Chapter John of Hexham to Jormungandar of J by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

in the Church -yard, chap. xcix.

Jonc (French). A wedding-ring; so called because those who were married by compulsion at Ste. Marine wore rings of jonc or straw.

"C'est dans l'église de Ste. Marine que l'on marie ceux que l'on condamne á s'épouser. Anciennement on les mariait avec un anneau de paille; etait-ce pour marquer au mari que la vertu de celle qu'il épousait était bien fragile?" - Dulaure.

Joncs Etre sur le joncs (to be on the straw) - i.e. in prison.

"Plantez aux hurmes vos picons
Da paour les bisans si tres-durs
Et aussi d'estre sur les joncz,
Emmanchez en coffre et gros murs."
Villon: Jargon et Jobelin, ballade 1.

Jordan Passed Death over. Jordan is the Styx of Christian mythology, because it was the river which separated the wilderness [of this world] from the promised land.

"If I still hold closely to Him,
What hath He at last?
Sorrow vanquished, labour ended,
Jordan passed."
John Mason Neale, D.D. (Stephen the Sabaite.)

Jordeloo (3 syl.). Notice given to passengers when dirty water was thrown from chamber windows into the street. Either "Gare de l'eau," or else "Jorda' lo!" the mutula being usually called the "Jordan."

"At ten o'clock at night the whole cargo is flung out of a back window that looks into some street or lane, and the maid calls `Gardy loo" to the passengers." - Smollett: Humphrey Clinker.

"The lass had made the Gardy loo out of the wrong window." - Sir W. Scott: Heart of Midlothian.

Jormungandar or Midgardsormen (i.e. earth's monster). The great serpent, brother of Hela and Fenrir (q.v.), and son of Loki, the spirit of evil. It used to lie at the root of the celestial ash till All-Fader cast it into the ocean; it then grew so large that in time it encompassed the whole world, and was for ever biting its own tail.