Volume 99 / Act 2 — MR. PUNCH'S DICTIONARY OF PHRASES.

AT THE ACADEMY SOIRÉE.

"How well your Picture bears the artificial light!" i.e., "Couldn't look worse than it does by daylight."

"Mustn't keep you on the stairs. Such heaps of your friends asking for you upstairs;" i.e., "Got rid of him, thank goodness!"

"Here you are at last! Been dodging you from room to room!" i.e., "To keep out of your way. Caught at last, worse luck!"

"You look as if you had just stepped out of a picture-frame!" i.e., "Wish you'd step back into one!"

"Not seen Mr. O'Kew's picture? You must see it. Only three rooms from here, and no crowd there now. So go and bring me back word what you think;" i.e., "Now to flee!"

AT LORD'S.

"Yes, I'm so fond of Cricket;" i.e., "How can I find out if Oxford or Cambridge is in?"

"Don't move, pray;" i.e., "If she doesn't, I shall be smothered in lobster-salad!"

"Not the least in my way, thanks;" i.e., "Does she think I can see through her parasol?"

"Pray join us at lunch! Heaps of room in the carriage;" i.e., "Hope she doesn't! It only holds four, and we're six already."

"Don't they call a hit to the left like that, a Drive?" i.e., "Young-rich—good-looking—worth catching—looks as if he liked 'sweet simplicity.'"

ELECTIONEERING.

"Has at heart the best interests of the Borough;" i.e., Means to subscribe largely to all local clubs and charities.

"The honour of representing you in Parliament;" i.e., "The pleasure of advertising myself."

"I should wish to keep my mind open on that subject;" i.e., "I cannot afford to commit myself just yet."

PARLIAMENTARY.

"I have never heard such an astounding argument;" i.e., "Since I last employed it myself."

"To come to the real question at issue;" i.e., "To introduce my one strong point."

"I do not pledge myself to these figures;" i.e., "The next speaker will very likely show them to be absolutely unreliable."

IN THE SMOKING-ROOM.

"Oh, as to all that, I quite agree with you;" i.e., "I wasn't listening."

"I rather understood that you were arguing, &c., &c.;" i.e., "You are now flatly contradicting yourself."