Some students of "lexicography" have begun to use this word for the study of compiling dictionaries, but it has been broadened to include people who have adopted the word as referring to the use of words. Here are a few examples:

To Fly off the Handle

In frontier times ax handles were made by the woodsman, who was not very adept at the job, crudely made by them sometimes and his ax was loosened and "flew off the handle." When this happened the ax head would become loose and fly off. The woodsman was so frustrated that he, too, "flew off the handle."

She Let Her Hair Down

Over the year, people have tried all kinds of hair styles. During the Golden Age of France, women spent much of their time on fixing fancy hairdos. Only in the privacy of their home did they relax and let their hair down. This became a saying that any person, male or female, put problems aside.

Chicken Feed

When American pioneers moved west from the Atlantic, many of them took their domestic animals with them. To feed them they used grain too old for the kitchen. They began using inferior corn and wheat. This was called "chicken feed." This came to be known as "chicken feed" for inferior grain. By Davy Crockett days, it was natural to describe a confidence man as "picking up chicken feed" from the greenhorns.

Give It the Gun

"Give it the gun" came to mean more than their firearms during World War I.

During that period combat planes were slow and clumsy. To attack the enemy it was standard procedure the planes would climb above enemy troops and dive to gain speed. Giving the engine all the gas it would take, the pilot would open up with his machine gun--"give it the gun". Later, the expression was picked up for automobiles and speed boats as well.

To Break the Ice

London owes much of her history to the river that flows through the city. The Thames, big enough for major shipping but tame by comparison with those of swift current, became a major artery many centuries ago.

The docks of London are some forty miles from the river's mouth. Tides affect the water levels. In severe winter weather, ice is a major nuisance to operators of small boats.

Until the development of power equipment it was frequently necessary to chop channels with hand tools to make channels.

This was the boatmen's work. He had "to break the ice" before he could actually get down to business. Drifting from docks and wharves, the river-born expression came to indicate any method of making a start.

Dr. A.O. Goldsmith of Kennett is a retired director of the School of Journalism, Louisiana State University.