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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
English in UK

Help on "a pox on the lot of you"

Hi,all!
Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means?

I am non-English speaker.
I find it while reading an online English novel.Since I can not find it in a dictionary, I try to get help here.
It seems to me that it means something cursing, but I do not know what it really means and why. What does "lot" here mean? Does it mean "many"?

Help! Thanks a lot!
Best regards,
Bcbd
  

Top answer

[nq:1]Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means? I am non-English speaker.

— Usenet

  • [nq:1]Could sb.
  • tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means?
  • I am non-English speaker.
  • I find it ...
  • but I do not know what it really means and why.
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7 Answers
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[nq:1]Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means? I am non-English speaker. I find it ... but I do not know what it really means and why. What does "lot" here mean? Does it mean "many"?[/nq]
You are right, it is a curse.
A pox is a disease which involves a rash. There are several- smallpox (variola), cowpox (famous as the origin of vaccination), chicken pox (varicella). I suspe
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[nq:1]Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means?[/nq]
I shall add just a couple of things to Paul Burke's excellent answer and that is that sometimes "plague" is used in place of "pox", a plague being another type of horrible (and deadly) disease.

Also, the phrase is sometimes "a plague on all your houses", "houses" meaning "households", i.e. "all who live in your houses"
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[nq:2]Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means?[/nq]
[nq:1]I shall add just a couple of things to Paul Burke's excellent answer and that is that sometimes "plague" is ... the phrase is sometimes "a plague on all your houses", "houses" meaning "households", i.e. "all who live in your houses".[/nq]
Or:
"Go to ****!"

Philip Powell
Looking north across the Derwen
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[nq:1]Hi,all! Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means? I am non-English speaker. I find ... really means and why. What does "lot" here mean? Does it mean "many"? Help! Thanks a lot! Best regards, Bcbd[/nq]
"the pox" is, or was when I lived there, slang for a nasty sexually transmitted disease, mainly syphilis I suppose.
More generally, in the past, it could probably cover a
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[nq:2]Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means?[/nq]
[nq:1]I shall add just a couple of things to Paul Burke's excellent answer and that is that sometimes "plague" is ... the phrase is sometimes "a plague on all your houses", "houses" meaning "households", i.e. "all who live in your houses".[/nq]
"A plague on both your houses", wasn't it, that is if you're referring to Shakes
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[nq:1]"A plague on both your houses", wasn't it, that is if you're referring to Shakespeare's oft-quoted line from Romeo and Juliet?[/nq]
Doh! Thanks.
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[nq:1]Hi,all! Could sb. tell me what "a pox on the lot of you" means? I am non-English speaker. I find ... know what it really means and why. What does "lot" here mean? Does it mean "many"? Help! Thanks a lot![/nq]
Here is a dictionary which you may find useful in future:

http://www.ldoceonline.com/
To access
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