Sunday, January 11, 2015

Selections from Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary: “L”


Edited by Dan Leo, LL.D., Horace P. Sternwall Professor of Lexicographical Studies, Marbles Team Coach, Olney Community College; author of Bozzie and Dr. Sam: A Summons from Lady Bedstraw; the Olney Community College Press.

Illustrations by rhoda penmarq; coloring by roy dismas; lettering by eddie el greco; a penmarq studios™/schemeworks™  co-production.

to begin selections from Samuel Johnson's Dictionary, click here

for previous selection from Samuel Johnson's Dictionary, click here

to begin at the beginning of Boswell's Life of Johnson, click here

for previous chapter of Boswell's Life of Johnson, click here





La [corrupted by an effeminate pronunciation from lo.] See; look; behold.
La you! if you speak ill of the devil,

How he takes it at heart. Shakes. Twelfth Night.

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Laced Mutton. An old word for a whore.
Ay, Sir, I, a lost mutton, gave your letter to her a lac'd mutton, and she gave me nothing for my labour. Shakes.

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Lachrymatory. A vessel in which tears are gathered to the honour of the dead.

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To Labefy. To weaken; to impair.

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To Lampoon. To abuse with personal satire.

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To Laugh. To make that noise which sudden merriment excites. 
You saw my master wink and laugh on you. Shakesp.

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Lexicographer. A writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words.

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Literati. The learned.

I shall consult some literati on the project sent me for the discovery of the longitude. Spectator, № 581.

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Losel. A scoundrel; a sorry worthless fellow; a word now obsolete.
A gross hag!
And, losel, thou art worthy to be hang'd
That wilt not stay her tongue. Shaksp. A Winter’s Tale

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To Love.

1. To regard with passionate affection, as that of one sex to the other.

I could not love I'm sure One who in love were wise. Cowley.

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2. To regard with the affection of a friend.

None but his brethren he, and sisters, knew, Whom the kind youth prefer'd to me, And much above myself I lov'd them too. Cowley

.

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3. To regard with parental tenderness.

He that loveth me shall be loved of my father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John xiv. 21.

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4. To be pleased with.

He lov'd my worthless rhimes. Cowley.

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5. To regard with reverent unwillingness to offend.

Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart. Deut. vi. 5.

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Lubber. A sturdy drone; an idle, fat bulky losel; a booby.

A notable lubber thou reportest him to be. Shakesp.

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Luctation. Struggle; effort; contest.

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Lucubration. Study by candle-light; nocturnal study; any thing composed by night.

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Ludification. The act of mocking, or making sport with another.

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Our illustrated adaptation of Boswell’s Life of Johnson will resume next week. Classix Comix is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Bob’s Bowery Bar™ Foundation for the Graphic and Literary Arts: “Finding yourself succumbing to the leaden depression of seasonal affective disorder? Why not chase those blue meanies away with a visit to Bob’s Bowery Bar™,

conveniently located at the corner of Bleecker and the Bowery, and avail yourself of Bob’s Happy Hour Special of a schooner of Bob’s famous ‘basement-brewed’ bock and a shot of Ten High Bourbon, for only $1.25? Limit four per customer; offer good from 4 to 6pm Monday through Friday all January.” – Horace P. Sternwall, host of Bob’s Bowery Bar Presents Horace P. Sternwall’s Tales of the Common Man, exclusively on the Dumont Television Network, Wednesdays at 10 pm, EST.)



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