When I was lost, in deep dismay,
the bishop's finger showed the way—
"Just follow where I lead," he quoth,
this erudite man of the cloth.
My troubles barely had begun—
he'd won my trust, his job was done.
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Author Notes
bishop's-finger (n.) a signpost.
This definition appeared in Francis Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1785:
FINGER POST: A parson: so called, because he points out a way to others which he never goes himself. Like the finger post, he points out a way he has never been, and probably never will go, i.e. the way to heaven.
My much-treasured Christmas present for 2017 is a book by Paul Anthony Jones: "The cabinet of linguistic curiosities". Each page contains a descriptive story about some obscure or archaic word. It occurred to me it would be a fun exercise to try and write, each day, a poem featuring the "word of the day" from the book.
Thanks for reading.
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