W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbertwas an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for the fourteen comic operasproduced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. The most famous of these include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre, The Mikado. These, as well as several of the other Savoy operas, continue to be frequently performed in the English-speaking world and beyond by opera companies, repertory companies,...
children war government
When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte, As every child can tell, The House of Peers, throughout the war, Did nothing in particular, And did it very well
sea fishing rivers
There's fish in the sea, no doubt of it, As good as ever came out of it.
blessed simple long
When every blessed thing you have is made of silver, or of gold, you long for simple pewter.
done duty
For duty, duty must be done; The rule applies to everyone.
bayonets
All bayonets are bad.
hands accepting refreshments
I accept refreshment at any hands, however lowly.
punishment fit crime
Let the punishment fit the crime.
cheer sea giving
I am the Captain of the Pinafore ; And a right good captain too! . . . . And I'm never, never sick at sea! What, never? No, never! What never? Hardly ever! He's hardly ever sick at sea! Then give three cheers, and one cheer more, For the hardy Captain of the Pinafore!
rap intellectual may
Who knows but we may count among our intellectual chickens Like them an Earl of Thackeray and p'raps a Duke of Dickens
land movement improvement
Utopia's quite another land; In her enterprising movements, She is England--with improvements
knives imagination why-not
If I can wheedle A knife or a needle, Why not a Silver Churn?
thinking novelists anomalies
And that singular anomaly, the lady novelist-- I don't think she'd be missed--I'm sure she'd not be missed!
class bows mass
Bow, bow, ye lower middle classes! Bow, bow, ye tradesmen, bow, ye masses!
cat keys doors
On my face extended flat I was walloped with a cat For listening at the key-hole of the door.