"J. C. 0.," North Yakima, Wash.—"I notice a few words such as "catercornered,' 'flaring',' 'roily,' used in this locality that I have never heard used in England, and should be glad to know if there is good authority for them."

There is good authority for the three words cited by our correspondent, which are essentially of English origin. The first, "catercornered," is a provincialism used from the Midlands to the South Coast, and common in Surrey, Sussex, Shropshire, and Leicestershire. The second, "flaring," that is, widening outward or increasing in diameter upward, dates back to the days of Capt. John Smith, and is applied to ships, to china and glassware, and
even to articles of apparel. The third, "roily," in the sense of "full of sediment; turbid," has the authority of Fenimore Cooper and other American writers.