| Front | lily-livered \LILL-ee-LIV-erd\ |
|---|---|
| Back | adjective Lacking courage, cowardly. [The basis of the word "lily-livered" lies in an old belief. Years ago, people thought that health and temperament were the products of a balance or imbalance of four bodily fluids, or humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. It was believed that a deficiency of yellow bile, or choler, the humor that governed anger, spirit, and courage, would leave a person's liver colorless or white. Someone with this deficiency, and so white-livered, would be spiritless and a coward. "Lily-livered" and "white-livered" have been used synonymously since the 16th century, but "lily-livered" is now the more common expression, probably because of its alliteration. In earlier times, the liver was considered to be the seat of courage. Hence, lacking blood, a white liver, indicated lack of courage. Earliest documented use: 1616.] "A story of twins -- one bold and the other a lily-livered cop." - Malathi Rangarajan; Brothers and the Baddies; The Hindu (Chennai, India); Sep 25, 2012. |
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