E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Kex,
hemlock. Tennyson says in The Princess, “Though the rough kex break the starred mosaic,” though weeds break the pavement. Nothing breaks a pavement like the growth of grass or lichen through it. (Welsh, cecys, hemlock; French, ciguë; Latin, cicuta.)
