Benford's G&S Lexicon Entries for Princess Ida
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Act II
A take-off of "to beard a lion in his lair," meaning to settle an issue with an imposing person face-to-face on his or her own grounds. Ida, we fear, has mangled her metaphor, but she had all too little time to get her thoughts (or dripping hair) in order. See also Iolanthe.
A youngster, usually a girl. Often used contemptuously -- as in the present context.
A ruler with great power. (That explains the capital P.)
Abate, diminish, back down.
Ida means wind, as in fast moving air, but clearly it should be pronounced the poetical way: winde. See also The Gondoliers.
The murder of one's own brother or brothers.
Act III
An archaic term for an infidel, which to a Crusader usually meant a Muslim.
A statement that seems ridiculous but is, in fact, true. Alas, poor Frederic!
Lady Blanche's paradox becomes clear when you understand that "needful" is an old slang term for money (115).
Soldiers bearing lightweight flint-lock muskets. The word fusil derives from an old French word meaning "steel for striking fire" (250).
Exploding. Bradley (47) explains that the term derives "from the Latin word fulminare, meaning to send forth thunder and lightning."
Potassium nitrate, used in making gunpowder. Asimov (11) mentions a line in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I, in which occurs the phrase “villainous saltpetre,” and that has become a standard coupling, much like “damn Yankee.”
Pronunciation: pah-LEM-ist
One who vigorously debates doctrines.
What Americans call a pharmacist, the English call a dispensing chemist.
The phrase comes from the Old Testament (2 Kings 18:21 and Isaiah 36:6) as a metaphor for something, or someone, treacherously unreliable (55).
A thin strip of wood of the sort used to form a rough base for plaster.