Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 5.djvu/61

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9* s. v. JA*. 20, mo.] NOTES AND QUERIES.


53


little party of Swedenborgians in the tenancj of the "large upper room," or indicate it* exact location ? CHARLES HIGHAM.

169, Grove Lane, S.E.

LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS (9 th S. iv. 512). A short notice of Cavendish Weedon, Esq., ap pears in the appendix to 'The Student's Guide to Lincoln's Inn,' by Thomas Lane (seconc edition), 1805, pp. 209 -10. From this it appear that he was

"a younger son of Thomas Weedon, in the county of Bucks, Esq., by Frances, his wife, daughter o Sir Henry Crook, son of Robert Crook, of Chilton, bare net; which Sir Robert was twice Speaker o: the House of Commons, and died one of the judges of the Court of King's Bench."

It is further stated that about 1683 Weedon became the first inhabitant of New Square, or Serle's Court as it was first named. By his enterprise the square received many embel- lishments, including a fountain in the centre. He collected subscriptions to provide an organ for Lincoln's Inn Chapel, but this proposal seems to have been rejected. With respect to the plan for beautifying Lincoln's Inn Fields as set forth by MR. KOBBINS, Lane states in a note that Wren's model of the projected chapel is in Lincoln's Inn Library " and in good preservation." Is this still the case? Thomas Allen, in his 'History and Antiquities of London ' (1828), iv. 408, says:

"In the early part of the last century a Mr. Wheedon [c] proposed to erect a beautiful range of buildings on the east side of the [Lincoln's Inn] gardens. The plan was that they should be only one story high, and be without chimneys, but it did not meet with encouragement."

JOHN T. PAGE.

"SocK" (9 th S. iv. 539). This word is in constant use in this locality. It has two meanings, one being "to throw," e.g., "I'll sock a stone at you." A favourite diversion amongst boys just now is "socking" birds. They proceed along the hedges, one boy or more on each side, all armed with stones, with which they unmercifully pelt or "sock " any poor bird they come across. The other meaning of the word is " to beat or to clout," e.g., " I '11 fetch you a sock o' the ear-hole."

JOHN T. PAGE.

v\ est Haddon, Northamptonshire.

I have known " sock " in this connexion all

my life, and it is sometimes now used here.

I'll sock him," "I'll give him bell-sock,"

He got a good socking," are common forms.

I have known when lads were fighting their

"siders" to call out, "Sock him!" "Sock

him ! " by which, I believe, was meant, in ring

phrase, to give an "upper cut." A formidable

tighter is called "a bell-socker." "Sock "is


common when speaking of " thrashings " given and taken. THOS. RATCLIFFE.

Worksop.

" To give one socks," meaning " to give one a good beating," is in common use in East Anglia. And so is " Pull up your socks," for " make haste " and " set to work." F. H.

Marlesford.

A stone in the heel of a sock or stocking is a well-known extempore life preserver or taker. THOMAS J. JEAKES.

[To "sock" is to thrash soundly, as stated at the above reference; the phrase is common slang, and used, we should say, everywhere.]

"DOCTOR" A CHRISTIAN NAME (9 th S. iv. 518). At the Salford County Court, on 7 December last, Doctor Frank Holt, of Har- purhey, sought to recover 12s. 6d. for a bottle of nerve tonic supplied to the defendant, Mr. J. B. Foden, a member of the Salford Borough Council. Plaintiff said the defendant ordered half a gallon of his " nerve tonic." He sent the tonic, but when he applied for payment the defendant threatened to kick him out of the house. The defendant's version was that, when going on the Exchange one day, plain- tiff, whom he did not know, accosted him by name and said he was Dr. Holt, of Southport, on a visit to Manchester with his celebrated nerve tonic. Defendant replied that he did not want any tonic ; but plaintiff insisted on sending him some, and he wrote to plaintiff' telling him that it was lying there at his risk. He had had the tonic analyzed, and handed the result of the analysis to Judge Parry, who said it appeared from the analysis that the tonic contained 98 per cent, of water, and the analyst put the value of the mixture down at a penny per gallon. Continuing, he judge said that the plaintiff would lave to satisfy him that he was not trying to obtain money by false pretences.

hy, he asked, do you call yourself ' Dr." 1 Have you any degree 'I The plaintiff : I have no degree ; I was christened 'Doctor." In giving judgment his Honour =>aid the plaintiff described himself as ' Doctor," and had said he was christened ' Doctor," but he put it in a manner that was infair to the public, because it suggested

them that he was a Doctor of Medicine

en he was nothing of the sort. Of course ic had as perfect a right as any one else to ell nervine tonic, but he must sell it fairly, le gave judgment for the defendant with osts on the middle scale. Plaintiff's parents must have been endowed with remarkable oresight to have christened their son Doctor, 'ossibly the nerve tonic formula was a family