Literary Blunders

The following etymological guesses are not so good, but they are worthy of registration. One boy described a blackguard as one who has been a shoeblack, “ while another thought he was a man dressed in black.” Polite’‘ is said to be derived from Pole, “ owing to the affability of the Polish race. Heathen” means covered with heath’‘; but this explanation is commonplace when compared with the brilliant guess–Heathen, from Latin haethum, ’ faith, and en, ‘ not.