vast numbers
have fallen out of use, some so fallen out of all remembrance that it
may be difficult almost to find credence for them. Thus take of rhyming
the following: 'hugger-mugger', 'hurly-burly', 'kicksy-wicksy' (all in
Shakespeare); 'hibber-gibber', 'rusty-dusty', 'horrel-lorrel', 'slaump
paump' (all in Gabriel Harvey), 'royster-doyster' (Old Play),
'hoddy-doddy' (Ben Jonson); while of alliterative might be instanced
these: 'skimble-skamble', 'bibble-babble' (both in Shakespeare),
'twittle-twattle', 'kim-kam' (both in Holland), 'hab-nab' (Lilly),
'trim-tram', 'trish-trash', 'swish-swash' (all in Gabriel Harvey),
'whim-wham' (Beaumont and Fletcher), 'mizz-mazz' (Locke), 'snip-snap'
(Pope), 'flim-flam' (Swift), 'tric-trac', and others{160}.

{Sidenote: _Words under Ban_}

Again, there was once a whole family of words whereof the greater number
are now under ban; which seemed at one time to have been formed almost
at pleasure, the only condition being that the combination should be a
happy one--I mean all those singularly expressive words formed by a
combination of verb and substantive, the former governing the latter; as
'telltale', 'scapegrace', 'turncoat', 'turntail', 'skinflint',
'spendthrift', 'spitfire', 'lickspittle', 'daredevil' (=wagehals),
'makebate' (=stoerenfried), 'marplot', 'killjoy'. These with a certain
number of others, have held their ground, and may be said to be still
more or less in use; but what a number more are forgotten; and yet,
though not always elegant, they constituted a very vigorous portion of
our language, and preserved some of its most genuine idioms{161}. It
could not well be otherwise; they are almost all words of abuse, and the
abusive words of a language are always among the most picturesque and
vigorous and imaginative which it possesses. The whole man speaks out in
them, and often the man under the influence of passion and excitement,
which always lend force and fire to his speech. Let me remind you of a
few of them; 'smellfeast', if not a better, is yet a more graphic, word
than our foreign parasite; as graphic indeed for us as {Greek:
trechedeipnos} to Greek ears; 'clawback' (Hackett) is a stronger, if not
a more graceful, word than flatterer or sycophant; 'tosspot' (Fuller),
or less frequently 'reel-pot' (Middleton), tells its own tale as well as
drunkard; and 'pinchpenny' (Holland), or 'nipfarthing' (Drant), as well
as or better than miser. And then what a multitude more t