Glossary for The Zoo by B. C. Stephenson & Arthur Sullivan
This glossary appeared in the program of the Fall 1996 performance of
The Zoo by
The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company.
Permission is hereby granted to use the material on this site for any purpose.
GLOSSARY (in order of occurrence)
- Æsculapius Carboy - Æsculapius was the Greek and Roman god of medicine; a carboy is a large glass jar
- we never let the thing alone, but peg away - to plod along, to persevere
- He'd say, in well-known English staves - verses or stanzas
- with pain his back was bent; he wanted a mustard plaster - a stinging poultice applied to the skin, as a counter-irritant
- suffering cruel conniptions - hysterical fits
- Withdraw the frown that mantles on your brow - darkens
- a half-pound packet of Horniman's tea - a popular brand of tea
- Ho, guards! Minions ! - low-ranking attendants
- The Garter ! - the Order of the Garter, the highest order of knighthoood in Great Britain
- He's a peer , a peer in disguise! - a nobleman (duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron)
- Hear, hear! - an expression of approval
- diamond drops - pendants or earrings
- a park hack did appear - a horse which is rented to ride in a park
- respectable man in the City - London's central business district, analogous to Wall Street
- the Duchess of Islington - metropolitan borough of London. Not classy (the site of two prisons)
- And who will feed that lanky steed, the cameleopard - giraffe
- a nice baboon or strong raccoon shall titivate your nose - spruce up or tidy (perhaps they meant titillate: to stimulate pleasurable sensations)
- two happy pairs behold, today by Hymen joined - the god of marriage
Last updated December 15, 1996.
A complete set of glossaries can be found in
The Gilbert and Sullivan Glossary Collection .
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