Heading
Rebellion of 1715, was called the Curse of Scotland. Other suggestions are: (1) That it is derived from the game of Pope Joan, the nine of diamonds there being called the 'pope,' of whom the Scotch have always stood in horror. (2) The word 'curse' is a corruption of cross, and the nine of diamonds is so arranged as to form a St. Andrew's Cross. (3) That it refers to the arms of Dalrymple, Earl of Stair (viz., or, on a saltire azure, nine lozenges of the field), who was held in abhorrence for the Massacre of Glencoe; or to Colonel Packer, who attended Charles I. on the scaffold, and had for his arms nine lozenges conjoined, or in the heraldic language, Gules, a cross of lozenges. These conflicting views were discussed at length in Notes and Queries, 1 S., i., 61, 90; iii., 22, 253, 423, 483; v., 619; 3 S., xii., 24, 96; 4 S., vi., 194, 289; also, see Chambers' Encyclopœdia.]
1791. Gent. Mag., vol. LXI., p. 141. The Queen of Clubs is . . . called Queen Bess . . . The Nine of Diamonds, the curse of Scotland.
CURSITOR or CURSETOR, subs. (old).—A
low tramp or vagabond.
[Properly, a cursitor (unde Cursitor
Street, in Chancery Lane)
was a clerk in the Court of Chancery,
whose business was to make
out original writs; also a courier
or runner. From the Latin.]
Curtain-Raiser, subs. (theatrical).—A
short 'piece' to bring up
the curtain and play in the house.
Fr., lever de rideau.
1889. Daily News, 2 Sept., p. 3, col. 4. Miss Grace Hawthorne is about to try an original experiment in what are known as CURTAIN-RAISERS.
Curtall or Curtail, subs. (old).—A
vagabond and thief.—See
quots.
1560. John Awdeley, Fraternitye of Vacabondes (1869. English Dialect Society's Reprint), p. 4. A curtall is much like to the Vpright man, but hys authority is not fully so great. He vseth commonly to go with a short cloke, like to grey Friers, and his woman with him in like liuery, which he calleth his altham if she be hys.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue. Curtails: thieves who cut off pieces of stuff hanging out of shop windows; the tails of women's gowns, etc.; also thieves wearing short jackets.
Verb (old).—To cut off. Originally a cant word—vide Hudibras, and Bacchus and Venus, 1737.
Cuse, subs.(Winchester College).—A
book in which a record is kept
of the 'marks' in each division:
its name to dons is 'classicus
paper'; also used for the weekly
order.
Cushion, verb (thieves').—To hide
or conceal. Variants are, stall
off; stow; slum. Sp., Hacer
la agachadiza = to hide oneself.
TO DESERVE THE CUSHION, verbal phr. (old).—On the birth of a child a man was said to DESERVE THE CUSHION; i.e., the symbol of rest from labour.
Cushion-Smiter or -Thumper,
subs. (common).—A clergyman.
[Derivation obvious.] For synonyms,
see Devil-dodger
1843. Thackeray, Irish Sketch Book, ch xx. For what a number of such loud nothings, windy, emphatic tropes and metaphors, spoken, not for God's glory, but the preacher's, will many a cushion-thumper have to answer!
1849. Thackeray, in Scribn. Mag., June, 1887, p. 686. Cushion-thumpers and High and Low Church extatics.
1889. Modern Society, 19 Oct., p. 1294, col. 1. On a recent occasion a
