/ · 1894 Brewer’s · W · Walton
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
An Izaak Walton. One devoted to “the gentle craft” of angling. Izaak Walton wrote a book called The Complete Angler, or Contemplative Man’s Recreation. (1655.)
⁂ “Gentle” is a pun. Gentles are the larvæ of flesh-flies used as bait in angling.
· ·
Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.