2 April 2018
verger
[vur-jer]
noun
1. Chiefly British. a church official who serves as sacristan, caretaker, usher, and general attendant.
2. British. an official who carries the verge or other symbol of office before a bishop, dean, or other dignitary.
Origin of verger
late Middle English
1425-1475 late Middle English word dating back to 1425-75; See origin at verge1, -er1
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for verger
Historical Examples
The verger scratched his head, and looked doubtfully at Henry Dunbar.
Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon
We light our candles and follow the verger down the stone steps.
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 25, January 1893
Various
The verger was in the choir, putting the books in order, and making all ready for the service.
Poppy’s Presents
Mrs O. F. Walton
“Yes, sir; his Lordship is here every Sunday when he is at the palace,” said the verger.
Is He Popenjoy?
Anthony Trollope
“But not here,” he added, hearing the clank of the verger ‘s keys.
The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton, Part 1 (of 10)
Edith Wharton
But as she did so she paused and said something to the verger, who was in the aisle.
A Modern Tomboy
L. T. Meade
It was the verger, who came to inform me that it was time to close the library.
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
Washington Irving
Well, our friends of the “enclosed gardens” still take him for a verger.
Visions and Revisions
John Cowper Powys
He even swore he had been taken for a verger or a Church warden.
Visions and Revisions
John Cowper Powys
He handed the man a piece of silver and the verger disappeared.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13
Elbert Hubbard
Today’s quote
Do not scorn a weak cub; he may become a brutal tiger.
– Mongolian proverb.
On this day
2 April 1926 – birth of Sir John Arthur ‘Jack’ Brabham AO OBE, Australian racing legend, 3 times Formula One world champion (1959, 1960, 1966). Died 19 May 2014.
2 April 1972 – Charlie Chaplin returns to the U.S. after 20 years of self-imposed exiled for ‘un-American’ activities. He had been accused during the McCarthy era of being a communist sympathiser.
2 April 1982 – Argentina invades the Falkland Islands, a British-controlled territory. The conflict escalates with Britain sending troops to expel Argentina. The conflict ends on 14 June 1982 when Britain regains control of the Islands.
2 April 2007 – Argentina restates its claim that the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. Britain continues to oppose the claim.