_Mazer Wood_ (Vol. iii., p. 239.).--The Querist asks, "Has the word Mazer
any signification in itself?"
It is used to signify a cup. Vide Walter Scott's _Lord of the Isles_, where
Robert Bruce is speaking:
"Bring here, he said, the Mazers four,
My noble fathers loved of yore."
And it is probably derived from the Irish "Maeddher," a standing cup,
generally of _wood_, of a quadrangular form, with a handle on each of the
sides. The puzzle was how to drink out of it, which was done from the
angles. A silver "Maeddher" was presented to Lord Townshend when leaving
Ireland, who puzzled many of his English friends by placing it before them
filled with claret. Uninitiated persons usually attempted to drink from the
flat side, and poured the wine over their clothes. I think another was
presented to Lord Normanby when in Ireland. We see _gutta percha_ {289}
cups and buckets everywhere now-a-days. Perhaps such an utensil might have
been among the dishes, &c. mentioned in the Catalogue of the Tradescant
Museum.