ONE THING LEADING TO ANOTHER 

IT’S GOOD FUN FOLLOWING UP on this and that. For instance, there I was leafing through Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase & Fable (yet again!) when Moddey Dhoo caught my attention. Whatever could that be?

Moddey Dhoo. “Pronounced ‘Mawther Doo,’ Manx, ‘black dog’) A ghostly black spaniel that for many years haunted Peel Castle in the Isle of Man.”

Hmm…. In time, another bit of research in bold face.

The black dog, Brewer’s recounts, “used to enter the guard room as soon as candles were lighted and leave it at daybreak. While the spectral dog was present, the soldiers forbore all oaths and profane talk, but they always carried out their nightly duties of locking up and conveying keys to the captain accompanied by one of their fellows. One night a drunken trooper, from bravado, performed the rounds alone but lost his speech and died in three days. The dog never appeared again.”

Until… 

“During excavations in 1871,” Brewer’s concludes, “the bones of Simon, bishop of Sodor and Man (died 1247) were uncovered, with the bones of a dog at his feet.”

Shiver. But what of Peel Castle?

Peel. “A fortified keep or tower, particularly one built in the 16th century along the border areas of England and Scotland as a defence against raids. The word derives from Latin palus, ‘stake.’ Perhaps the best known is the Peel on St. Patrick’s Isle, off the Isle of Man, connected to the main island by a causeway. See also Moddey Dhoo.”

Uh, I did already. But what about Isle of Man? 

Isle of Man. This is a lengthy one; briefly, “One explanation of the name is that given by Richard Cirencester (d. c. 1401): ‘Midway between the two countries [Britain and Ireland] is the island called Monoeda, but now Monavia,’ i.e., deriving the name from menagh or meanagh meaning middle.” 

Brewer’s then scatters more references, “Supporters of the ‘middle’ origin point out that As The Crow Flies a route running From Land’s End to John O’Groats has the Isle of Man as its exact halfway point.” 

See what I mean about one thing leading to another?

As the Crow Flies. Brewer’s has four pages of things beginning with “As….” My favorite is “As the Bishop Said to the Actress,” which I save for another day.

Brewer’s is nothing if not precise: “As directly as possible; by the shortest route. It is actually the rook that flies straight to its destination, rather than the crow, but the two black birds are often popularly identified with each other. See also Airline; Beeline.”

Geez. Can’t you see I’m busy?

From Land’s End to John O’Groats. Here Brewer’s is precise, if terse: “From one end of Great Britain to the other; From Dan to Beersheba.”

Well, I though I was done. Besides, I knew about this U.K. route from vintage car endurance events.  

From Dan to Beersheba: “From one end of the kingdom to the other; everywhere. The phrase occurs several times in the Bible, Dan being the northernmost city and Beersheba the southernmost in The Holy Land.The equivalent English expression is….” 

I’ll bet you know it. And I leave The Holy Land for another day, not likely together with As the Bishop Said to the Actress. ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2023