Patient words

Patience shows Gilbert's incredible love of words and their sounds, not withstanding his ability to invent his own at times.

The dragoons complain of the maidens fleering at them. This is not a word in common usage today but means 'to smirk or laugh in contempt or derision' or 'a taunting, scoffing, or derisive look or gibe'. It seems such a pity that it is not still used as we all do it. Conveniently, it rhymes with sneering and jeering.

'Gaily pipe Pandaean pleasure' refers to the god Pan who had his pipes.

A 'Daphnephoric bound' sounds a most wonderful thing: suggestive of some light jumping dance step. The Daphnephoria was a Greek festival involving branches and the usual scantily clad celebrants but there is no suggestion of a dance. A Daphnephoric ode was a song sung by young ladies. It is just a lovely-sounding word.

The Colonel's song highlights some of the great names of the Victorian era. The first performance was in 1881 and the list shows how topical it was:

The pluck of Lord Nelson on board of the Victory -
- No help needed here. The battle had happened in 1805.
Genius of Bismarck devising a plan -
- Bismark had only stopped being the German Chancellor nine years earlier.
The humour of Fielding (which sounds contradictory) -
- Presumably the 18th century Henry Fielding who wrote Tom Jones and not Helen who wrote Bridget Jones Diary.
Coolness of Paget about to trepan -
- A trepan is a surgical cut into the skull. James Paget was a surgeon who was still alive.
The science of Jullien, the eminent musico -
- Louis Antoine Jullien 1814 -60 a French born conductor who organized concerts and operatic performances at the Drury Lane Theatre in London
Wit of Macaulay, who wrote of Queen Anne -
- Thomas the historian and writer of the Lays of Ancient Rome rather than George Macaulay Trevelyan who actually did write a history of Queen Anne but who was only five when the opera was first performed.
The pathos of Paddy, as rendered by Boucicault -
- This does not refer to the French artist of the same name but to a poem by an Irishman who wrote of the wearing of the green: revolutionary stuff for this era to be hinting at Irish nationalism.
Style of the Bishop of Sodor and Man -
- This may refer to a Victorian scandal or may just be fun with the unusual name. Sodor is, you will remember, the fictional island where Thomas the Tank Engine would later live.
The dash of a D'Orsay, divested of quackery -
- This was probably the French dandy Alfred d'Orsay.
Narrative powers of Dickens and Thackeray -
- Dickens (d.1870), Thackeray (d.1863).
Victor Emmanuel - peak-haunting Peveril -
- Victor Emmanuel was presumably the King of Italy (d.1861); Walter Scott wrote Peveril of the Peak.
Thomas Aquinas, and Doctor Sacheverell -
- Thomas Aquinas was the 13th century religious writer; Doctor Sacheverill (a high-church preacher d1724).
Tupper and Tennyson - Daniel Defoe -
- Tupper was another writer who was alive at the time as was Tennyson, Daniel Defoe (d.1731).
Anthony Trollope and Mister Guizot!
- Anthony Trollope would die the following year. Mister Guizot was a French political activist.
If you want a receipt for this soldier-like paragon,
- The words receipt and recipe were interchangeable.
Get at the wealth of the Czar (if you can) -
The family pride of a Spaniard from Aragon -
Force of Mephisto pronouncing a ban -
- Any offers? Does this refer to Mephistopheles?
A smack of Lord Waterford, reckless and rollicky -
- Is this a reference to a fishing smack? Rollicky: as in having a rollicking time.
Swagger of Roderick, heading his clan -
- There seem to be two contenders: either a Scottish outlaw called Roderick Dhu or Roderick, the last Gothic king of Spain
The keen penetration of Paddington Pollaky -
- The real-life Hercule Poirot of his time.
Grace of an Odalisque on a divan -
- A female slave or concubine in the Turkish court.
The genius strategic of Caesar or Hannibal -
- Do you really need help on these two? Think Gallic Wars and then elephants.
Skill of Sir Garnet in thrashing a cannibal -
-Sir Garnet Wolseley was one of the great Victorian generals who did not actually attack any cannibals.
Flavour of Hamlet - the Stranger, a touch of him -
- Ahem .. think Shakespeare.
Little of Manfred (but not very much of him) -
- Might this refer to the poem by Byron?
Beadle of Burlington - Richardson's show -
- Burlington Arcade in London had a beadle who kept order; Richardson's was a popular travelling theatre. 
Mister Micawber and Madame Tussaud!
- Mister Micawber - a Dickens character - and as for Madame Tussaud's ...

Much later, the two aesthetics refer to themselves by some of the places they visit:
Grosvenor gallery - a recently created rival to the Royal Academy
Sewell and Cross - a famous silk mercer and upholsterers
Howell and James - a famous art pottery gallery

Patience line up

Much of the casting is now done and the line up is (so far) looking like this:

Colonel Calverley - Max Braga (ex Private Willis from Iolanthe)
Major Murgatroyd - Philip Feather (ex Lord Mountararat from Iolanthe)
Lieut the Duke of Dunstable - to follow
Reginald Bunthorne - Alan Russell (ex Lord Chancellor from Iolanthe)
Archibald Grosvenor - David (ex Samuel from Pirates)
The Lady Angela - Hilary Phoenix
The Lady Saphir - Anna Scutt (Iolanthe from Iolanthe)
The Lady Ella - to follow
The Lady Jane - Jenny Braga (new to the front row)
Patience - Sally-Ann Gretton