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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
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What did Bill Sikes say?
Greetings.
In Oliver Twist is found the following paragraph (Penguin 1994, p.144):
'What do you mean by this?' said Sikes; backing the inquiry with a very common imprecation concerning the most beautiful of human features: which, if it were heard above, only once out of every fifty thousand times that it is uttered below, would render blindness as common a disorder as measles: 'what do you mean by it? Burn my body! Do you know who you are, and what you are?'
Dickens is fond of using creative euphemisms, but this one is too obscure for me to decrypt. Anyone have a clue what swear Sikes might have uttered here? I can't even figure out what Dickens means by "the most beautiful of human features".
Regards,
Tristan
V.-o Tristan Miller (en,(fr,de,ia)) >`-' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= <> In a haiku, so it's hard (7 \\ http://www.nothingisreal.com/ >
In Oliver Twist is found the following paragraph (Penguin 1994, p.144):
'What do you mean by this?' said Sikes; backing the inquiry with a very common imprecation concerning the most beautiful of human features: which, if it were heard above, only once out of every fifty thousand times that it is uttered below, would render blindness as common a disorder as measles: 'what do you mean by it? Burn my body! Do you know who you are, and what you are?'
Dickens is fond of using creative euphemisms, but this one is too obscure for me to decrypt. Anyone have a clue what swear Sikes might have uttered here? I can't even figure out what Dickens means by "the most beautiful of human features".
Regards,
Tristan
V.-o Tristan Miller (en,(fr,de,ia)) >`-' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= <> In a haiku, so it's hard (7 \\ http://www.nothingisreal.com/ >
Top answer
[nq:1]Greetings. ' ... Sikes might have uttered here?
- [nq:1]Greetings.
- ' ...
- Sikes might have uttered here?
- ' John Dean Oxford
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16 Answers
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[nq:1]Greetings. In Oliver Twist is found the following paragraph (Penguin 1994, p.144): 'What do you mean by this?' ... Sikes might have uttered here? I can't even figure out what Dickens means by "the most beautiful of human features".[/nq]
At a hazard, I would venture '**** your eyes!' or possibly 'Blast your eyes!'
John Dean
Oxford
At a hazard, I would venture '**** your eyes!' or possibly 'Blast your eyes!'
John Dean
Oxford
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[nq:1]Greetings. In Oliver Twist is found the following paragraph (Penguin 1994, p.144): 'What do you mean by this?' ... Sikes might have uttered here? I can't even figure out what Dickens means by "the most beautiful of human features".[/nq]
My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!" It was a common imprecation, said to be a shortened form of "(***) blind me". I'm fairly su
My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!" It was a common imprecation, said to be a shortened form of "(***) blind me". I'm fairly su
00
Greetings.
[nq:2]'What do you mean by this?' said Sikes; backing the ... below, would render blindness as common a disorder as measles[/nq]
[nq:1]My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!" It was a common imprecation, said to be a ... sure that I've seen references to the eyes as the most beautiful features somewhere, and that seems to fit also.[/nq]
Ah... this certa
[nq:2]'What do you mean by this?' said Sikes; backing the ... below, would render blindness as common a disorder as measles[/nq]
[nq:1]My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!" It was a common imprecation, said to be a ... sure that I've seen references to the eyes as the most beautiful features somewhere, and that seems to fit also.[/nq]
Ah... this certa
00
[nq:1]My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!"[/nq]
I always thought it was "Cor blimey!" Have I been wrong all this time, or did the word shift from Gor to Cor?
Dena Jo
Email goes to denajo2 at the dot com variation of the Yahoo domain. Have I confused you? Go here:
http
I always thought it was "Cor blimey!" Have I been wrong all this time, or did the word shift from Gor to Cor?
Dena Jo
Email goes to denajo2 at the dot com variation of the Yahoo domain. Have I confused you? Go here:
http
00
[nq:1]Greetings. In Oliver Twist is found the following paragraph (Penguin 1994, p.144): 'What do you mean by this?' ... Sikes might have uttered here? I can't even figure out what Dickens means by "the most beautiful of human features".[/nq]
How about "**** your eyes" ?
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
How about "**** your eyes" ?
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
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[nq:2]My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!"[/nq]
[nq:1]I always thought it was "Cor blimey!" Have I been wrong all this time, or did the word shift from Gor to Cor?[/nq]
Both forms exist.
Alan
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Alan Crozier
Skatteberga 1392
247 92 Södra SandbySweden
TO REPLY BY E-MAIL: change Crazier to Crozier
[nq:1]I always thought it was "Cor blimey!" Have I been wrong all this time, or did the word shift from Gor to Cor?[/nq]
Both forms exist.
Alan
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Alan Crozier
Skatteberga 1392
247 92 Södra SandbySweden
TO REPLY BY E-MAIL: change Crazier to Crozier
00
[nq:2]Greetings. In Oliver Twist is found the following ... what Dickens means by "the most beautiful of human features".[/nq]
[nq:1]My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!" It was a common imprecation, said to be a ... sure that I've seen references to the eyes as the most beautiful features somewhere, and that seems to fit also.[/nq]
Neither works in context. Firstly
[nq:1]My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!" It was a common imprecation, said to be a ... sure that I've seen references to the eyes as the most beautiful features somewhere, and that seems to fit also.[/nq]
Neither works in context. Firstly
00
[nq:1]Greetings. In Oliver Twist is found the following paragraph (Penguin 1994, p.144): 'What do you mean by this?' ... limited / >`-' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= <> In a haiku, so it's hard (7 \\ http://www.nothingisreal.com/ > Yes, I'd say it was "**** your eyes" or "Blast your eyes".
Cheers, Sage
Cheers, Sage
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[nq:2]I always thought it was "Cor blimey!" Have I been wrong all this time, or did the word shift from Gor to Cor?[/nq]
[nq:1]Both forms exist.[/nq]
caw! Stone the crows.
[nq:1]Both forms exist.[/nq]
caw! Stone the crows.
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[nq:2]My guess is that Sikes said either "Blimey!" or "Gor blimey!"[/nq]
[nq:1]I always thought it was "Cor blimey!" Have I been wrong all this time, or did the word shift from Gor to Cor?[/nq]
From the OED:
Gorblimey: Vulgar corruption of the imprecation '*** blind me!'
Cor blimey! means much the same, although the OED says blimey may possibly have come from 'blame'.
[nq:1]I always thought it was "Cor blimey!" Have I been wrong all this time, or did the word shift from Gor to Cor?[/nq]
From the OED:
Gorblimey: Vulgar corruption of the imprecation '*** blind me!'
Cor blimey! means much the same, although the OED says blimey may possibly have come from 'blame'.
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