Yankee Notions: A Medley |
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Common terms and phrases
affair AGE OF WONDERS astonishment Aunt Judy began Benoni bitter black crow Bob Lee bob o'link Boston broomstick Burdock Buzzy called chaff Colonel constable corner Court Crabapple Deacon dinner dismal Doctor Dogtown dollars door doubt Dr Humm ears exclaimed eyes face Faneuil Hall felt Fogg folks fox-skin Fresh mackerel gave gentleman ghost Giles Grandville guess half hand Hannah head heard imagined Isaac Josh Joshy justice of peace knew lady lame ducks laugh live look matter metaphysics moschetoes neighbors never night nose pedler Pinch Quoth replied round Sawdust secret sight singing singing school Snap sort Speaker staring stood Street sure tail talk Tarnation Tee-totallers tell there's thing thought thousand Tick tion took town Turniptop Uncle useless knowledge utter white mustard seed wonder
Popular passages
Page vii - It ascends me into the brain, dries me there all the foolish and dull and crudy vapours which environ it, makes it apprehensive, quick, forgetive, full of nimble, fiery, and delectable shapes, which delivered o'er to the voice, the tongue, which is the birth, becomes excellent wit.
Page 91 - EARLY, my God, without delay, I haste to seek thy face, My thirsty spirit faints away, Without thy cheering grace. 2 So pilgrims, on the scorching sand, Beneath a burning sky, Long for a cooling stream at hand, And they must drink or die.
Page 56 - midst the tide Two angel forms were seen to glide, The Genii of the stream ; Their scaly armour's Tyrian hue Through richest purple to the view Betrayed a golden gleam. The hapless nymph with wonder saw A whisker first and then a claw ; With many an ardent wish, She stretched in vain to reach the prize.
Page viii - If I had a thousand sons, the first human principle I would teach them, should be, — to forswear thin potations, and to addict themselves to sack.
Page 142 - No doubt of that," said my grandfather, beginning to poke the fire, " but when a man has got through his doubting, what does he begin to build upon in the metaphysical way ?" " Why, he begins by taking something for granted,
Page 213 - Bob was beset by greater crowds than ever ; so far from diminishing the curiosity of his neighbors by the stratagem, he found he had augmented it tenfold. It is not to be supposed that every one believed the story, but there were enough who did, and the remainder fell to wondering, guessing and questioning with more pertinacity than ever. Bob's house was besieged from morning till night, and the unfortunate man, under these redoubled annoyances, found he had got out of the frying pan into the fire....
Page 144 - They are things in the hay-mow," said Malachi. " Pray," said Uncle Tim, "have there been many such things discovered ? " " Discovered ! " returned the Doctor, " why all things, whether in heaven or upon the earth, or in the waters under the earth, whether small or great, visible or invisible, animate or inanimate ; — whatever the eye can see, or the ear can hear, or the nose can smell, or the fingers touch ; finally, whatever exists or is imaginable in rerum natura, past, present, or to come, —...
Page 210 - Oh, promise ! certainly I will promise, Mr Bob ; nobody will promise more than I will — that is, I certainly will promise to keep the secret." " Then let me tell you," said he, in a low, solemn voice, hitching his chair at the same time nearer to the old woman, who sat with open mouth and staring eyes, eager to devour the wished-for secret, " These dollars of mine, you know, Mrs Brown — " here he stopped, keeping her in the most provoking suspense imaginable. "Yes, yes ; the dollars, the dollars.
Page 73 - ... Long Wharf. The Colonel was triply dolorous upon the matter ; society, business, politics, had suffered an immense loss, — a loss incalculable, irreparable, and so forth. I assured the Colonel there was no great cause for apprehension, for the world was pretty sure to turn round once in twenty-four hours, whether great men died or lived. " The fact is, Colonel," said I, " great men may die as fast as they please for aught I care.
Page 81 - ... incident which fell out not long afterward, contributed to hasten the revolution. Deacon Dogskin, as I have already remarked, was the individual on whom devolved, by prescriptive right, the duty of giving out the psalm. The Deacon was in all things a stickler for ancient usages ; not only was he against giving up a hair's breadth of the old custom, but his attachment to the antique forms went so far as to embrace all the circumstances of immaterial moment connected with them. His predilection...