of Roland. The party is called The Gironde. (1791-93.)

"The new assembly, called the Legislative Assembly, met October 1, 1791. Its more moderate members formed the party called the Girondists."
- C. M. Yonge: France, chap. ix. p. 168.

Girouette (3 syl., g soft). A turncoat, a weathercock (French). The Dictionnaire des Girouettes contains the names of the most noted turncoats, with their political veerings.

Gis (g soft) i.e. Jesus. A corruption of Jesus or J. H. S. Ophelia says "By Gis and by St. Charity." (Hamlet, iv. 5.)

Gitanos (See Gipsy .)

Give and Take (policy). One of mutual forbearance and accommodation.

"[His] wife jogged along with him very comfortably with a give and take policy for many years." - Hugh Conway.

Give it Him (To). To scold or thrash a person. As "I gave it him right and left." "I'll give it you when I catch you." An elliptical phrase, dare pænam. "Give it him well."

Give the Boys a Holiday Anaxagoras, on his death-bed, being asked what honour should be conferred upon him, replied, "Give the boys a holiday."

Give the Devil his Due Though bad, I allow, yet not so bad as you make him out. Do not lay more to the charge of a person than he deserves. The French say, "Il ne faut pas faire le diable plus noir qu'il n'est. " The Italians have the same proverb, " Non bisognà fare il diablo piu nero che non è. "
   The devil is not so black as he is painted. Every black has its white, as well as every sweet its sour.

Gizzard Don't fret your gizzard. Don't be so anxious; don't worry yourself. The Latin stomachus means temper, etc., as well as stomach or "gizzard." (French, gésier.)
   That stuck in his gizzard. Annoyed him, was more than he could digest.

Gjallar Heimdall's horn, which he blows to give the gods notice when any one is approaching the bridge Bifröst (q.v.). (Scandinavian mythology.)

Glacis The sloping mass on the outer edge of the covered way in fortification. Immediately without the "ditches" of the place fortified, there is a road of communication all round the fortress (about thirty feet wide), having on its exterior edge a covered mass of earth eight feet high, sloping off gently towards the open country. The road is technically called the covered way, and the sloping mass the glacis.

Gladsheim [Home of joy ]. The largest and most magnificent mansion of the Scandinavian Æsir. It contains twelve seats besides the throne of Alfader. The great hall of Gladsheim was called "Valhalla."

Gladstone Bag (A). A black leather bag of various sizes, all convenient to be hand-carried. These bags have two handles, and are made so as not to touch the ground, like the older carpet bags. Called Gladstone in compliment to W. E. Gladstone, many years leader of the Liberal party.