Benford's G&S Lexicon Entries for Iolanthe
Primary tabs
Click a term to expand the definition; Search for a term; Select other Opera Chapters; Go to the Lexicon menu for introductory and afterword content..
Act I
Testimony in proof of something (56). The rules of evidence generally forbid repeating what someone else has said.
A written statement, given under oath before a proper officer such as a solicitor or magistrate, to be used in court.
An expression possibly derived from a popular song, "Thinks-I-to-myself, Thinks-I," which was in turn derived from a popular novel of the same name published in 1811 (219).
A summary of a client's case, prepared by a solicitor for use by a barrister. See also Trial By Jury.
To throw dust in someone's eyes is an old expression meaning to mislead that person. Sperling (270) says, "In the battle of Honein, the prophet Mohammad supposedly threw dust in the air to confuse his enemies and this apparently successful tactic led to a new turn of phrase."
These were various British courts of justice. Borrowing heavily from Goodman (141): Exchequer was one of the superior courts of common law in Westminster Hall. It handled cases involving revenues of the Crown and so forth. (The name dates back to medieval times and comes from the checkered cloth on which the king's accounts were handled.) Queen's Bench has since 1875 been the principal (i.e., busiest) division of the High Court of Justice. Common Pleas holds exclusive jurisdiction over actions pertaining to real property, and actions between ordinary citizens. (It was apparently merged with Queen's Bench a couple of years before the opera appeared.) Divorce was "more properly known as the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division, 1873-1970." Its full name explained most or all of its work. It is now called the Family Division.
To be guilty of telling a lie while under oath.
In its most general sense, a ship. Figuratively, read "when you are in trouble."
Bradley (46) says this is the oldest of six royal parks in central London, established by Henry VIII in 1532. It takes its name from the previous owners, the Sisters of St. James in the Field. Goodman (140) adds the telling note that in the 1870s it had become notorious as a hunting ground for prostitutes. What would the Sisters think?
In good Queen Victoria's time, when the opera was written, this could imply nothing more risqué than a kiss. If you wish to make anything more of it, pray go ahead.
Disguise. See same entry in HMS Pinafore for more details.
Pronunciation: DOLE-cheh far nee-ENN-teh
Happy lollygagging, blissful dalliance. Italian for "It is sweet to do nothing" (66).
Pronunciation: fes-TINE-uh, (or fes-TEEN-uh) LEN-tay
Make haste slowly. The motto of the Emperor Augustus (66).
Clay refers to the human body, as distinct from the soul. The expression "to moisten or wet one's clay" is cited in the OED (229) as a humorous way of saying "to drink."
Cry (54, 115, 229, 250). This brings visions of fitting one's eyes with pipes to carry a goodly supply of tears from some reservoir. A few lines earlier the peers had been crying over the thought that Strephon might have died in babyhood had not his mother fed him. Since he did not die, why should they go on crying? The reason is that they now wish he had so he would not be stealing Phyllis from them.
These are probably merely filler words. Tol lol is used in The Grand Duke to mean "just so-so," but any connection with taradiddles is tol lol at best.
Brewer (56) defines this as "professing one thing and doing another inconsistent with that promise."
Pronunciation: reh-PEN-tay
Gilbert tells us it means "of a sudden." But in what language? Bradley (46) and Asimov (11) say both Italian and Latin.
Pronunciation: CONE-trah-dee-CHEN-teh
Latin for "contradicting."
Alludes to the expression "to beard the lion in his lair," which means to defy someone personally and face-to-face. See also Princess Ida.
Pronunciation: vay-GARE-ee
A capricious idea or action.