A Façon de Parler.
Reading edition
Sir Charles Russell: “When you said that jockeys are such d——d thieves, what did you mean?” The Duke of Portland: “It was merely a façon de parler.”
HEN I say that a race is an infamous ramp, When I say that a man is a terrible scamp, These expressions are not of the genuine stamp, But merely a façon de parler. If my overwrought feelings find vent and relief In calling a fellow a thundering thief, You mustn’t conclude that I speak my belief— It’s merely a façon de parler. If I write to a friend on a matter that’s grave, And denounce so-and-so as a rascally knave, You mustn’t regard it as anything save What is known as a façon de parler. And the use of a word which I need not repeat In no way refers to Plutonian heat; It is always accepted among the élite As merely a façon de parler.
