unlucky, Right lucky. The augur among the Romans having taken
his stand on the Capitoline Hill, and marked out with his wand
the space of the heavens to be the field of observation, divided
the space into two from top to bottom. If the birds appeared on
the left side of the division, the augury was unlucky, but if
the birds appeared on the right side the augury was pronounced
to be favourable. “Hail, gentle bird, turn thy wings and fly on
my right hand” but the bird flew on the left side. Then the cat
grew very heavy, for he knew the omen to be unlucky. —Reynard
the Fox, iii. in the Legislative Assembly of France, meant the
Girondists; it was famous for its orators. In the House of
Commons the Opposition occupies the left-hand side of the
Speaker. In the Austrian Assembly the democratic party is called
The Left. Over the left. A way of expressing disbelief,
incredulity, or a negative. The allusion is to morganatic
marriages (q.v.). When a woman so married claimed to be a wedded
wife, she was told that such wa