Opera Chapter

About the Opera

The Mikado

All friction between Gilbert and Sullivan was dissolved -- at least for a time -- when Gilbert hit on the idea of setting the next opera in Japan, turning his back on topsy-turvydom and the magic lozenge -- also at least for a time. Although the setting was Japanese, the butt of Gilbert's wit was very much English, albeit kimono-clad. Everything about The Mikado fell perfectly into place. The story line is clever, the characters are nicely drawn, the lines are witty, and the music is of enduring beauty and perfectly suited to the words.

The Mikado opened at the Savoy on March 14, 1885, and ran for a record-breaking 672 performances. It remains the most popular of all the Savoy operas and may well claim to be the most-often-performed theatrical work in world history (182).

Characters

Mikado
An honorific title for the emperor of Japan. The word is made up of the Japanese words mi (honorable) and kado (gate -- of the imperial palace) (250). Knight (178) says the term is used in a spiritual, indirect sense, the spiritual emperor being held in such awe that a direct mention of his name would be impossible. More prosaically, we may mention that we have visited two towns that bear the name. One, in Michigan, was founded in 1885 but no official name was assigned until 1888, when the Assistant Postmaster General (apparently a noble G&S fan) chose to name it after the opera. The other, in Saskatchewan (Canada), was founded by expatriate Russian settlers. They chose that name as their way of thumbing their collective nose at the Tsar during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). In Michigan the natives pronounce it muh KAY doe; in Saskatchewan they call it muh CAD oh.
Yum-Yum
As set to music, the name is best pronounced yum-YUM in some places and YUM-yum in others.
In his children's version of the story (133) Gilbert gives this tongue-in-cheek translation of his heroine's name: The full moon of delight which sheds her remarkable beams over a sea of infinite loveliness, thus indicating a glittering path by which she may be approached by those who are willing to brave the perils which necessarily await the daring adventurers who seek to reach her by those means. As Gilbert goes on to remark, still tongue-in-cheek, the Japanese language is exceptionally compact.
Ko-Ko
Bradley (48) claims that the word has at least 37 meanings in Japanese, depending on how it is pronounced. MacPhail (194) and I, however, have independently concluded that Gilbert probably intended no meaning, but might well have taken inspiration from what was then a widely advertised hair tonic. Von Eckhardt (297) shows a photograph of a London horse-drawn wagon embellished with bold signs reading Koko for the Hair. Contemporary advertising claimed the tonic would keep hair from turning gray or falling out. Stanley DeOrsey (260) adds that the tonic was made by the Koko-Maricopas Company of London. There are other suggested sources as well. Aurora (15) nominates the character Ko-ko-ri-ko in Offenbach's operetta Ba-ta-clan. Walters (303) suggests another candidate: Ko-kil-ko, a shopkeeper in Thompson and Hervé's Aladdin. The subject is now declared beaten to death.
Pooh-Bah
The name has come to be synonymous with any important personage (especially one who is all puffed up about it) and, indeed, you will find it entered in some dictionaries. In the Boundary Waters of Minnesota there happens to be a Poobah Lake, but that is supposedly an Indian name and has nothing whatsoever to do with the opera (304).
Pish-Tush
A name that marries two exclamations of contempt. Stone (284) mentions that Gilbert's Bab Ballad King Borria Bungalee Boo has a character referred to as the haughty Pish-Tush-Pooh-Bah. This is but one example of how Gilbert used components of his ballads in the Savoy operas.
Go-To
This noble lord is listed in some editions of the libretto but not others. (He is a bass singer who is used in the madrigal in place of Pish-Tush if the latter cannot hit the low notes.) The expression is a bob-tailed version of Go to ______ (fill in to suit your mood). Brewer (54) says it is an exclamation, often of impatience or reproof, or as an exhortation like 'Come'. Shakespeare used it in Julius Caesar. More to the point, Gilbert has both Pooh-Bah and Katisha saying it in The Mikado. Prestige (245) says it is a mild reproof similar to pish or tush.
Pitti-Sing
Victorian baby talk for pretty thing.
Peep-Bo
This is not only the reverse of Bo-Peep, but is also what English parents may say instead of Peekaboo! (56).
Wards
These are minors under the court-appointed guardianship of an adult.
Katisha
Burgess (60) recommends pronouncing it catty sha, which seems appropriate.

Act I

Obi [He carries … a bundle of ballads in his obi ]
A Japanese cummerbund. (In some editions no mention is made of Nanki-Poo's obi; the stage directions say he carries the bundle in his hand.)
Minstrel [A wandering minstrel I ]
A musician, singer, or poet. In this case a struggling trombonist who is also an accomplished tenor who accompanies himself on a native guitar.
Shreds and patches
Scarecrows have been called figures of shreds and patches. Brewer (54) notes that Vice used to be personified as a mimic king in motley garb. Shakespeare has Hamlet refer to his villainous uncle, the king, as A vice of kings! A cutpurse of the empire and the rule … A king of shreds and patches. Well, Nanki-Poo is really a prince of shreds and patches, so it fits right in.
Ballads
Stories in verse set to music.
Snatches
Bits and fragments of song.
Cut and dried
Already prepared.
Serried [in serried ranks assembled ]
Shoulder to shoulder.
Capstan [We'll heave the capstan round ]
A manually operated reel for hauling in ropes aboard a ship. See the entry for Handspike in The Pirates of Penzance.
A-trip [Her anchor's a-trip ]
This means the anchor has been broken out of the mud and is ready to be hauled aboard so the ship can sail.
A-lee [her helm's a-lee ]
This means that the rudder has been turned so as to swing the ship's bow into the wind and perhaps head her in another direction.
To lay aloft
To climb into the rigging, usually in order to raise or lower sails.
As the fiddler swings us round
The work of heaving up the anchor with a capstan was often given tempo by a man playing a fiddle. One more opportunity for you students of music.
And a rumbelow
The OED (229) tells us this is a meaningless set of syllables used as a refrain, originally by sailors when rowing. In some editions the word is mistakenly split into rum below, which may have resulted from wishful thinking on the part of some thirsty typesetter. (But, see the entry for Grog in HMS Pinafore.) In his children's book The Story of The Mikado (133), Gilbert appends this footnote:

I have no idea what a rumbelow may be. No doubt it is some nautical article that is extremely useful on-board ship, for it is so often alluded to in sea-songs. It seems to hold the same place in a sea-song that the old plantation does in negro minstrelsy.

Protestations [to listen to my protestations ]
Assurances, in this case of undying affection.
Reprieved [reprieved at the last moment ]
Given temporary suspension of a sentence, in this case, of death.
Succinct [in words succinct ]
Brief and to the point.
Connubially [Unless connubially linked ]
An adverb implying a state of being married.
Decapited
Gilbert's poetic license applied to decapitated, i.e., beheaded.
Pre-Adamite [of Pre-Adamite ancestral descent ]
Brewer (26D) informs us that this was the name given by Isaac de la Peyrère to a race of men whom he thought to have existed before the days of the Garden of Eden. He thought that only Jews are descended from Adam and Eve and that Gentiles derive from Pre-Adamites.
Protoplasmal
Pertains to the substance from which all plant and animal life are formed. Bradley (48) reminds us that when the opera was written Darwin's theory of evolution was still relatively new and, whereas traditionalists argued that Darwin was demeaning mankind, Gilbert turns the debate around and shows that Pooh-Bah takes great pride in his family tree that extends back even beyond 1066.
Primordial
Original form of any matter.
Globule
A small sphere of matter.
Lord Chief Justice
Title given to heads of the courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas. Now given to the President of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court (141). Note that the term Chief in the title implies the position of presiding officer in a court of several judges (75).

[Note: For authoritative explanations of all Gilbert's legal and political terms you cannot do better than refer to Goodman (141).]

Commander-in-Chief
Top officer in the army.
Lord High Admiral
Top officer in the navy.
Master of the Buckhounds
Person in charge of the monarch's hunting dogs.
Groom of the Back Stairs
The term groom is not confined to a servant who takes care of horses. He may also be a household officer. Back stairs allow servants to go from floor to floor without disturbing the upper class inhabitants or their guests. A Groom of the Back Stairs is mentioned in Vanity Fair (287). Paget (230) says that until late in the eighteenth century English royal palaces had special back stairs guards. These discreet Yeomen of the Guard, on back stairs duty, admitted private visitors to the monarch. The visitors, whether ministers or mistresses, entered the palace through an inconspicuous door and mounted the back stairs. This is the source of the phrase back stairs influence. Isn't it delightful what titillating gems one can pick up in a lexicon? Incidentally, for what it's worth, a 1991 newspaper article (13) mentions a Page of the Back Stairs then currently employed in Buckingham Palace.
Archbishop of Titipu
The chief bishop in the region of Titipu. You may be sure that is an imaginary position.
Lord Mayor
The civic head of the town.
Minion [I a salaried minion! ]
A common servant. See also Thespis, Ruddigore, and The Zoo.
Go to [Likewise go to ]
Go-To the character has already been presented under Characters. Here we find the expression in the form of an admonition to give up hope and depart.
Ablutioner [You very imperfect ablutioner ]
Pooh-Bah seems to imply that Nanki-Poo needs a bath, which at first seems out of character for a G&S tenor. But remember that he has been traveling for a month, or nearly, and without so much as a pocket handkerchief to mop his brow or dust his sandals. Then, too, there are just so many words that rhyme with executioner.
Cut a dash
Put on a showy display (115).
Toddle
A colloquialism for stroll. See also The Gondoliers.
Diminutioner
One who reduces something -- or somebody. Another Gilbertian creation.
Defer
To yield, or bow, or both.
Recognizances [Liberated then on bail, on my own recognizances ]
A contract entered into with a court by which a person pledges himself, without the posting of any bond, to appear at his trial when summoned (178).
Up in dates
This refers to little terrors who have memorized a bunch of historic dates and can't wait to prove they know more than you. Psyche, in Princess Ida, had been such an obnoxious little exhibitionist at an early age.
Pestilential
Noxious and vexing.
Tête-à-têtes
TET-ah-TETs
French for head-to-head, implying a confidential, perhaps romantic, conversation. See also Utopia, Limited.
Piano-organist
One who earns a living by traveling around the streets of a city with a decibelious music-making contraption called a piano-organ. Some people toss coins in his hat hoping he will play more, others hoping he will go far away. The piano-organ takes its name from the barrel organ, which it resembles. Both are mechanical contrivances actuated like oversize music boxes; i.e., they have a large revolving cylinder, or barrel, studded with metal pins that trigger the tone-generating elements. The barrel-organist (a past master of that delicately modulated instrument) is required to turn the handle that turns the barrel. See entry for Organ boys in Princess Ida.
Provinces [the lady from the provinces ]
To a Londoner the provinces means anywhere in the United Kingdom outside Greater London.
Guy [who dresses like a guy ]
This refers to the effigies of Guy Fawkes that are burned each November 5 in Britain to celebrate his lack of success in blowing up the Houses of Parliament in 1605 (54, 115, 257). Stedman (273) notes that the phrase was also current in Gilbert's day as meaning someone grotesque or ridiculously dressed -- in this case the lady dresses inappropriately in attempting to look fashionable. Bradshaw (51) assures us the expression is still in use in England. Some observers think Gilbert had in mind the American slang term for a man. The term was in those days not well known in England (115), so I doubt the validity of the proposal.
Anomaly [That singular anomaly ]
Something, or someone odd, strange, peculiar, abnormal, or downright weird. From Latin and Greek for irregular.
Nisi Prius [that Nisi Prius nuisance ]
Nigh-sigh PRY-us
The literal meaning is unless before, and was applied to cases that formerly were brought before local assize courts when, technically, they should have been heard in London. Actions such as these were entered for hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice unless heard before (48, 178). (Assizes were periodic courts held in the provinces and presided over by London judges on circuit) (75). McElroy (209) adds that Gilbert, knowing both law and wit, must have taken a wry view of certain judges who were wont to substitute poor wit for real law. Gilbert had had his share of being part of a captive audience.

[Note: Latin teachers and other purists question the pronunciation shown above, but that is how it was traditionally sung by D'Oyly Carte performers, and is presumably how Gilbert wanted it (260).]

Lord Chamberlain
The manager of the officers and servants of the king's household. He was in Gilbert's day responsible for licensing stage performances and was, in effect, the official censor. Thus, a few minutes later when Ko-Ko wants to kiss Yum-Yum and she demurs, Ko-Ko appeals to Pooh-Bah (as Lord Chamberlain) for approval. Hyder (161) observes that Gilbert here is stepping out of the proscenium and winking at the audience. See also The Gondoliers and Utopia, Limited.
Attorney-General
The chief legal officer of the Crown in England (75).
Chancellor of the Exchequer
British minister of finance.
Privy Purse
The Keeper of the Privy Purse is an officer of the British royal household who is in charge of the payment of the sovereign's expenses, including all the principal charities. Dunn (100) expresses doubt that Pooh-Bah could have held such a position because he was, after all, only a local official. Dunn forgets the all-too-apparent possibility that Pooh-Bah was also the Supreme Appointer to Exalted Stations.
Solicitor
In Britain solicitors are lawyers who can give legal advice, handle business transactions, and take cases before the lower courts. At the time of the opera, however, only barristers were allowed to plead cases in superior courts. If you were involved in a court case you had to retain a solicitor who would in turn solicit the services of a barrister. Keep this in mind next time you are arrested in Liverpool. For a more detailed exposition, see the entry for Barrister in Trial By Jury.
Cook the accounts
In colloquial English, to cook means to falsify (115). Need we say more?
Squared [I don't say that all these distinguished people couldn't be squared ]
Bribed (115).
Abject [an abject grovel ]
Degraded and contemptible.
Grovel
GRUV-el
To abase oneself, face down in the dirt or whatever happens to be underfoot. The word is derived from Anglo Saxon groof, belly (266).
Trammels [From scholastic trammels free ]
Constraints. (Those were in the good old days when students were expected to behave.)
Seminary [from a ladies' seminary ]
A school of secondary or higher level for young women (250).
Genius tutelary [Freed from its genius tutelary ]
The OED (229) says regarding genius: With reference to classical pagan belief: The tutelary god or attendant spirit allotted to every person at his birth to govern his fortune and determine his character … ; also, the tutelary and controlling spirit similarly connected with a place, an institution, etc. To this we may add that tutelary pertains to guardianship.
Marine Parade
In seaside resort cities, a waterfront street or promenade, usually with the beach on one side and major hotels, shops, etc., on the other. Since few American audiences understand the term, Pitti-Sing might substitute some familiar words such as board walk. I admit this would spoil Yum-Yum's dumb reference to a musical instrument, but that's a badly strained joke that might well be left out anyhow.

Tremendous swell
A person whose bearing and attire give every evidence of conspicuous consumption and self-esteem.
Prerogative [To our prerogative we cling ]
A privilege appropriate to a person's rank or position. Pooh-Bah had a slew of 'em.
Age [But I would wait until you were of age! ]
Of full legal age.
Years of discretion
Same as age of discretion: In law, the age at which a person becomes legally responsible for certain acts and competent to exercise certain powers (250).
Lucius Junius Brutus
A Roman consul who lived about 500 b.c. He condemned his own two sons to death when they were caught in a plot to restore the villainous Tarquinius to the monarchy (55). Knight (178) adds that Lucius Junius Brutus's name has become synonymous with duty above all.
Capital [To flirt is capital ]
Capital here means both wonderful and punishable by death. To pun may be capital, too.
Plighted [Were you not to Ko-Ko plighted ]
Solemnly pledged, i.e., engaged to be married.
Con fuoco [To embrace you thus, con fuoco ]
KAHN foo-OH-ko
With fervor (Italian).
Gioco [Would distinctly be no gioco ]
JOE-ko
Italian for game, child's play, joke, fun, or jest. In some editions the word is spelled giuoco.
And for yam I should get toco
For today's audiences this is one of the most confusing expressions in the entire G&S canon. Let's start with toco. The OED (228) defines this as slang for chastisement or corporal punishment. There is good evidence that it was a common expression in Victorian England (115, 251). In some editions, incidentally, the word is spelled toko. Partridge (234) has an entry: Toco for yam. To be punished. It goes on to say that the expression, which dates back as far as 1860, is analogous to the Biblical stone for a loaf of bread. More explicitly, you can take it to mean For doing something pleasant I should be punished. I think we can conclude that the term was generally understood in the vernacular of the day, but mystifies people today. Whoever is playing Yum-Yum can substitute that for yam and accompany toko with a finger drawn across her throat. If people still don't understand, it's their own fault for not owning a copy of this book.
Soliloquizing
Reciting to oneself (but letting the audience hear).
Apostrophe [You have interrupted an apostrophe, sir! ]
A digression in speech to address some person or personification that may or may not be present.
Reserve [We might reserve that point ]
To postpone a decision, particularly on a legal issue.
Earnest [an earnest of your desire ]
Token or proof.
Adamant [but there I am adamant ]
Absolutely unyielding. See also Princess Ida.
Mortified
Disciplined and humiliated.
Condign [Of a hero fine, with grief condign ]
Suitable.
Dock [in a dull, dark dock ]
A small enclosed space, or cell. The original meaning was a rabbit hutch, fowl pen, or cage (229). This is not to be confused with the criminal court-room dock, which is an enclosure for the accused prisoner.
Pestilential [In a pestilential prison ]
Extremely unhealthy.
Chippy [a cheap and chippy chopper ]
Unwell; seedy. Generally used to describe the results of overindulgence in eating and drinking, etc. (115). Alternatively, Walters (302) thinks chopper refers to the ax or sword and, being cheap, is unlikely to do the work neatly, but must chip away. Rees (254) proposes that chippy means the cutting edge of the instrument is ragged (chipped). See entry for Awry in The Yeomen of the Guard. The following sketch is from one of Gilbert's Bab Ballads.
Respited [to be respited at the last moment ]
Granted a temporary stay of execution.
Happy Dispatch
A euphemism for Hara-Kiri, from hara meaning belly and kiri, meaning cut. It refers to suicide by disembowelment as formerly practiced, with due ceremony, by the highest classes in Japan when in disgrace. Knight (178) adds that the suicide's family was also required to die with him unless a special writ was obtained from the emperor. The practice went out in the late 1800s.
Fighting cock [You'll live like a fighting cock ]
Brewer (56) says this means to have a profusion of the best food so as to increase endurance and pugnacity. (Cock fighting is still a popular activity in many rural communities throughout the world.)
Distracted [Yum-Yum distracted ]
Frantically unhappy.
Line [If you can draw the line ]
A firm and precise limit. The stage direction Preparing rope gives visual emphasis to the pun.
Hear, Hear, Hear!
English expression of approval. See also The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, and The Zoo.
Eventime [Life's eventime comes much too soon ]
This is apparently Gilbert's made-up contraction of evening time. He could as well have used the established word eventide, which means the same thing. Metaphorically speaking, he is referring to late middle age.
Toast
A compliment or salute directed toward some person or cause. The word supposedly came from the ancient custom of floating a piece of toast in the drink hoisted during the speech (55).
Three times three
Brewer (56) has good deal to say about the number three. As a start it is associated with many pertinent matters in classical beliefs. The world was under the control of three gods: Jupiter (heavens), Neptune (sea) and Pluto (underworld). Jupiter is represented with three-pronged lightning, Neptune with a trident, and Pluto with a three-headed dog. There were three Fates, three Harpies, three Graces, and three Furies. In Christianity we find the Holy Trinity, and the three graces: faith, hope and charity. Going one step beyond, as Pooh-Bah has done, we multiply the potency of the number by multiplying it by itself, producing a trinity of trinities. Brewer lists many expressions using the number nine, ranging from cats with nine lives to the nine muses. He mentions that the cat-o'-nine tails was considered best for punishing evil-doers; being a trinity of trinities, it would be both more sacred and more efficacious. Finally, he mentions that We drink a Three-times-three to those most highly honored.
Blight [Rain blight on our festivities ]
Ruin or frustration.
Perjured [I claim my perjured lover ]
Guilty of violating an oath.
Cloy [delights that never cloy ]
Grow tiresome.
Fleest [Oh fool, that fleest my hallowed joys ]
FLEE-est
Flees.
Hallowed
Archaic form of hallow, meaning sacred. Hallowed joys presumably means wedded bliss.
Equipoise [Oh blind, that seest no equipoise ]
A counter-balancing factor, e.g., a fascinating right elbow to offset a caricature of a face. In his children's book (133) Gilbert adds this footnote: I fancy that she meant by this that Nanki-Poo was so short-sighted as not to perceive that her moral and social qualities were an adequate compensation for the drawbacks of advanced age and damaged personal appearance. But when people lapse into poetry you never can be sure what they mean. Anyone who aspires to publish a G&S lexicon will particularly appreciate that last sentence.
Judgest, grudgest, etc.
Presumably pseudo-archaic forms of judges and grudges (or begrudges). The same for rulest, foolest, scornest, and warnest in Katisha's second verse.
Dole [Love's lightest dole ]
An allocation.
Lore-laden years
Years spent in soaking up knowledge.
Smooth tongue
Glibness.
Knell [Thy knell is rung ]
Slow tolling of a bell to signal a death. Katisha, we hope, does not mean this to be taken literally. Or does she? Prestige (245) thinks so.
Rue [this insult you shall rue! ]
Regret.
Sue [on your knees you'll sue ]
Make an appeal.
O ni! bikkuri shakkuri to!
This is the chorus's uproar for drowning out Katisha's exposé. Many authorities (21, 145, 147, 149, 157, 209, 210, 286) have proposed translations, but there emerges no consensus. As for Gilbert, he says only that it is a humorous song (133), and that ought to be good enough for us.
Gambado [I'll spoil -- your gay gambado ]
Rhymes with Mikado.
The OED (229) defines this as, among other things, any sudden or fantastic action.
Oya! oya!
Meaningless filler words for the final repetition of O ni! bikkuri shakkuri to!
Owl [Ill-omened owl ]
As one definition of the word, the OED (229) gives us: Applied to a person in allusion to … figurative repugnance of light. In a single word, Karr (170) suggests baleful. Walters (301) tells us the owl was traditionally a bird of ill omen and its appearance was supposed to herald a great tragedy.

Act II

Bridal toilet [seated at her bridal toilet ]
The act of dressing and last-minute titivating in readiness for a wedding. (Perhaps you should know that the original meaning of toilet was a dressing table.)
Raven [Braid the raven hair ]
Glossy black.
Deck [Deck the maiden fair ]
Adorn.
Coral [Dye the coral lip ]
Reddish-pink.
Roe [Like a frightened roe ]
A small, agile Old World deer (250).
Marriage-tide [Modesty at marriage-tide ]
Time of marriage.
Artless [in my artless Japanese way ]
Natural, simple, uncontrived, and without guile.
Effulgent [He glories all effulgent! ]
Giving off a flood of light.
Celestial [The moon's Celestial Highness ]
Pertaining to the heavens.
Diffidence [Of diffidence or shyness ]
Lack of self-confidence.
Take the top off it [It does seem to take the top off it ]
To take the edge off it; to skim off the cream. Halton (147) says this is said colloquially of ale or beer that has gone stale.
Efface [Then we'll efface it ]
Erase, expunge, delete.
Madrigal
An unaccompanied part-song for three or more singers. Madrigals as a form go back at least four centuries.
Tocsin [Though the tocsin sound, ere long ]
A warning bell.
Master of the Rolls
The Master of the Rolls is the third most important judge in the English legal hierarchy, ranking below the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice. He is also the chief custodian of official records (243). The position was introduced by George IV in 1838 to care for all ancient state documents (319). Goodman (141) expounds at some length on the historical developments affecting the office. He notes that the responsibilities in Gilbert's time were altogether different from those of today (to say nothing of those in Japan then or now).
Judge Ordinary
The judge of the Court of Probate and Divorce, previous to 1876 (228).
Lord Chancellor
In Britain the Lord Chancellor is the highest judicial authority, about equivalent in rank to the Chief Justice of the United States. He is also the Speaker of the House of Lords. Goodman (142) says he is the only judge in England who is a politician, and has five separate functions (but I'll not burden you with the details). See also Iolanthe.
How-de-do [Here's a how-de-do! ]
A colloquialism, short for How do you do? (115). Today we might say, somewhat less delicately, Here's a can of worms! MacPhail (194) says that Sullivan in his autograph full score invariably writes How d'ye do.
Ignominiously
In public disgrace.
Blue-bottle [I never even killed a blue-bottle ]
A large fly about equivalent to a horsefly.
Nominal [the duties were purely nominal ]
Literally in name only. In short, Ko-Ko thought that as Lord High Executioner his duties were to attend to the superficial formalities but not the actual dirty work.
Affidavit [when making an affidavit ]
A statement in writing made on oath, sworn before someone who has authority to administer it (141).
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Minister of the home office responsible amongst other things for the role of the police at a national level (141).
Perjure [are required to perjure ourselves ]
To involve oneself in violating an oath; e.g., to falsify an affidavit. Tush.
Commissionaire
A uniformed messenger, doorman, or porter. For further details see entry for same term in Thespis.
Miya sama
The start of the chorus at the entry of the Mikado. The words are an authentic Japanese marching song of Gilbert's day. The meaning is approximately as follows: Oh, Prince, what is that fluttering in front of your horse? A second verse, which Gilbert omits, gives this reply: It is the imperial standard given to us to carry with us as we go to punish enemies of the Imperial Government (197). Bradley (48) offers further details.
Sect [I govern each tribe and sect ]
Any group, party, or faction united by a specific doctrine or under a doctrinal leader (250).
Own [All cheerfully own my sway ]
Admit.
Sway
Rule.
Philanthropist [a true philanthropist ]
One who does good deeds inspired by a love of mankind; just the sort of person who organizes amateur G&S performing groups.
Pent [each prisoner pent ]
Locked up in durance vile.
Prosy [All prosy dull society sinners ]
Prosaic, unimaginative, and probably long-winded.
Mystical Germans
Halton (147) explains that these were Lutheran evangelists who traveled around England delivering long, and often tiresome, sermons.
Madame Tussaud's waxwork
Tussaud's: too-SOZE
A London museum exhibiting lifelike wax effigies of famous people. A native of Switzerland, Madame Tussaud learned modeling in Paris, and started a museum exhibiting figures of famous and infamous people. Bradley (48) claims that she was compelled to make wax casts of the heads of victims of the guillotine. She moved her exhibit to London in 1802, one hopes without those replicated heads.
Puce [or stains her grey hair puce ]
A dark or purplish brown. The word is derived from the French for flea, puce being the color of the little rascals, if you look carefully and closely. Or perhaps you'd be willing to take our word for it.
Permanent walnut juice
In case you didn't know it, walnut juice leaves brown stains on your skin that may last for days or weeks depending on how often and with what vigor you wash. As pointed out in Thespis, a dark complexion was considered a distinguishing mark of the lower classes.
Buffer [We only suffer to ride on a buffer ]
One of those big shock absorbers you see on the ends of British railroad cars. If you've never seen one, you may rest assured they are not meant for riding.
Parliamentary trains
In 1844 the British Parliament decreed that each workday every railroad company had to run at least one train in each direction, with stops at every station, and run at least twelve miles an hour. The law was changed in 1883, but those minimum-fare parliamentary trains were still slow and uncomfortable (48, 178).
Music-hall [The music-hall singer ]
Music halls were a unique feature of Victorian England. They were in effect glorified saloons. Food and drink were served along with musical entertainment. Catering to a working class audience, the performers were not necessarily top-rate, nor were their selections of the highest order (or least Gilbert didn't seem to think much of them).
Masses [Of masses and fugues and ops ]
A mass is a composition for mixed choir, generally with instrumental accompaniment. The text is in Latin and follows a set pattern of the Roman Catholic liturgy. Originally intended for worship services, masses may also be performed in secular settings.
Fugues
Musical compositions in a strict style involving counter-play between various voices or groups of instruments. See also The Pirates of Penzance.
Ops
This is presumably meant to be the plural of the contraction of opus (meaning a musical work) (164). The audience would surely be familiar with it as the standard abbreviation seen in their concert programs. Gilbert might also have meant it as an abbreviated form of opera (294). Either interpretation fits the context.
Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): The great German organist and composer. Bradley (48) points out that Sullivan inserts at this point the first twelve notes of Bach's Fugue in G Minor, to be played by clarinet and bassoon.
Spohr
This is Ludwig (or Louis) Spohr, a German composer (1784-1859) who produced a goodly number of oratorios, symphonies, chamber works, and operas. There was a time when many musicians considered him to outrank Beethoven (8).
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Another great (perhaps the greatest) composer, also a German.
Monday Pops
Popular concerts. Jacobs (163) explains the term as being short for Classical Monday Popular Concerts. They were established in 1858 by the music publishing house of Chappell and were held in St. James's Hall, on the site of the present-day Piccadilly Hotel. See Goodman (140) for many more details.
Sharp [The billiard sharp ]
Among the many meanings of sharp are artful and dealing cleverly but unfairly. A billiard sharp, like a card sharp, reflects these characteristics while wakefully working his wonderful wiles to win wrongful wagers from witless wretches. The modern term is hustler.
Barred [On a spot that's always barred ]
I interpret this as meaning behind bars. On the other hand, Bradley (48), Halton (147), Terry (286), and Walmisley (299) propose that the term refers to a rule of billiards. Terry puts it thus: … after the red ball has been 'potted' (= pocketed) a number of times, that stroke is barred. The balls, on being taken from the pockets, are placed on spots on the table: hence the term. I invite them to rethink the context: He's made to dwell in a dungeon cell on a spot that's always barred. And there he plays extravagant matches …. In Rees's view, Gilbert may have intended the second meaning to be taken as a pun (251). Karr (171) and Kesilman (174) concur. Perhaps we can all accept that compromise, which gives double value to the term.
Finger stalls
The OED (229) says a finger stall is a protective covering for an injured finger. Several other sources (56, 171, 181, 302, and 320) support this. Halton (147) says it is a cue bridge, i.e., one of those scalloped fittings on the end of a stick for guiding the cue when you are too portly to bend over the table. Knight (177) endorses this. The fact remains, however, that none of my English friends professes to having heard the term used in that sense. MacPhail (194) has uncovered a reference to a tailor-made device that Gilbert purportedly used on the fingers of his left hand to act as a cue guide. MacPhail believes that is what Gilbert meant by a finger stall. Be that as it may, I have yet to see any evidence that Gilbert or anyone else ever called the device by that name. My vote is with the OED.
Cloth untrue
An imperfectly stretched green baize cover on the playing surface of a billiard table, possibly wrinkled.
Elliptical [elliptical billiard balls ]
Oval-shaped. As Goldberg (210) points out, elliptical pertains to two-dimensional shapes. Gilbert might better have said ellipsoidal.
Coroner
A legal officer responsible for investigating deaths, particularly ones that are violent, sudden, or suspicious.
House [Very good house ]
The expression is a theatrical term for a well-filled auditorium.
Gurgled and guggled
They both mean he made a bubbling, choking noise.
Snickersnee
An old, jocular word for a long knife or small sword; the term is from the Dutch snik and snee, a sailor's knife (115). It has also been ascribed to the musical chord emitted by a well-swung vorpal blade (67).
True [the sabre true ]
Well suited to the purpose, or well aimed, or both.
Cervical vertebrae
Make it rhyme with did he
Neck bones.
Deference [the deference due ]
Respect.
Bolted [bolted from our Imperial Court ]
Rushed away and escaped.
Visiting card [on presentation of visiting card ]
Something akin to our modern business cards but without details pertaining to employment or e-mail address.
Circulation [As for my circulation, it is the largest in the world ]
Katisha is referring here to the blood supply for her generous proportions. Hyder (161) adds a second, less obvious meaning: the large number of admirers who come to view her charms, as one would refer to a newspaper's circulation. MacPhail (194) recalls that Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper (published in London 1849-1902) boasted in a line beneath its mast-head: Largest Circulation in the World.
Knightsbridge
A prominent street in London, which gave its name to the section of town in which there was a Japanese exhibition at the time Gilbert wrote the libretto. Goodman (140) gives a detailed description of the street and the exhibition. Any gag location may be substituted. MacPhail (194) observes that Gilbert gave express written permission for changing the locale. As far as we know that is the only example of Gilbert putting such a general sanction into writing.
Tiresome [this is very tiresome ]
Tedious.
Compassing [I forget the punishment for compassing the death of the Heir Apparent ]
COME-pess-ing
Contriving, bringing about, or becoming involved in any way.
Slovenly [That's the slovenly way ]
Careless, negligent, sloppy.
Fates [See how the Fates their gifts allot ]
In classical mythology the three goddesses who were supposed to preside over the course of human life. One held the distaff and fibers, from which the second spun the thread of life, and the third cut the thread when life ended.
Chaffing
Teasing in a good-natured way.
Nectar [Nectar quaffing ]
In classical mythology the life-giving drink of the gods.
Quaffing
To drink heartily, copiously, and without reserve. Urp!
Fortune [If I were Fortune ]
Fortuna, the ancient Roman goddess of luck.
Corroborative [Merely corroborative detail ]
Confirming or certifying.
Verisimilitude [artistic verisimilitude ]
The appearance of truth.
Cock-and-a-bull stories
Unbelievable boastful fictions. The origin of the term is uncertain, but Knight (178) cites a tale by one L. Fisher from 1660 in which is mentioned a tale as strange as a cock and a bull transformed into a single animal. For more details see the entry for Cock and bull in The Yeomen of the Guard.
Put in your oar
To meddle or interfere in other people's business. The expression dates back at least to the sixteenth century (115).
Reprieved [you're reprieved ]
Legally cleared and out of trouble.
Honeymoon
Surely you all know what this means; but there's a nice story that goes with its derivation. It means literally honey-month. It seems the ancient Teutons had the custom of drinking honey wine for thirty days after their marriage. Moreover, you may also be interested to learn that Attila the Hun drank so much of the stuff at his wedding feast that he died. Let that be a lesson to you.
Persiflage [Is this a time for airy persiflage? ]
Banter. Shipley (266) says the word derives from the French persifler, to whistle.
Connoisseurs
Expert judges, especially in the fine arts.
Pin my heart
The allusion is to the chivalric custom of pinning to one's sleeve some token given by one's lady love. This was indicative of a pledge to do or die (55).
Caricature [with a caricature of a face ]
CARE-ik-ahchir suits the score.
Cartoon.
Sepulchre
A tomb, a grave, or burial vault.
Miscreant
Originally the word meant false believer. Now we apply it to any vile and unprincipled wretch; one who sneers at the Savoy operas.
Suppliant [behold a suppliant at your feet! ]
A humble petitioner.
Palate [only the educated palate ]
Literally the roof of the mouth. The meaning here is in the figurative sense of intellectual taste or liking.
Tom-tit
A bird of the tit family, all being cute little chickadee-like rascals. Brewer (56) and the noted ornithologist Michael Walters (302) both agree that Tom implies not male, but small, as in Tom Thumb. This being so, was Gilbert careless when referring to a little tom-tit? In any event, the context clearly implies a small male bird.
Willow [Willow, titwillow, titwillow ]
The willow tree has long been associated with sadness. Remember I'll hang my harp on a weeping willow tree? Then in Othello, Desdemona sings a song that ends thus: Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones; Sing willow, willow, willow (54). Sullivan also set her words to music (163). See also Patience.
Dicky-bird
Any small bird.
Callous [if you remain callous and obdurate ]
Unfeeling.
Obdurate
Unyielding.
Congo [From the Congo or the Niger ]
The general region of central and west Africa (now largely the nation calling itself the Democratic Republic of Congo) drained by what was then called the Congo River.
Niger
The general region of northwest Africa drained by the Niger River. Many critics have complained that tigers are not native to the Congo, Niger, or any other regions of Africa. Not only that, but Niger does not rhyme with tiger. Ko-Ko's education (a drop-out Ph.D. in tailoring) obviously was not of the highest order. Gilbert, presumably, was only kidding.
Derry down derry
A meaningless expression often used as a filler line in folk songs.
Registrar
An official whose duty it is to keep a record of official transactions. He is also licensed to perform civil marriages (245).
Told off [told off to be killed ]
Hyder (161) points out that the expression means counted off, as one would pick a man out of a rank of soldiers for some unpleasant duty. I suppose that would be used in place of the less dignified Eeny meeny miny mo …. The roots of the term also explain why bank clerks are called tellers. I knew you'd like to know.