Gothic Legends

Right where did we get to………..?  Ah yeah ‘C’ – here we go

CHIMNEY – the Devil’s Chimney is on Leckhampton Hill, nr Cheltenham.  Its an outcrop of limestone 50 odd feet high.  The result of quarrying and natural erosion.  There is another one called Hell’s Lum nr Pennan, Argyllshire.

COACH HORSE - the Devil’s Coach Horse is another name for the rove beetle (Goerius olens).

COACH WHEEL - the Devil’s Coach Wheel is another name for the Corn Crowfoot (an annual plant growing in corn-fields; and bearing small pale yellow flowers).

DAM –  “the Devil and his dam” means “the Devil and his mother” or “the Devil and his wife”, “dam” being the old form for “dame”.  Generally the phrase means “the Devil and something else just as bad”.

DANCE - “to lead the Devil’s own dance” means to cause trouble, to be the “musical lead” or the “dance lead” in a diabolic dance.

DAUGHTER - Devil’s Daughter is a name for a shrew.

DEN - “the Devil’s Den” is the remains of a longbarrow near Marlborough, Wiltshire.  Much restored now, but the original was constructed about 5000 years ago.

DEUCE - “the Deuce” is said to have come from dus, the Celtic name for a hairy wood demon.

DEVIL DRIVES   - the full phrase “needs must when the Devil drives” means when there is no alternative.

DEVIL MAY CARE - this is a phrase used to decribe someone who is “wilfully reckless”.

DIABLOLO - the name of an old whipping top game.

 DITCH -Devil’s Ditch is part if the prehistoric defensive earthworks about 2 miles north of Chichester, W Sussex.

DODGER - A “Devil dodger” is a hypocrite, or sometimes a ranting preacher.

DOOR - a “Devil’s door” is a door in the north wall of a church.    No sunlight ever hits it and it is said it is opened “to let the Devil out”.

DOZEN - a Devil’s dozen actually numbers thirteen – possibly a reference to the coven which was said to consist of thirteen  evildoers (12 witches or warlocks and the Devil) – in mockery of the Christian twelve deciples and Christ.

DUE - “to give the Devil his due” means to give some credit to someone of a bad reputation , or even to give some credence to the Devil in some matters.

DUST – “Devil’s dust” is woollen shoddy, maybe from the name of the machine (called a “devil”) which made the shoddy flock from old rags.

DYKE - Devil’s Dyke is a natural ravine in the downs, north of Brighton, E Sussex.  Said to be the work of the Devil but uncompleted because of a trick played on him by St Cuthman (or an old woman) with a candle. 

ELBOW - Devil’s Elbow is a long crook in the road leading over the Grampians.

FIDDLESTICK - “the Devil rides on a fiddlestick” has several meanings.  The double entendre of “fiddle” meaning both “playing a violin” and “cheating” is implicit in early records of this phrase.  There is also the notion that the Devil can ride through the air on a stick (like witches)

FINGERS - a starfish is sometimes called “the Devil’s Fingers”.

FIRE  - “to kindle a fire for the Devil” refers to the idea of offering a sacrifice to the Devil, that is, taking part in his evil work or intentions.

FOOTPRINT   – the Devil’s Footprint is said to be impressed on a rock in the parish of Whithorn, Wigtown, Llanarth Church, Cardiganshire and also at Newington Church in Kent.

FOUR-POSTER - in the card game “whist”, a hand containing the Four of Clubs is called “the Devil’s four-poster”.  See also “Bedpost”.

FRYING PAN -  the Devil’s Frying Pan is a pre-historic burial chamber to the south of Camborne in Cornwall.  Originally, about 3000 years BC, it was covered by  a barrow mound.  It has a capstone upon three uprights.  Also sometimes know as Giants Quoit or Devil’s Quoit. 

GLEN - Devil’s Glen is a ravine 4 miles northwest of Rathnew, County Wicklow.  There is also a Devil’s Glen in Argyllshire.  The ravine is fed by a waterfall from the Vartry.

 GOOD - “the Devil is good when he is pleased” has a dual meaning, a) when all goes well with the Devil, then he acheiving his own aims (whatever these may be) and b) even such a being as the Devil is good (that is, not actively involved in evil) when he is pleased with the way things are going.

GO TO THE DEVIL - pretty self explanitory I think.

HACK - a literary hack is sometimes called a ‘devil’ or ‘literary devil’.

HIGHWAY - The Devil’s Highway is the Roman road that stretches across Bagshot Heath in Surrey.

 HOLE - Peak Cavern in Derbyshire is sometimes called the Devil’s Hole (or Devil’s Arse!). See www.peakcavern.co.uk

HOLY WATER - to love “as the Devil loves holy-water” obviously means not at all!

HUMPS - The Devil’s Humps are twin bell-barrows about 5 miles north of Chichester.  The remains of a Bronze Age cemetery (about 1500 BC) 

 Right, gonna leave it here for now.  Dont forget www.gothiclegends.co.uk is the shop website.  come and visit – Christmas is coming!!  Next weeks post will be from ‘I’, see you then. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 4:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.