Opera Chapter

About the Opera

The Yeomen of the Guard

Ruddigore’s disappointing reception accentuated Sullivan’s distaste for further collaboration with Gilbert. Hailed as the Mendelssohn of his day (for his serious compositions), Sir Arthur found greater attractions in hobnobbing with the nobility at soirees, racetracks, and gambling casinos. Always the driving force behind the pair, Gilbert tried in vain to reintroduce the lozenge plot. Sullivan refused, his back stiffened by Queen Victoria’s offhand suggestion that he write a grand opera. Carte, meanwhile, refloated H.M.S. Pinafore at the Savoy as he strained to hold his partners together. Then Gilbert hit on the idea of an opera set in the Tower of London during the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547). Gilbert conceived a romantic, adventuresome plot and an interesting cast of characters. Sullivan was pleased, and the two collaborators stepped back into harness. Carte kept the Company together with other revivals until October 3, 1888, when the Savoy’s curtain went up on The Yeomen of the Guard. Although the new opera was initially well received and ran for 423 performances, Gilbert, and more particularly Sullivan, were disappointed that it was not another Mikado in the public’s esteem.

The Yeomen of the Guard holds a special place in the Savoy canon, being unique in its mixture of comedy and pathos. The jester, Jack Point, contains a good deal of Gilbertian self-portraiture, and several of the other characters are recognizably human –– in contrast to so many of Gilbert’s farcical portraits. In their later years, both Gilbert and Sullivan counted Yeomen as their favorite collaboration (163, 318).

Characters

Tower
The Tower of London is a fortress dating back in part to William the Conqueror. Located on the north bank of the Thames, it occupies about eighteen acres and includes more than a dozen individual towers. Rich in history and bloodshed, the Tower is a centerpiece of British history (107).
Yeomen
In England a yeoman was originally a man who owned and farmed his own land. The term later came to be applied to archers and cavalry soldiers recruited from among the nation’s farmers and countrymen. The Yeomen of the Guard was originated in 1485 as a bodyguard for the monarch. Until 1548 their duties included service at the Tower of London. Ever since that date a similar group, called the Corps of Yeomen Warders, has had that specific duty. The Tudor uniforms worn by the two corps are almost identical and this causes the two to be confused. There are those who think Gilbert made that mistake. Goodman (140), however, notes that Gilbert specifies that the opera is set in the sixteenth century. If we assume that the action takes place before 1548, then Gilbert cannot be accused of misnaming the opus. For a complete exposition on the history of the actual Yeomen of the Guard, see Paget (230).
HR
If you see the letters HR on the front of the uniforms, that would be Henry VIII’s insignia, standing for Henricus Rex (King Henry).
Sir Richard Cholmondeley
CHUM-lee
The most important thing to know about Sir Richard is that his family name is pronounced “Chumley.” You may also want to know that there really was such a person in command of the Tower during the time of Henry VIII (319). Extensive wrangles have developed over Gilbert’s intent in using the name. Was he using the character or just the name? No one knows; nor need we be much concerned. Let us press on.
Lieutenant of the Tower
The lieutenant served under the constable of the Tower. The constable was Henry VIII’s chief security officer throughout the greater London area. The lieutenant of the Tower was in charge of day-to-day operation of the Tower itself, the most important stronghold in the nation. As a royal appointment, it was an exceedingly important and prestigious post (319).

Setting

Tower Green
An open square within the Tower of London. Most public executions took place on Tower Hill, just outside the walls of the Tower. Especially important prisoners, however, were executed in the relative privacy of Tower Green. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were accorded that privilege (319). Why should Colonel Fairfax be so honored? To simplify staging, I presume.

Act I

Heigho [With a sad heigho! ]
Applegate (8) raises a question about how this should be pronounced. The favored American way is “hi-ho,” and that is the way the old D’Oyly Carte Opera Company sang it for a time. Then they changed to “hay-ho.” The switch is staunchly defended by Williams (316) in a letter to The Gilbert and Sullivan Journal. But, let it be noted that in Princess Ida “heigho-let” must rhyme with violet. In any event, Webster (307) says the expression is “used typically to express boredom, weariness or sadness and sometimes to serve as a cry of encouragement.” (That last must have been what those seven dwarfs had in mind.) The dictionaries all seem to split heigho with a hyphen (heigh-ho), but perhaps they will change now that we point out how Gilbert spelled it.
Littered [The wild beasts all littered down? ]
Phoebe is asking Wilfred if he has provided straw for all the prisoners’ beds. On a more literate plane, Knight (178) finds that before 1828 one of the functions of the Tower, for several centuries, was to keep wild animals. In the context, however, it would seem more likely that Phoebe had the prisoners in mind.
Little Ease [Is the Little Ease sufficiently uncomfortable ]
A narrow place of confinement; specifically, the name of a dungeon cell in the White Tower (286). The cell is reportedly so small that the prisoner can neither stand up nor lie down. Guy Fawkes is thought to have spent fifty days there after trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament (47). Wilson (319), however, avers that no one has ever proven that such a cell actually existed within the Tower.
Racks [racks, pincers, and thumbscrews all ready for work? ]
A rack was an instrument of torture in which the victim’s arm and leg bones could be pulled out of their sockets.
Pincers
Hinged, plier-like tools with sharp points.
Thumbscrews
Torture instruments used to compress a thumb until the joint was crushed. But, let’s move on to pleasanter things.
Sorcerers [We can’t all be sorcerers ]
Magicians who foretell the future with the help of evil spirits. See also The Sorcerer
Alchemist
Alchemists sought to convert base metals into gold. Wilson (319) says that in 1605 Henry Percy, a son of the earl of Northumberland, was imprisoned in the Tower for his role in the Gunpowder Plot. He practiced alchemy, astrology, and philosophy. He also spent much time in concocting medicines and potions. All this esoteric activity led to his being dubbed “The Wizard Earl.” Perhaps he was in part the inspiration for Colonel Fairfax. (See the definition of “Alchemy” in the Princess Ida.)
Beauchamp Tower
BEE-chum
One of the main towers in the Tower of London. Goodman (140) tells us it was built around 1300 and remained nameless until 1397, when Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was imprisoned there and his name thereby became associated with it. It was used as a place of confinement for high ranking prisoners. Rudolph Hess, Hitler’s henchman, spent time there, too.
Jade [You are a heartless jade ]
A word of many meanings. Here it means a cruel woman.
Warders [Tower Warders ]
Warders are guards, watchmen, caretakers, or officers in charge of prisoners.
Pikemen [gallant pikemen ]
Soldiers armed with spears (of the jabbing, not throwing, variety). Johnson (165) says a pike is “a long lance used by the foot soldiers to keep off the horse, to which bayonets have succeeded.”
Bearing [Brave in bearing ]
Manner of acting or behaving.
Autumn [In the autumn of our life ]
Referring to post-middle age years. Members of the corps were selected from among recently retired warrant (i.e., low-level) military officers.
Ample clover
Economic security.
Repining [We recall without repining all the heat of bygone noon ]
The phrase means that they recall their bygone passions but are just as happy to have outgrown them. See also The Grand Duke.
Richard Colfax, et al.
These are all imaginary names, of which only Colonel Fairfax is heard from again.
Cold Harbour
Another tower in the Tower of London. Wilkes (315) calls attention to an apparent slip on Gilbert’s part. The two words should be joined, thus: “Coldharbour.” Wilson (319) says it was used as the queen’s residence during the time of Henry VII. Goodman (140) adds that the tower was demolished in about 1670.
Blunderbore [or it’s not good enough for the old Blunderbore ]
This was “the cruel giant in Jack the Giant Killer cycle of folk tales, who imprisoned Jack” (223). Stedman (273) adds, “I think the point here is that Blunderbore was a carnivorous giant, who ground men’s bones to make his bread –– just as the Tower grinds and devours living men 
 The tower is personified as the giant.”
Keep [I was born in the old keep ]
A keep is the strong, innermost structure in a fort or castle. In this case the reference is probably to the White Tower (315).
Norman [our gallant Norman foes ]
Here we had better review a bit of English history. William, the Duke of Normandy (ca. 1027-87), claimed that his cousin, the late King Edward the Confessor, had bequeathed to him the crown of England. To enforce his claim he led his army across the English Channel and invaded England. He was opposed by the Saxon King Harold II, whom he defeated at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William subsequently appended a well-justified “the Conqueror” to his name and built the first part of the Tower of London, the White Tower.
Saxon
During the fifth century A.D. England was overrun by waves of Teutonic invaders: the Jutes, the Angles, and the Saxons. Those three tribes came to rule over most of England. By A.D. 800 the Saxons, centered in Wessex (West Saxony), predominated, and it was their self-proclaimed king, Harold, who was the target of William the Conqueror’s invasion in 1066 (43).
The Conqueror
The aforementioned William.
Panoply [In its panoply of stone ]
Complete protective covering.
Trow [Insensible, I trow ]
My dictionary (250) says it should rhyme with toe, but Gilbert asks you to rhyme it with brow. Do as the Master says.
Suppose (archaic).
A queen to save her head
Bradley (47) suggests two likely candidates for this reference: Anne Boleyn in 1536 and Catherine Howard in 1542. Each had the misfortune to be a wife of Henry VIII. Walters (302) nominates Lady Jane Grey, who ran afoul of “Bloody Queen Mary” and lost her head in 1554. Ossa once triggered a flurry of messages on the SavoyNet (260) by observing that none of the ladies mentioned above came to the Tower to save her head, but each was dragged there with beheading likely to follow. Ossa proposes that a more appropriate candidate would be Queen Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III, who did indeed take refuge in the Tower during the rebellion of Simon de Montfort (ca. 1265), and it appears likely that by so doing she literally saved her head from an unruly mob of local citizens. The ensuing internet exchange of views suggested other queens as well, but the majority opinion was that Gilbert probably had Ann Boleyn in mind, she being the one best known to his audience. The question is still alive, however, and freely available to anyone who wants to make it the subject of a Ph.D. thesis.
A-suing
Seeking justice (something not easily found in those days).
Golden hoard [O’er London town and its golden hoard ]
The wealth of London. The term may also apply to the royal jewels under safeguard in the Tower.
Watch and ward
Quoting Brewer (54): “Continuous vigilance; watch and ward being the terms formerly used to denote guard by night and by day respectively.” The King James version of the Bible also makes the same distinction.
Block [From the dungeon to the block ]
The chopping block used in beheading.
Scaffold [From the scaffold to the grave ]
A platform for executions. The grisly act was done at an elevation to allow the public a better view of the proceedings (64).
Fortalice
Collins (75) defines this as “a small fort or outwork.” It has also been defined as a fortress (obsolete) (250). The latter fits the context better than the former.
Reprieve [Has no reprieve arrived ]
A document delaying a punishment, or possibly canceling it.
Standard [as a reward for his valour in saving his standard ]
A consecrated battle flag “carried at the head of troops in battle as a rallying point and intended to inspire” (178). Terry (286) says a standard would be carried by a cavalry regiment. What the infantry carried would be called the colors. Neither is carried any longer except in parades.
Court [from Windsor, where the court is ]
This would imply the court of Henry VIII.
Windsor
A town on the Thames about 25 miles upstream from London. The site of the royal residence, Windsor Castle.
Circumspection [a very dragon of virtue and circumspection ]
Prudence, discretion and vigilance (directed toward his little sister’s reputation).
Pursed [my lips pursed up ]
Closed tight, like a miser’s purse.
Foster-brother
Foster-brothers are unrelated boys raised by the same family. (There are plenty of details in the libretto that make it hard to believe that Leonard and Fairfax were really foster-brothers. But then it might as well be confessed that this opera is shot full of inconsistencies, if you want to be picky.)
Advent [due notice of his advent ]
Imminent arrival.
Boon [no light boon ]
Benefit or favor. See also Ruddigore, Utopia, Limited, and Cox and Box.
Grim old king
Death.
Sooth [for, in sooth, I have tried both ]
Truth.
Another moon
Another month.
Plaint
Short for complaint.
Whit [Then count it not a whit ]
A little, or jot.
Essay [He should all means essay ]
Attempt.
Sir Clarence Poltwhistle
A villainous character who never appears on stage, but who would be hissed off if he so dared.
Secretaries of State
Among the king’s chief ministers (245). Each was given responsibility over some aspect of government (64).
Devolves [which devolves to him ]
Transfers or passes down.
Grace [by your worship’s grace ]
Kind assistance.
Dower
“A widow’s share of her husband’s property” (75).
Crowns [a hundred crowns to boot ]
The crown was a British coin worth five shillings or one quarter of a pound sterling. One hundred crowns would be worth £25 –– a lot of money in those days. For example, ancient records show that the lieutenant of the Tower was then paid £100 per year (plus luxurious lodging), putting him in a class with London’s wealthier burgesses (319). Goodman (142) says £5 would represent three or four months’ wages for a laborer. Knight (178) says the coins were first struck in 1526.
Warranted
Legally justified.
Follify [Come, fool, follify! ]
A Gilbertian word demanding of Jack Point some instant examples of his wit.
Vapour [If you vapour vapidly ]
As a verb: to pass off as a gas –– from which we derive, figuratively, to talk idly or to brag (75).
Vapidly
Rhymes with rapidly
Without animation, flavor, or underlying content (64).
Quip [Give us quip and quiddity ]
A witty remark.
Quiddity
A trifling nicety of speech, perhaps revealing the essential nature of something. Aurora (19) reminds us that Falstaff uses the expression “quip and quiddity” in Shakespeare’s Henry IV.
Philosophy [the truest philosophy ]
The literal meaning is “the love of wisdom,” but it has acquired other meanings, such as one’s view of the meaning of life and how to live it.
Couplet [We can rhyme you couplet, triolet, quatrain, sonnet, rondolet, ballade ]
“A pair of lines of verse, especially if rhyming and of equal length” (75).
Triolet
A poem of eight lines and a specific rhyming pattern about which I shall not worry you here.
Quatrain
A stanza of four lines, often rhyming alternately.
Sonnet
“A poem of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, with a definite rhyme scheme 
” (75). A proper sonnet expresses but a single theme, idea, or sentiment (250).
Rondolet
A short song in which the main theme is frequently repeated.
Ballade
b’LAHD
“A short poem of one to three triplet stanzas of eight lines, each with the same rhymes and refrain, and an envoi of four or five lines” (75). An envoi is a little postscript or epilogue. Isn’t it amazing how ignorant you were until you read this?
Saraband [Or we can dance you saraband, gondolet, carole, pimpernel, or Jumping Joan ]
“A slow and stately Spanish dance in triple time” (228).
Gondolet
Hyder (161) has uncovered evidence that there is a Basque folk dance called the gondolet. We can assume that is what Gilbert had in mind.
Carole
A ring of men and women holding hands and singing while moving around in a dance step. Knight (177) says it originated in France; Terry (286) says Saxony. The Encyclopedia Americana says it originated in the Middle Ages as a folk dance, but later became an aristocratic dance, often associated with a song (105).
Pimpernel
This seems to be original with Gilbert. Some editions of the libretto, incidentally, show it spelled with a capital P, others do not. For the version with the capital P, see the picture of Gilbert giving a personal demonstration opposite page 128 in Pearson (240).
Jumping Joan
“A country dance” (108).
Farce [the singing farce ]
A light-hearted style of comedy in which the humor derives from the situation rather than from any character development.
Loon [a love-lorn loon ]
A simpleton (corruption of lunatic).
Heighdy [Heighdy! Misery me, lackadaydee! ]
HAY-dee
Heighdy is presumably a variation on heigh-ho, implying weariness (75). Bushland (64) says it is “an attempt to spell what a sigh sounds like.”
Misery me
Simply means the singer is feeling miserable.
Lackadaydee
Derived from lackadaisical, which Brewer (56) defines as “Affected, pensive, sentimental [or] artificially tender.” Bushland (64) observes that the root “alackaday” is a contraction of “alas the day.” See also Ruddigore.
Peerly [peerly proud ]
An obsolete word meaning “in the manner of a peer or equal” (229). A peer would be a nobleman.
Ladye [for the love of a ladye ]
Lady. Perhaps Gilbert spelled it this way to make sure you would pronounce it to rhyme with HAY-dee. Rees (254) says it is probably just an attempt to make it look early English. See also Ruddigore.
Knell
Ringing of a funeral bell.
Dirge [a doleful dirge ]
Funeral music, from the Latin dirige, the first word of the prescribed service for the dead. See also Cox and Box.
Popinjay [It’s a song of a popinjay, bravely born ]
Vain, empty-headed fop, decked out in ornamental finery (115). Not the sort you’ll find reading this book. The word is taken from the dummy bird formerly used in target practice (2). See also Princess Ida.
Bravely [bravely born ]
Referring to brave in the sense of being noble.
Pother [What is this pother? ]
Confusion, bustle, disturbance.
Strolling players
Small troupes of performers who rove the countryside seeking appreciative audiences willing to toss a few coins.
Interludes [playing brief interludes ]
Among other possibilities: “any intermediate performance or entertainment, as between acts of a play” (158). These would presumably be comedies or farces (178). Are Jack and Elsie a t the Tower of London to keep the boorish bourgeoisie from becoming beastly bored between beheadings?
Bridget Maynard
Like Secretary Poltwhistle, Elsie’s mother never appears on stage. She is introduced to head off any inference that Elsie and Jack Point are traveling without benefit of chaperone. Furthermore, Elsie’s marrying for money to save her dying mother is a noble deed well suited to a Victorian heroine (64).
Electuary
“A medicine compounded with honey, syrup, or conserves to disguise the taste” (75). Brewer (54) says it comes from a Greek word meaning to lick up, and applies to any sweetened medicine.
Out of place [like some of my jests, out of place ]
Inappropriate. A second meaning is unemployed –– as Jack Point happens to be at the moment.
Marry [Marry, sir, I have a pretty wit ]
Indeed, or why, to be sure. Stedman (273) notes that the word is an abbreviated derivative of an oath involving the Virgin Mary, and is often thrown in to add gentle emphasis.
Extempore [I can rhyme you extempore ]
Without previous thought or preparation.
Conundrum
“A riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words” (250). See also Thespis.
Sardonic
Bitter, scornful, mocking, and so forth.
Jibe
A sneering comment.
Crank [and quip and crank ]
A twist of language of the sort Frederic loved to hear until he found the joke was on him. Milton used the expression “Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles” (266).
Aim my shaft
Select my figurative target.
Winnow [winnow all my folly ]
Sift through to separate the valuable from the useless parts.
Whim [I can wither with a whim ]
This could be interpreted as a flippant rejoinder.
Gild [always gild the philosophic pill ]
Brewer (54) claims that pills used to be gilded, i.e., lightly covered with a layer of sugar, to make swallowing less unpleasant. The expression is now taken to mean “to make a disagreeable task less offensive.”
Archbishop of Canterbury
The primate (chief dignitary under the monarch) of the Church of England. Prestige (245) mentions that the Archbishop of Canterbury is “Primate of All England,” while the Archbishop of York is “Primate of England.” Gilbertian, what?
Stocks [and set me in the stocks ]
An instrument of punishment consisting of a wooden framework with holes for clamping the ankles (and perhaps wrists), so as to expose the offender to public ridicule and abuse.
Scurril [a scurril rogue ]
Johnson (165) offers several definitions. Among these the one most likely to put a jester in the stocks is “lewdly jocose.”
Lief [I had as lief not take post again ]
Gladly. In other words, he would rather not take post again.
Dignified clergy
Bradley (47) explains that the “dignified clergy” were those occupying senior positions within the hierarchy of the Church of England. That left the term “undignified clergy” to be applied to parish priests and curates. We trust they did not take the words too literally. Stedman (274) thinks Point merely wants to avoid stuffy clergymen who have underdeveloped senses of humor.
Expunged [anything objectionable is expunged ]
Eliminated.
Helped [what is underdone cannot be helped ]
Served. As the lieutenant observes, that manner of thing would be somewhat irritating.
Do you take me?
Catch on? (An elbow in the listener’s ribs is the proper accompanying gesture.)
Brain-pan [a cook’s brain-pan ]
Skull. Halton (147) claims that he once asked Gilbert for the answer to the riddle involved here. Gilbert’s reply was, “Fred, your guess is as good as mine!” Well, let’s not give up. How about this, as ascribed to David Eden by Stephen Turnbull (294): One is under a meal-making brain; the other under a wheel-breaking strain.
Odd freak
An unexpected occurrence.
Fain [I would fain have espied them ]
Willingly, gladly.
Espied them
Spied on them.
A live ass [a live ass is better than a dead lion ]
Phoebe has her sayings mixed up. The Bible has it (Eccles. IX:4) that a living dog is better than a dead lion; whereas the Italians assure us that a live ass is worth more than a dead doctor (54). No matter; she has a good point.
Unbosoming [a torrent of impulsive unbosoming ]
Revealing innermost thoughts.
Wag [I am a mad wag ]
Johnson (165) defines this as anyone who is “ludicrously mischievous; a merry droll.”
For the nonce [suppose it for the nonce ]
For the occasion only. See also Princess Ida.
Turtle dove [The tender turtle dove ]
A kind of old-world pigeon, noted for soft cooing and devoted attachment to its mate The “turtle” is derived from the Latin turtur, which Shipley (266) says is echoic of the dove’s cooing call. See also Utopia, Limited and Cox and Box.
Lute
A musical instrument somewhat like a guitar with six or more pairs of strings. Said to be popular in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. See also Utopia, Limited.
Carrion [Were as a carrion’s cry ]
Short for carrion crow, a European species of crow.
Implication
An idea conveyed, but not directly in so many words.
Inference [by inference and by innuendo ]
A conclusion or deduction.
Innuendo
An indirect hint (usually derogatory).
Slyboots
“A seemingly simple but really clever and designing fellow” (115). The term dates back to at least 1680.
Ruff [this ruff is too high ]
A pleated collar.
Halbert
A medieval weapon combining an ax blade and spear on a long handle. You can still see them carried by the Swiss Guards at the Vatican. The word is more commonly spelled “halberd.”
Orders [The welcome news we read in orders ]
The written directions for the guards’ activities for the day: the orders of the day.
Debarred [And debarred from all escape ]
Cut off.
Derring-do
Reckless daring (75). The expression derives from Middle English “dorryng don,” meaning daring [to] do (229).
Boltered [Boltered with the blood you shed ]
Clotted or clogged with blood, especially having the hair matted with blood” (228). The line is from a verse that is usually cut (3).
Deuce [Who the deuce may she be? ]
A euphemism for the devil.
Forsooth [Thyself, forsooth? ]
In truth.
Fraternal
Brotherly.
Fell [The consequences fell ]
Dire.
Plight [I’ll repeat my plight ]
Promise.
The bell of St. Peter’s
This refers to the garrison church of St. Peter ad Vincula, which was within the Tower, adjacent to Tower Green. Goodman (140) and Bradley (47) both assert that this particular bell was always tolled during processions to executions. Wilson (319) says the original church was built by Henry II in about 1185 in penance for the murder of Thomas Ă  Becket. It was rebuilt in 1306 and again (after a fire) in 1512.
Headsman
The executioner, whose mode of operation is decapitation administered, if all goes well, with a short, sharp shock.
Immured
Imprisoned, walled in.
Double gratings [The double gratings open were ]
Inner and outer metal gates to the cell.
Troth [by my troth ]
Can rhyme with either broth or both
Word of honor (archaic).
Forfeit [Thy life shall forfeit be instead! ]
Given up as punishment.
Misbegotten [Who is the misbegotten knave ]
Of illegitimate birth. We might term it “S.O.B.”
Knave
A dishonest person or villain.
Vindictive
Revengeful.
Marks [A thousand marks to him ]
A medieval English coin worth 13.33 shillings or two-thirds of a pound sterling (75). That reward would have amounted to more than six years of the lieutenant’s salary (319).

Act II

Pall [Night has spread her pall ]
A black cloak or cover.
Yoke [has shaken off his yoke ]
Figuratively: constraints or burdens.
Shackle
A U-shaped metal link with a heavy pin closing the free ends, used for joining lengths of chain (75).
Fetter [fetter and chain ]
Leg irons.
Hugh Ambrose [The Merrie Jestes of Hugh Ambrose ]
Like Richard Colfax and Warren the preacher-poet, Hugh Ambrose is apparently a fictitious name.
Councillor
One who gives official counsel. In this case perhaps a member of some civic governing body.
An-hungered
Hungry (an expression found in both Shakespeare and the Bible).
Mumming [Ah! ‘tis but melancholy mumming ]
Acting in a dumb show, usually wearing a mask.
Jerry [jerry-jailing ]
“Jerry” is used as a prefix to denote poor workmanship or shoddy material (229). Although of uncertain origin, some think the word may come from Jericho, whose “walls came tumbling down” at the sound of Joshua’s trumpets (43, 54). Alternatively, Stone (284) thinks it more likely to derive from “jury mast,” a corruption of joury mast, being a spar used temporarily when the mast has been carried away. This is from the French jour, meaning a day. Thus something jerry-built is not intended to last.
Butt [a big butt of humour ]
A cask or barrel.
Gimlet
A hand tool for boring small holes.
Jibe
Tease.
Wrack
Cause you to distress your brain excessively, perhaps over some riddle like those involving cooks’ brain-pans and overwound clocks. Although the word is sometimes spelled “rack,” it shares roots with wracu (misery) rather than the torture rack.
Buffoon [a private buffoon ]
Here is a word of many meanings, one of which is a fool or jester.
Loon [a light-hearted loon ]
A stupid person, perhaps “tetched in the head.”
Death’s head and cross-bones
The standard sign for poison. Also the pirate flag.
Auricular [each person’s auricular ]
The literal meaning pertains to the ear. Gilbert refers here to the figurative meaning of a person’s reaction to what you tell him, based on his attitudes and prejudices. See also Utopia, Limited.
F sharp
Perhaps this is more than the musical note F#. Brewer (56) would have us believe that the expression is a slang term for flea: F standing for flea, and sharp to describe his bite.
Carp
To complain of small faults petulantly and without reason, a common characteristic of certain theater critics whose names shall generously go unmentioned here.
Flout
To mock or treat with contempt.
D.D. [Comes a Bishop, maybe, or a solemn D.D. ]
A Doctor of Divinity, i.e., a cleric with an advanced degree in theology.
Orthodox smack
A flavor, or characteristic, aligned with accepted religious tenants.
Imported from France
Risqué.
Rack [Though your head it may rack ]
A variation of “wrack”: to cause pain and distress.
Bilious [with a bilious attack ]
Pertaining to bile: the bitter greenish fluid secreted by the liver. See also Patience and Cox and Box.
Perpend [So hold thy peace and perpend ]
To think or ponder (about what is going to be proposed).
Arquebus
ARE-kew-bus
An early form of firearm. Because of its size and weight it was usually fired from a supporting crutch.
Paradoxes
Seemingly impossible statements that may indeed be true. The most famous example threatened Frederic’s courtship.
Cock and bull
A cock and bull tale is an unbelievable, boastful bit of fiction as exemplified by Pitti-Sing’s story about catching the beheadee’s eye and inspiring him to whistle an air. But that’s another opera and another land. Brewer (54) believes that the expression hearkens back to “old fables in which cocks, bulls, and other animals discoursed in human language.” The phrase dates back to at least 1692. Another edition of Brewer (57) suggests two other possible sources for the expression (both ancient): (1) a combination of concocted and bully, Danish for “exaggerated” and (2) related to fables about Persian and Egyptian idols. One suspects Brewer was trying too hard. We may conclude that the etymology is unknown; but see The Mikado.
Conjugal fetters
Figurative marriage chains.
Gyves [Gyves that no smith can weld ]
jives
These are usually leg irons but in this case Fairfax is referring to the figurative marriage chains, which were lots sturdier in those olden times than they are today.
E’en [I’ll e’en go ]
Contraction for even. We might say “I’ll just be going.”
Tush [Tush, old lady ]
English people might instead say “pshaw,” while Yanks would more likely say “baloney,” or even worse.
In thy teeth
Right back at you!
Kirtle [or I’ll swallow my kirtle ]
“A kind of short gown or jacket: an outer petticoat” (75). The expression is equivalent to “I’ll eat my hat.”
Trolling [Strange adventure that we’re trolling ]
Singing.
Winsome [this winsome Elsie ]
This word abounds in pleasant meanings: attractive, charming, cheerful, agreeable, winning, engaging, and all those other happy adjectives that go to describe the young women in a G&S show.
Lucky bag [Fortune’s lucky bag ]
A grab bag containing prizes, much in use at bazaars and children’s parties (54).
Wrought [I was highly wrought ]
Frenzied, in a tizzy.
Parlous [I am consumed with a parlous jealousy ]
Extremely bad, perilously so!
Epitaph [his epitaph is set up! ]
An inscription on a tomb. Bierce (39) defines it as showing that virtues acquired by death have a retroactive effect. Mark Twain noted a remarkable attribute of a toppled tombstone: it could lie on its front and its back at the same time.
Fig [a fig for this Fairfax! ]
Equivalent to a snap of the fingers. The expression supposedly has its roots in the twelfth century. It seems that the Milanese, in revolting against Frederick Barbarossa (emperor of the Holy Roman Empire), had the temerity to drive his queen out of town riding backwards on a mule. The Mikado would have applauded Frederick’s revenge. Upon recapturing the city he “compelled all his prisoners, on pain of death, to extract with his (or her) teeth a fig from the fundament of a mule, and the thing being done, to say in announcement ‘ecco la fica’ [behold! the fig]. Thus far la fica became an universal mode of derision” (115). How little one knows of the finer things of life until one reads a G&S lexicon.
Portent [What can the portent mean? ]
“An omen, especially of evil” (75).
Forbear [to rashly judge forbear ]
Abstain. See also The Zoo.
Draperies [To his draperies I hung ]
Clothing.
Dint [by dint of stronger muscle ]
Violence, force, or power (165).
Infernal juggle
A devilish maneuver.
Dispatch [with what dispatch ye may! ]
To get under way in haste.
By my head
Truly (64).
Unchidden [my tears may flow unchidden ]
Without rebuke.
Gainsay [that none may gainsay ]
Contradict.
Plaguey [a plaguey ill-favoured face ]
A colloquialism for troublesome or annoying (115).
Ill-favoured
Ugly, deformed, or villainous (75).
Hang-dog [A very hang-dog face ]
“A pitiful rascal, only fit for the rope or the hanging of superfluous curs” (115). Walters (302) describes such a face as miserable or obsequious. Goodman (142) thinks Gilbert meant a sad face, the expression coming from the bloodhound’s sagging cheeks.
Awry [make him strike awry ]
In the wrong direction, off target. At his own execution Sir Thomas More “cautioned the executioner not to be afraid to do his work. His neck was short, More said; if the executioner cared for his reputation as a headsman, he should not strike awry” (199). See entry for “Chippy” in The Mikado.
Sophistries [threadbare sophistries ]
Subtle but unsound logic.
Engage [If he will, I’ll engage ]
Promise.
’Prentice
Short for “apprentice” (as a verb). To place oneself under contract to serve a master craftsman and learn the trade. Remember Frederic?
Jack 
 Jill [But every Jack, he must study the knack if he wants to make sure of his Jill! ]
Brewer (54) cites the old phrase, “Every Jack must have his Jill,” and quotes Shakespeare to lend an air of authenticity.
Lime [His twig he’ll so carefully lime ]
The act of smearing a sticky substance on twigs to catch and entangle the wings of birds (165).
Clime [Whatever its plumage or clime ]
Natural habitat.
Ods bodikins
An oath; literally “God’s little body” (115).
Cloy [sweets that never cloy ]
Become too much of a good thing. To induce loathing through overindulgence.
Mickle [’Tis but mickle Sister reaps! ]
This old Scottish word means either large or small depending on the context. Its more correct interpretation is big or many; but it has been misused so often that you never know what to expect. In this case Gilbert certainly means to say “little.” See also Ruddigore.
Undoing
Bringing to ruin.
Plague [What a plague art thou grizzling for now? ]
Let’s interpret this as meaning, “Why the dickens are you grizzling?”
Grizzling
Complaining or whimpering.
Craven
Cowardly.
Cock-on-a-hill
A colloquialism for one who struts about.
An [what he’d do an he dared ]
This is an archaic form of “if,” which appears regularly in old English literature, including Shakespeare (302).
Fallible [We are but fallible mortals ]
Liable to error.
Ods bobs [Ods bobs, death o’ my life! ]
“Reduction of and corruption of: ods bodkins, a jocular exclamation, is a late C. 19-20 perversion of ods bodikins, lit. God’s little body, a C. 17-19 oath” (233).
Cockatrice [thou kissing, clinging cockatrice ]
“A fabulous animal represented as a cock with a dragon’s tail; a fabulous serpent imagined to possess the powers of the basilisk, whose glance deals death” (75). That’s not Phoebe. Try this: “A name of reproach for a woman” (228).
Chine [I’ll cleave thee to the chine ]
The OED (228) defines the expression as meaning “I’ll break thy back.” Most of my knowing friends (none of whom is really bloodthirsty) are inclined to associate “cleave” with “meat cleaver” and so conjure up visions of gory work with a broadsword or battle-ax. Stedman (273) and Zavon (326) visualize the victim dropping in two pieces –– left and right –– from one mighty vertical blow, head to crotch. Prestige (243), Rees (251), and Knight (179) imagine Wilfred threatening a frontal slash, opening up the torso all the way to the backbone. Asimov (10), however, makes what I think is the best proposal: “To cleave to the chine is to cleave to the beginning of the backbone –– in other words to split the skull from top to bottom.” Any one of these definitions would produce the same end result: no long lingering death for the real Leonard Meryll, certainly nothing with either boiling oil or melted lead. “Cleave,” incidentally, also means to stick together –– as used in wedding ceremonies. We are sure that is not what Wilfred had in mind.
Chuck
“A term of endearment” (75).
Votary [When love’s votary ]
Devotee or worshiper.
Notary [Seeks the notary ]
A notary public, usually a solicitor authorized to take affidavits, certify deeds, etc. In this case we suspect a marriage contract is implied. See also The Sorcerer and Cox and Box.
Polity [Joy and jollity then is polity ]
Reigning.
Satanity
Conduct or character befitting the devil (229).
Privity [Courting privity ]
Privacy, seclusion, single bliss.
Declivity
Downward slope.
Bowery [Bright and bowery ]
Bower-like, sheltered and secure.
Harrying [Yields to harrying ]
Harassing, i.e., proving a nuisance by repeated attacks.
Elegiacs
“Pertaining to elegies, a set of verses in alternate hexameters and pentameters
” (177).
Tender [Tender his due to him ]
Offer.
Suppliant [A suppliant at thy feet ]
One who asks humbly. See also Iolanthe.
Unalloyed
Not debased, pure; like a well performed Savoy opera.