Stick on side
- to boast or swagger (slang).
Counterjumper
- a shopman, one who serves customers (derogatory).
'The Towcester men have all been lilies of the field.'
- in other words, they don't work. See Luke: Chapter 12, Verse 27.
Girl's Own Paper
- a British magazine for girls with a mixture of fact and fiction, from 1880 to (probably) 1956 including under slightly different names.
Chapter 2
Bloomsbury
- part of central London, once home of the literary set.
Tanagra
- a city in east central Greece where a large quantity of terracotta statuettes were found in Hellenistic (ancient Greek) tombs. Following a lot of fakery, the term now refers to any statuettes of that type.
The modern Chesterfield
- in this context probably a reference to Lord Chesterfield, an 18th C. statesman who wrote letters to his son, later published as a book, which included advice on manners.
'I was just coming out then ...'
- coming out was the process by which upper-class girls were introduced into 'society' through a series of events, dances etc., often with a view to introducing them to potential husbands.
Bolus
- a large pill.
Harrod's
- a famous department store in London (changed to Harrige's in the UK version of the book).
'It's one for all and all for one ...'
- best known as the motto of the title characters in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas père, but it is older.
Brompton Road
- a street in central London that partly separates Kensington from Belgravia.
Chief Constable
- head policeman of one of the regional police forces.
Football pool
- a commercial betting schemes where players attempt to predict (Association) football results, not scores, with winners getting a share of the total money bet (the pool) according to how well they guessed. At one time, top winners could get £1M or more but the pools now have to compete with lotteries, scratch cards and Internet gambling. One feature was door-to-door collection of the money and coupons (predictions).
'Probably had to stop somewhere to buy some juice, and they need his number for their books.'
- possibly a reference to the records required for petrol rationing which had ended in 1950, shortly before this book.
Aga Khan
- hereditary title of the leader of the Ismaili Shia Muslims. The family is very wealthy and, until recently, the Aga Khan was a noted race horse owner.
'Bill has him on lend lease.'
- alluding to the U.S. Lend-Lease Act of 1941 in which U.S. WWI destroyers were exchanged for a 99-year lease on several British bases in the Western Hemisphere.
Brass hats
- management, officials etc., from high ranking military officers who have gold braid on their caps.
Mange
- a skin disease of hairy animals caused by a parasite.
Raffles
- a 'gentleman' thief from the books by E. W. Hornung.
Instanter
- immediately, at once.
Chapter 3
'... breathing heavily, like a hart that pants for cooling streams when heated in the chase.'
- from the hymn Converting Grace (also known as As Pants the Hart) with words from Tate & Brady's New Version, 1696 based on the first part of Psalm 42.
Adagio dancer
- an acrobatic dancer, to slow music.
'... having developed his brain over a course of years by means of a steady fish diet ...'
- there's an old adage that eating fish is good for the brain. Recent research suggests it might be true (something to do with Omega-3 fatty acids).
' 'Tis not so deep as a well nor as wide as a church door, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve.'
- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 1.
Epsom Downs
- usually just plain Epsom, is a racecourse in Surrey.
Northamptonshire
- an inland and mainly rural county to the north of London, south of Birmingham. It contains the town and racecourse of Towcester.
General Eisenhower
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), leader of allied forces in Europe at the end of WW2 (later US President). A great organiser and logician rather than a battlefield general.
Northumberland Avenue
- a street in London, running off Trafalgar Square. Wodehouse stayed at the Constitutional Club there.
'Remember that man's life lies all within this present, as 't were but a hair's-breadth of time; as for the rest, the past is gone, the future yet unseen.'
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 3, Verse 10 (as quoted in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, other translations may differ).
The Derby
- is the race for three year olds, the one that every owner wants to win. It is run at Epsom.
'Straddling, like Apollyon, right across the way.'
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress.
'Of all sad words of tongue or pen ...'
- Jeeves correctly attributes this to (John Greenleaf) Whittier but omits to name the poem as Maud Muller.
'... can I gain a bit of time by pleading the Gaming Act?'
- the 1845 Act, mostly now replaced, made it impossible to recover certain types of gambling debt in the courts, i.e. they were null and void. Clearly, cash bets were not covered so the act did not protect Bill.
The field at Agincourt
- refers to the battle of Agincourt in France where the English, under King Henry V, defeated the French, under Charles VI, on St. Crispin's Day, 1415 during the Hundred Years War.
Silver Ring
- the Silver Ring is the lowest class of enclosure at race courses. Dress is casual compared to the members or grandstand enclosures which require smart dress, the view of the winning post is likely to be poor and there is no access to the winner's enclosure.
Fons et origo mali
- 'fons et origo' means the source and origin (of) and is usually seen alone. 'Mali' means bad or evil. (Latin)
'They are possibly more to be pitied than censured ...'
- probably from the 1898 song She is More to be Pitied than Censured by William B. Gray.
Ne quid nimis
- Terence (a Roman playwright), meaning 'nothing in excess' or 'moderation in all things'.
'The moving finger writes ...'
- Edward Fitzgerald, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.
'Bill quivered like an aspen at the mere suggestion.'
- the aspen tree has leaves which move or quiver in the slightest of breezes.
Chapter 4
Peon
- a peasant or labourer.
'... Macbeth seeing the ghost of Banquo.'
- Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 4, in which Macbeth has a nasty turn on seeing the ghost of the friend that he's had murdered.
'Why, aren't the crops rotating properly?'
- crop rotation is a method, largely replaced by more modern methods and fertilizers etc, of growing different crops in succession on one piece of land to increase output while leaving the soil healthy.
G-men
- FBI (Government men).
'Mr. Wooster doth suffer a sea change into something rich and strange.'
- Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2.
Chapter 5
Whistler's Mother
- is also the name of a famous painting by James Abbott McNeil Whistler, properly titled Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother.
The Oaks
- the Epsom Oaks Stakes, first run in 1779. Currently run over 1 mile 4 furlongs, it's for three year old fillies. When the waiter at the Goose and Gherkin says that the male sex are not allowed to compete in the Oaks, he means the horses must be female or fillies, not the riders. In those days, the idea of lady jockeys in a classic race was unthinkable so no confusion could arise.
'I was on five bob.'
- a bet of five shillings, see notes on old money for more information on pre-decimal currency.
The Stag at Bay
- the original was by Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-73).
The Huguenot's Farewell
- a short name for John Everett Millais's popular painting with the absurdly long title A Huguenot, on St. Bartholomew's Day refusing to shield himself from danger by wearing a Roman Catholic badge. This depicts a man and woman embracing in a manner which might imply a parting; indeed, if he's caught, it could cost him his life and you can't get more parted than that.
Jacques Fath
- (1912-54) a French haute couture designer in Paris.
Horatio Alger
- (1832-99) American author who wrote rags-to-riches stories.
McDougall Alley
- a street just to the north of Washington Square in New York, at one time frequented by artists. PG knew the area.
'All that stuff about booting them home and goats and beetles and fast tracks and mudders and something he referred to as a boat race.'
- booting them home is spurring horses to the finishing line, goats are inferior race horses, beetles is obviously slang (but I can't find it), a fast track is one where the footing is at its best, dry, fast and even, a mudder is a horse that likes soft conditions and a boat race is one in which a horse has illegal help to win.
White man's burden
- a racist view that white men have a duty to 'civilize' other peoples. As another author has pointed out this often meant getting them to wear more clothes. The early Empire builders had no understanding or respect for indigenous people or their cultures. It would be nice to think we know better now.
'One recalls the nostalgic words of the poet Kipling, when he sang "Put me somewhere east of Suez, where the best is like the worst, where there ain't no ten commandments and a man can raise a small bristly moustache".'
- possibly an improvement on Rudyard Kipling's, Mandalay.
Bubbling Well Road
- really is in Shanghai.
Sahib
- honorific title for Europeans by Indians.
Southmoltonshire
- a fictitious county, presumably a partner for Northamptonshire.
Spooring
- tracking an animal.
'... all work and no play makes Jack a peh-bah pom bahoo.'
- in case you don't recognise the original saying, it's: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Floor-walker
- US term for a shopwalker, a person in a large store who directs customers to assistants.
Play with a straight bat
- to handle something correctly, in the proper or approved manner.
Cleopatra and Helen of Troy
- Cleo was the queen of Egypt and a beautiful femme fatale; Helen, according to Greek mythology, had enough beauty to start the Trojan war and launch a thousand ships.
'Roll, bowl or pitch. Ladies half-way and no bad nuts returned.'
- from the cries at a fun fair to entice punters to play at the coconut shy.
Welshed
- decamped without paying, especially when evading paying on a bet.
Ahura-mazda
- the 'wise lord', the supreme god whose cult was propagated by the prophet Zarathustra (aka Zoroaster).
Savoy
- an expensive London hotel.
Chapter 6
'Captain Biggar ... had not spoken his love but had let concealment like a worm i' the bud feed on his tomato-coloured cheek ...'
- a version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Act 2, Scene 4.
.505 Gibbs
- a very large bullet for big game hunting, designed for firing from large bore rifles, and a rifle firing it.
Ernest Hemingway
- (1889-1962) US author and journalist, winner of the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes. His stories include some about hunting.
Harley Street physician
- Harley Street is a London street famous for its expensive doctors and clinics. It used to be an indication of quality.
'... camels bearing precious stones and rare spices.'
- 1 Kings: Chapter 10, Verse 2.
'... apes, ivory and peacocks.'
- 1 Kings: Chapter 10, Verse 22.
'... the mad luxury that led to the fall of Babylon.'
- this refers to the Biblical version of Babylon's demise, not the archaeological/historical.
'White and shaken ... like a side-car.'
- in this context, a side-car is a cocktail of brandy, triple sec and lemon or lime juice.
Chapter 7
Eden Roc
- an exclusive hotel near Antibes in the south of France.
Auld Lang Syne
- times past, nostalgia.
Billiken
- although used as a pet name here, the Billiken was a made up god of good luck, purchased as a figurine and all the rage in the early 1910s. It was 'The God of Luckiness' or 'The God of Things as They Ought To Be'. It, or at least it's likeness, is now a registered trademark of St. Louis University and is their mascot. PG used it in earlier stories.
'The dead, twelve deep, clutch at you as you go by.'
- from a letter by Rudyard Kipling published in A.B. Filson Young's 1904 book The Complete Motorist:
Charabangs
- a charabanc was an early form of motor coach. The term is still used jokingly.
'Elks, Shriners and all that.' ... 'No, no, you are thinking of Rotarians. I am a Rotationist ...'
- referring to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine and the Rotary Club respectively. These are the usual mixture of charitable works to benefit others and networking etc to benefit the members (I imply no criticism: networking is benign in itself.) The first two are American and one has be a third degree mason to join the Shriners who support children's hospitals. I cannot find any trace of Rotationism, undoubtedly an invention by PG (why every ninth generation?)
Zend Avesta of Zoroaster
- the ancient scriptures of the Zoroastrians, roughly speaking the bible of the Pharsis. It is said that parts were borrowed by the Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Agatha Christie
- (1890-1976) English best-selling crime author.
' 'Tis deeds must win the prize.'
- Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Act 2, Scene 1.
Monsieur Boussac
- Marcel Boussac (1889-1980), French racehorse owner and breeder, won the Derby in 1950 with Goncador.
Manna, Hyperion and Flying Fox
- three Epsom Derby winners as claimed, in 1925, 1933 and 1899 respectively.
Au courant
- well-informed, knowing what is going on (French).
Colney Hatch
- a mental hospital on the edge of London, a by-word for insanity.
'Probably some frightful outsider in a bowler hat and a made-up tie.'
- a gentleman would wear a top hat and tie his own ties.
Part 2
Chapter 8
Derby Dinner
- I cannot find a clear explanation of this. I can say that it has not been broadcast on radio or TV for many years.
Lower Snodsbury
- the name is probably based on Upton Snodsbury, near Worcester, an area that PG knew as a boy.
'I passed through the furnace like Shadrach, Meshach and Nebuchadnezzar or whoever it was.'
- S, M and Abednego, see Daniel: Chapter 3.
'A consummation devoutly to be wished.'
- Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1, from Hamlet's soliloquy.
'This arrant, rascally, beggarly, lousy knave ...' and
'A whoreson, beetle-headed, flap-eared knave, a knave, a rascal an eater of broken meats; a beggarly, filthy, worsted-stocking ...'
- Shakespeare. The first is Henry V, Act 4, Scene 8, quoted correctly, the second is bits of The Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, Scene 1.
Straits Settlements
- now split between Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo. Kuala Lumpur is now the capital of Malaysia.
Somerset Maugham
- (1874-1965) British author who wrote many novels set in the far east, as Jeeves says.
Dyak
- an aboriginal (native) of Borneo, from the Malay for 'savage'. Note: Captain Biggar's talk of the 'Code' was already out of date when this book was published (1953) and relates to earlier times.
Cigar-store Indian
- (US) made out of wood, so immobile.
Brass tacks
- actual details, real business; get down to brass tacks means get to essential matters.
Soigné
- carefully finished or arranged.
Cole Porter and Oscar Hammerstein
- Cole Porter (1891-1964), a highly successful American composer and songwriter. Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960), American writer, director and producer of musicals.
Emily Post
- author of Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home and often cited as an authority on manners.
'... when the fields are white with daisies he'll pay you.'
- possibly referring to the 1909 song When the fields are white with daisies, I'll return by G. M. Denison and W. A. Pratt.
'... saying "He cometh not", like ...?' 'Mariana of the Moated Grange, m'lud. Her tears fell with the dews at even; Her tears fell ere the dews were dried. She could not look on the sweet heaven either at morn or eventide.'
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Mariana.
'lodestar of his life'
- a lodestar is a guiding principle, from a star used to steer a ship by.
'... told of antres vast deserts idle and of the cannibals that each other eat, the Anthropophagi, and men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders.'
- Shakespeare, Othello, Act 1, Scene 3.
Debrett's Peerage
- in full Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, a Who's Who of the aristocracy.
Cherubim and Seraphim
- the highest orders of angelic beings.
Chapter 9
'... the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune ...'
- Hamlet's soliloquy again, see above.
Schopenhauer
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), German philosopher and a noted misogynist.
Ouled Nail dancers
- the Ouled Nail were an Algerian tribe famous for their belly dancing women.
St. Vitus's Dance
- a disorder involving convulsive involuntary movements.
Boat Race night
- the night of the annual rowing race between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, no longer so widely celebrated.
The Strand Magazine
- a monthly magazine published in the UK from 1891 to 1950 (710 issues). Early issues are in demand as the first publication of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. It also published many of Wodehouse's books and stories between 1905 and 1940.
'Those idol's eye stories.'
- perhaps the best known being The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God, a dramatic monologue by J. Milton Hayes for performing on the music hall stage, 1911. It has been much parodied since.
Frinton
- an old-fashioned resort town on the Essex coast.
Squalor Lumpit
- presumably a 'humorous' version of Kuala Lumpur.
Eton and Roedean
- public schools for boys and girls respectively, the first near Windsor, Berkshire, the second near Brighton, Sussex. Cheltenham also has a girl's college.
Brompton Oratory
- properly called the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it is a large Roman Catholic church in the Brompton Road.
Chapter 10
'... a nightingale had begun to sing ... a rave notice from the poet Keats ...'
- referring to the poem Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats.
Greenwich Village
- part of New York once frequented by the Bohemian or artistic set. Wodehouse lived there, on and off, from 1909 - 1914.
Gustave Flaubert
- (1821-80) French realist novelist, author of Madame Bovary. A perfectionist in literary style.
Sherlock Holmes and Monsieur Poirot
- two top fictional detectives, inventions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie respectively.
'He recognized himself as being in the unfortunate position of the moth in Shelley's well-known poem that allowed itself to be attracted by a star ...'
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, To_.
'... an eloquence which he had not achieved since May Week dances at Cambridge.'
- May Week is a one to two week celebration at Cambridge University originally held in May but moved to June after the end of year exams. Formal balls are a feature.
Othello, '... to become perplexed in the extreme.'
- from Shakespeare, Othello, Act 5, Scene 2. See also Chapter 19 below.
Flagon
- a large vessel for wine, with a handle, spout and lid.
Point d'appui
- base, a rallying point.
Duveen
- Joseph Duveen (1869-1939), a famous art dealer.
Chapter 11
Twentieth Century Limited
- a regular Pullman train service between NY Grand Central and Chicago from 1902 to 1967.
Tun and hogshead
- both are large casks and liquid measures: a hogshead is 52½ imperial gallons, a tun is 216 imperial (252 US) gallons.
Sarsaparilla
- dried plant roots used as a tonic and a drink made from them.
'Oh, Iago, the pity of it Iago.'
- Shakespeare, Othello, Act 4, Scene 1.
Boomps-a-daisy
- best of spirits (a Wodehouse use, possibly from the dance song by Annette Mills, which should cheer one up).
Welfare state
- Jeeves's summary of the welfare state as everyone living in complete destitution, is a gross exaggeration by a writer who had not been in England for some 13 years. It's true that the landed gentry had been hit by increased death duties on their assets (still a great bone of contention, even among 'ordinary' folk) but the vast majority of people benefited. Any general hardship was more likely caused by continued rationing after WW2 as the country struggled to pay off war loans from the US. (The payments have only just been completed after 60 years although rationing finished in the late fifties.)
'Who steals his Lordship's purse steals trash.'
- Shakespeare, Othello, Act 3, Scene 3.
'Enterprises of great pith and moment.'
- Hamlet's soliloquy one more time, see above.
Damon and Pythias
- two friends in ancient Syracuse who were prepared to die for each other.
David and Jonathan
- see 1 Samuel: Chapters 18 to 20 (or thereabouts).
Abercrombie and Fitch
- became partners in a sporting goods store in 1904; Abercrombie resigned after quarrelling with Fitch in 1907, though the stores still exist. A curious choice to illustrate friendship.
'Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness ... nips his roots.'
- Shakespeare, King Henry VIII, Act 3, Scene 2.
'... they become like the deaf adder that harkens not to the voice of charmer, charming never so wisely.'
- Psalm 58, Verses 4-5.
Old Bailey
- common name for the Central Criminal Court, a Crown Court serving London and also major cases that are better held away from the area where the crimes were (allegedly) committed. It is in the street named Old Bailey.
Wormwood Scrubs
- a London prison.
'He wants his pound of flesh.'
- a reference to the main plot of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
Ditchingham
- there is a village of this name in Norfolk but this is undoubtedly a coincidence, Towcester being over a hundred miles distant.
'For blessings ever wait on virtuous deeds ...'
- William Congreve, The Mourning Bride, Act 5, Scene 12.
Commandos
- elite volunteer units within the British WW2 armed forces, initially formed as raider groups. They gave rise to the SAS and SBS and continue in the Royal Marines today.
Chapter 12
'... if one went by the form book ...'
- used figuratively here to indicate the way one expects things to go, the form book is a published book detailing the performances (form) of horses in races for bookmakers and the serious better (UK).
'He groaned in spirit.'
- John: Chapter 11, Verse 33.
'A sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering happier things ...'
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Locksley Hall.
'... its meaning was as clear as if it had been the 'Eureka' of Archimedes.'
- the mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse (3rd C. BC) was said to have leapt naked from his bath shouting 'Eureka' (I have found it!) on discovering how to solve a difficult problem concerning the density of metals.
In articulo mortis
- at the point of death.
'Oh, brook, oh babbling brook' and
'I chatter over stony ways in little sharps and trebles, I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles.'
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Brook.
'Then you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.'
- Rudyard Kipling, Gunga Din, in which the much beaten Indian servant proves himself a far better man than his British empire-building masters.
Uppingham
- a public school in Rutland.
'... starting to feel in my pocket for a baht or a tical ...'
- the baht is the currency of Thailand and was previously called the tical. Why Capt. Biggar should be searching for Thai currency in Shanghai (China) is not explained.
'... caught low down in the gully off a googly ...'
- cricket terms. Gully is a field position, wide of the slips (at about 4-5 o'clock behind the batsman). A googly is a variation on a 'leg-break' which is a ball bowled by a right-armed bowler with spin such that it bounces from right to left. In a googly, the ball bounces from left to right. It is more difficult to bowl and works by surprising the batsman.
Chapter 13
Rodin's Penseur
- a famous statue, also known as 'The Thinker', of a seated naked man resting his chin on his closed hand.
'... would follow as doth the night the day ...'
- based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3.
Buck-and-wing steps
- a buck-and wing dance is a solo tap dance with leg flings and leaps so its steps must be fairly energetic and heavy.
'If 'twere done, then 'twere well 'twere done quickly.'
- Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 7.
Dartmoor
- another prison, this one is in the middle of the Devon moorland of the same name. A grim place.
'Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar ...'
- Adela Florence Nicolson, one of the Indian Love Lyrics in The Garden of Kama by Laurence Hope.
'For they're hanging Danny Deever in the morning.'
- Rudyard Kipling, Danny Deever from the Barrack-Room Ballads.
'Putting his fate to the test, to win or lose it all.'
- probably James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, My dear and only love.
Charles James Fox
- (1749-1806) British politician and abolitionist. Despite an extravagant lifestyle, losing huge sums gambling, he went into politics at 19, later becoming Britain's first Foreign Secretary. He stayed in Parliament until his death.
Wattier's
- a gaming club in Piccadilly, opened in 1782.
Chapter 14
'... resemblance to King Lear on one of his bad mornings ...'
- in Shakespeare's play, he had a marked tendency to depression.
Marcus Aurelius quotes
- these depend on the translation used although PG knew Latin and could have taken these from the original. Marcus was a Roman Emperor and philosopher.
'... as David danced before Saul ...'
- David did not dance before Saul (as far as I can tell) but before his God. See 2 Samuel: Chapter 6, Verse 14.
Bob Hope
- (1903-2003) American entertainer noted for his one-liners and wisecracks.
Milton Berle
- (1908-2002) US comedian and actor who had a long-running TV series in the late forties - early fifties.
'[... the pendant] droppeth as the gentle rain upon the place beneath.'
- Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1.
'... the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought.'
- guess what? It's Hamlet's soliloquy again.
Byronic
- dark, mysterious or moody, after Lord Byron.
Carmagnole
- a street dance with a simple, easy to remember song that was popular during the French Revolution as it allowed the illiterate to profess their support for the rebellion.
Casanova
- Giovanni Giacomo Casanova, 18th C. famous adventurer and lover, whose name has become a byword.
Don Juan
- the legendary seducer.
Chapter 15
'Twas now the very witching time of night ...'
- Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2.
'... to knit up the ravelled sleave of care.'
- Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 2.
'Many a time and oft ...'
- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 3 (also The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 3).
Farthingale
- a hooped petticoat, a woman's undergarment fastened around the waist and hanging loose.
Wimple
- a linen head covering originally intended to frame and enhance a woman's face and nothing to do with modesty or nuns, although adopted by them.
Jiminy Christmas
- a mild epithet, substituting for 'Jesus Christ'.
'... she would be with me with ... her hair in a braid.'
- with me with enthusiasm.
The Hunting of the Snark
- poem by Lewis Carroll. 'For the Snark was a boojum, you see.'
Part 3
Chapter 16
'... feeling a little better after cleaning his bosom of the perilous stuff that weighs upon the soul ...'
- Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 3.
'"Ichabod," he was saying to himself, and meant it.'
- Ichabod is probably a nonsense word used as a substitute for an oath. The alternatives are Eli's grandson (1 Samuel: Chapter 4, Verse 21), a reference to Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman or the Hebrew for inglorious or 'the glory has departed'!
'Out of the night that covered the chief constable, black as the pit - ... - from pole to pole ...'
- William Ernest Henley, Invictus.
The Times
- a long running national daily newspaper.
'... he looked like a retired member of Singer's troupe of midgets ...'
- Singer's Midgets were a vaudeville troop of midgets brought to the US from Europe in the early 1920s by Leo Singer. They appeared in the film The Wizard of Oz (as Munchkins) and continued for some years after.
Chapter 17
OC
- Officer Commanding.
'... jumping like a galvanized frog ...'
- Luigi Galvani (1737-98) was an Italian physicist and anatomist who noticed that frog's legs twitch or jump when an electric current is applied to them. He gave his name to the process of applying electricity as a medical treatment for muscles and nerves (amongst other things).
Mrs Dogsbody
- used here as 'Mrs What's-her-name' or similar. (A dogsbody is usually a menial or drudge so its use might cause confusion.)
Solar topees
- or topis, sun hats with a domed top; the classic explorer's hat in films.
In his cups
- drunk.
'Lot of stuff about the Guineas form.'
- either or both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas races which are run in May at Newmarket and are for 3-year olds over 1 mile. The former is for fillies only. (The idea is to gauge likely performance in the Derby from earlier performance in the Guineas.)
Two o'goblins
- two pounds, from the rhyming slang 'jimmy o'goblins' = sovereigns.
Selfridge's
- a large department store in Oxford Street, London.
Lester Piggott
- a highly successful flat racing jockey - many punters would bet on a horse just because he was riding it.
Chapter 18
Beano
- (abbreviation for beanfeast) a celebration or party, used here in a wider sense for the race meeting.
'Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood ...'
- Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1, from the 'Once more into the breach' speech.
'... a disposition to rend garments and scatter ashes on the head.'
- activities associated with atonement or repentance in Jewish custom.
'A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.'
- Rudyard Kipling, The Betrothed.
'Look for the silver lining, whenever clouds appear in the blue ...'
- from Look for the Silver Lining from the musical Sally with words by Bud de Silva or P. G. Wodehouse.
Jael
- the story of Jael and her activities with a spike is told in Judges: Chapter 5, Verses 24-27.
'... before the gumbo closes over my head?'
- as gumbo is a soup thickened with okra pods this another one of PG's variations on 'in the soup', in trouble.
Country Life
- a weekly UK magazine dedicated to up-market country life.
Chapter 19
Battle of Joppa
- a Crusader stronghold that was besieged in 1102 and also subject to fighting in 1187, 1192 and 1268. Joppa is now called Jaffa.
'It was with something of the spirit of Sir Philip Sidney who gave the water to the stretcher case ...'
- Sir Philip (1554-86) was a poet, courtier and soldier. The story goes that when dying he gave his bottle of water to another wounded soldier saying 'Your need is greater than mine.'
'Then must I speak of one who loved ... medicinal gum.'
- incorrectly quoted from Shakespeare's Othello, Act 5, Scene 2.
Doncaster
- a racecourse in south Yorkshire.
Nolle prosequi
- literally, a refusal to pursue.
'... vowing that he would ne'er consent, consented ...'
- from W. Somerset Maugham's, Of Human Bondage.
'... she cried, like a woman wailing for her demon lover ...'
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan.
Lock, stock and barrel
- all of it, the whole thing. From the parts of an old pistol - flintlock or matchlock.
Chapter 20
'I say, did I drop a brick?'
- did I blunder seriously?
Galatea
- the girl who came alive from the statue in Pygmalion (in Schiller's poem The Ideals).
Chapter 21
Gordon Richards
- (1904-88) 26 times champion jockey, knighted for his achievements.
Chapter 22
Zebu
- a humped ox of India, Asia and Africa.
'... I was singing "Oh, perfect love" at his wedding.'
- O Perfect Love by Dorothy Blomfield Gurney, 1883.
Telegraph, Mail and Express
- three national newspapers.
William Randolph Hearst
- (1863-1951) an American newspaper magnate, he had an estate, Hearst Castle, near San Simeon in California, which PG once visited.
'I do believe in fairies.'
- an allusion to Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.