-Written on the bedchamber door of Charles II, by the Earl of Rochester.

Dapple had to lay [lie] down on all fours before the lad could bestride him."

"The Waterloo man was represented by a child of three —a Martin, of course—who laid [lay] down in the gutter.” "The look of immovable endurance that underlaid [underlay] her expression."

Those sterling qualities of generosity and discretion that underlaid [underlay] their more prominent attractions."

"No beds whatever, and for a whole week I never took off my clothes, but laid [lay] down in them wrapped in my cloak."

Learn. Long ago this verb was used as a synonym of teach, but in this sense it is now obsolete. To teach is to give instruction; to learn is to take instruction. "I will learn, if you will teach me." See TEACH.

Leave. There are grammarians who insist that this verb should not be used without an object; as, for example, it is used in such sentences as, "When do you leave?” “I leave to-morrow." The object of the verb-home, town, or whatever it may be―is, of course, understood; but this, say these gentlemen, is not permissible. On this point opinions will, I think, differ; they will, however, not differ with regard to the vulgarity of using leave in the sense of let; thus, "Leave me be"; "Leave it alone"; "Leave her be-don't bother her"; "Leave me see it."

Sometimes misused in the sense of allow.

"If that system were left [allowed] to continue, after ten years or so no party would dare to suggest the maintenance of any tariff."-N. Y. Sun.

Lend. See LOAN.

Length-Side-Endways.

lengthwise, etc.

The form preferred is

Lengthened. Sometimes misused for long, though it does not mean long any more than strengthened means strong or heightened means high.

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For a lengthened [long] period the means which [that] I could with propriety devote to the purchase [purchasing, or, better, buying] of books were very limited."

"He astonished a literary friend who had accompanied him by repeating a lengthened [long] passage from one of the Eclogues of Virgil."

'Beguile the heavy hour with [by] studying the faces of [in] the congregation below, or [by] watching for the last leaf of the lengthening sermon."

Lengthy. This word is of comparatively recent origin, and, though it is said to be an Americanism, it is a good deal used in England. The most careful writers, however, both here and elsewhere, prefer the word long: a long discussion," a long discourse," etc.

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Leniency. Mr. Gould calls this word and lenience two philological abortions." Lenity is undoubtedly the proper word to use, though both Webster and Worcester do recognize leniency and lenience.

The Standard Dictionary (1895) recognizes leniency, but not lenience.

Less. This word is much used instead of fewer. Less relates to quantity; fewer to number. Instead of, "There were not less than twenty persons present," we should say, "There were not fewer than twenty persons present."

"The neat edition published by King contains no less [fewer] than sixty of the popular songs known chiefly to college boys," etc.-N. Y. Tribune.

Lesser. This form of the comparative of little is ac

counted a corruption of less. It may, however, be used instead of less with propriety in verse, and also, in some cases, in prose. We may say, for example, "Of two evils choose the less," or "the lesser." The latter form, in sentences like this, is the more euphonious; and the question of euphony is one that a writer should never lose sight of.

Liable. Richard Grant White, in inveighing against the misuse of liable, cites the example of a member from a rural district who called out to a man that he met in the village, where he was in the habit of making little purchases: "I say, mister, kin yer tell me whar I'd be li'ble [likely] to find some beans?"

"Would he not be liable [likely] to neglect the most important mechanism for its apparent insignificance?" See also APT.

Like, To. See LOVE.

Lie. See LAY.

Like As. Both these words express similarity; like (adjective) comparing things, as (adverb) comparing action, existence, or quality. Like is followed by an object only, and does not admit of a verb in the same construction. As must be followed by a verb expressed or understood. We say, He looks like his brother," or "He looks as his brother looks." "Do as I do," not "like I do." "You must speak as James does [or speaks]," not like James "He died as he had lived-like a dog." "It is as

does."

་་

blue as indigo❞—i. e.,

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as indigo is."

"A nation must laugh, and there is all the difference whether it laughs like a satyr, or like [as] those bitter fishwomen did [laughed] in France at blood and slaughter, or like [as] we have laughed under Punch's auspices for many years."

Like is sometimes improperly used in the sense of as

though, thus: "It looks like it was caused," etc. "It looks like they must pay," etc.

Likely. See APT.

Limited. Sometimes used when low, small, slight, or slender would be the proper word.

"The cost of the volume [book?] was formerly five shillings. It is now published at the limited [low] price of one shilling."

'If we may found [?] an opinion on a limited [slight] acquaintance with the writings of Tiek."

It is better to say, “A man of small or slender means," than to say, "A man of limited means"; yet one might say very properly, “My means are too limited to justify the outlay."

Lit. This form of the past participle of the verb to light is now obsolete. 'Have you lighted the fire?" "The gas is lighted." Het for heated is a similar, but a much greater, vulgarism.

Loan-Lend. There are those who contend that there is no such verb as to ioan, although it has been found in our literature for more than three hundred years. Whether there is properly such a verb or not, it is quite certain that it is only those having a vulgar penchant for big words that will prefer it to its synonym, lend. Better far to say, “Lend me your umbrella” than “Loan me your umbrella.”

“To loan, as a verb, has to us a strange sound.”E. A. Freeman.

Locate Settle. The use of the verb to locate in the sense of to settle is said to be an Americanism. Although the dictionaries recognize to locate as a neuter verb, as such it is marked “rarely used,” and, in the sense of to settle, it is among the vulgarisms that careful speakers and writers are studious to avoid. A man settles, not locates, in Nebraska.

"Where do you intend to settle?" not locate. See also SETTLE.

Loggerheads.

"In the meantime France is at loggerheads internally."-New York Herald, April 29, 1881. Loggerheads internally?!

This, of course, is reportorial, not editorial, English.

Looks beautifully. It is sometimes interesting to note the difference between vulgar bad grammar and genteel bad grammar, or, more properly, between nonpainstaking and painstaking bad grammar. The former uses, for example, adjectives instead of adverbs; the latter uses adverbs instead of adjectives. The former says, "This bonnet is trimmed shocking"; the latter says, "This bonnet looks shockingly." In the first sentence the epithet qualifies the verb is trimmed, and consequently should have its adverbial form-shockingly; in the second sentence the epithet qualifies the appearance (a noun) of the bonnet, and consequently should have its adjectival form-shocking. The second sentence means to say, This bonnet presents a shocking appearance." The bonnet certainly does not really look; it is looked at, and to the looker its appearance is shocking. So we say, in like manner, of a person, that he or she looks sweet, or charming, or beautiful, or handsome, or horrid, or graceful, or timid, and so on, always using an adjective. "Miss Coghlan, as Lady Teazle, looked charmingly." The grammar of the New York Herald would not have been any more incorrect if it had said that Miss Coghlan looked gladly, or sadly, or madly, or delightedly, or pleasedly. A person may look sick or sickly, but in both cases the qualifying word is an adjective. The verbs to smell, to feel, to sound, to appear, and to stand are also found in sentences in which the qualifying word must be an adjective, and not an adverb. We say, for example,