E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Gar’agan’tua (g hard).
The giant that swallowed five pilgrims with their staves and all in a salad. From a book entitled The History of Garagantua, 1594. Laneham, however, mentions the book of Garagantua in 1575. The giant in Rabelais is called Gargantua (q.v.).
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“You must borrow me Gargantua’s mouth first [before I can utter so long a word]; ’tis a word too great for any mouth of this age’s size.”—Shakespeare: As You Like It, iii. 2.
