E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Ol’ifaunt.
Lord Nigel Olifaunt of Glenverloch, on going to court to present a petition to King James I., aroused the dislike of the Duke of Buckingham; Lord Dalgarno gave him the cut direct, when Nigel struck him, and was obliged to seek refuge in Alsatia. After various adventureshe married Margaret Ramsay, the watchmaker’s daughter. (Sir Walter Scott: Fortunes of Nigel.)
