114 Comments on Mdafon's Supplement to Fobufon's Digtionary. (Sept. 1, 
confufion of meanings, which every mif- 
take in etymology is fure to produce. 
Recomfortlefs.—It this word be ufed for 
comfortlefs, as Mr. Mafon’s definition 
fuppofes, it is a mifcoinage, a blunder ; 
the re is infignificant, fuperfluous, faulty : 
but if it be ufed for without being com- 
Sorted a fecond time, the re is fignificant, 
effential, legitimate—the definition only 
mutt be reformed. 
Regardle/s, Refjfilefs, &c.—Many Eng- 
lith adjectives confift of ‘the infinitive or 
fubftantive mood of fome verb, combined 
- with the adjective /e/s: fuch adjectives 
have thedemerit of being equivocal: they 
are employed both in an active and 2 paffive 
fenfe. Regardlefs may fignify ot regard- 
ing, or not regarded. 
Regardlefs of the blifs wherein he fat. Milton. 
Zara 
Is a regardlefs {uppliant now to Ofmyn. 
Congreve. 
_Refiftlefs may fignify not reffting, or not 
refified. 
He feized greedily 
On the refflefs prey. Spenfer. 
The fame refftlefs power may plead for me. 
Dryden. 
This ambiguity has perhaps not always 
fubfifted. The fyllable /efs being of 
Saxon origin, was at firft united only 
with Saxon infinitives; and in the pri- 
mzval combinations the verb feems to 
have borne an aétive fenfe. ‘Thus 4eedlefs 
fignifies mot heeding, never not heeded; 
hopelefs fignifies not hoping, never not hoped ; 
liftlefs fignifies not defring, never not de- 
fred; yet harmilefs is ufed both for zot 
harming and not harmed; as is thanklefs 
for not thanking and not thanked. Daunt- 
éefs has the paffive fenfe only, and figni- 
fies not daunted. Diftin&  adjeétives 
paffive might have been formed by means 
of participles: why not tolerate both 
thinklefs and thoughtlefs, &c.? 
Riwvality, Rivalry.—‘* Jumbling thefe 
two words together makes a very confufed 
article, fays Mr. Mafon, yet he has neither 
difcriminated nor feparated them. The 
affix ity is commonly ufed to form abftract 
or metaphyfical terms, and the affix ry to 
form collective and topical terms. ‘Thus 
equality, majority, Chriffianity, rufticity, 
antiquity, generality, virginity, rafcality, 
mean the abftraét quality of being equal, 
major, Chriftian, ruffic, &c. Whereas 
yeomanry, foldiery, ancefiry, minifiry, gen- 
try, chaplainry, enginery, fignify the col- 
lective body of yeomen, foldiers, &c.; or 
as in brewery, foundery, pinary, granary, 
_up the word fly as unintelligible. 
Shrubbery, treafury, nurfery, armory, &co 
the place where brewers, founders, pinesy’ 
grains, &c. are to be met with. Rivality — 
then ought to clafs among the abftract, 
and rivalry among the collective, terms. 
The apearance of Ulyfles among the 
fuitors of Penelope difappointed the 7i- 
vality of the whole rivalry. 
Saloon.—This word is rightly defined 
a fpacious parlour: it derives from the 
Italian augmentative of fala, a parlour. 
There are many traces in our language 
of a tendency to form augmentatives 
in a fimilar manner. Thus from éa//, 
balloon; cane (a tube), canon (or ca- 
noon); pont, pontoon; babe, baboon; bat, 
batoon; balk, balcony (or balkoon); bafs, 
baffoon; rafcal,. rafcallion; shawl, foal- 
loon ; coque, cocoon; double, doubloon, and 
fome others. 
Sley.—Both Johnfon and Mafon give 
From 
the German fchlagen, to firike, derives 
Schlegel, an infirument for ftriking, and 
thence the Englifh fey, which is techni- 
cally applied to the pedfen of weavers, to 
the row of reeds with which they frike or 
comb into contiguity the crofs-threads or 
fhoot. The fhoot is feebler and buxomer 
than the warp, and is ruffled or crifped by 
the operation of the fey. Shakefpeare 
therefore aptly writes :— 
Why art thou then exafperate, thou ime« 
material fkein of fley’d filk ? 
And for an example of the fubftantive:— 
Worftead-weavers find their own looms 5. bu& 
the mafter finds heavels and /leys. 
Speck and fpan, or [pick and fpank.—_ 
This proverbial phrafe is fuppofed by 
Junius to be technical among clothiers ; 
and to fignify, frefh from the tenter— 
frefh from the fpike and the /pan—frefh 
from the book and the fretch. Johnfon 
adopts this derivation. Swift appears to 
have ufed the words accordingly :— 
I keep no antiquated ftuff, 
But pick and fpan Thave enoughs = 
The Germans ufe /pau-neu for bran- 
new; and we ftill fay, fpanking-new, m 
Englifh. But a paffage occurs in Albu- 
mazar, where this combination fignifies 
all over, in every part, from heel to toe, 
cap-a-pee. 
I fhall appear fpeci azd fpan gentleman. 
Perhaps /peck ai:d [pan means heel and 
toe. At leat we fay to beel-fpeck thoes, 
for to heel-piece them: and the Germans 
fay, Der {chub fpannt mich, for The fhoe 
pinches me: fo that fpaz feems to = 
mgan 
