h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The British use of pants regularly confuses and amuses the Americans here-abouts. When they inquire, explanations invariably skirt around the idea of men and boys appearing silly when wearing 'short pants'.

This perception seems to be based on the notion that British school uniform dress, which often includes 'shorts' for young men, is designed to humiliate them and make them look ridiculously immature.

Every time I see the subject come up in various threads I have this almost irresitable urge to point out that 'pants' is a theatrical term familiarly referring to pantomine skits and pantominers. Hence, foolish or silly or unworthy of being taken seriously. It's use as a wholey derisive term is likely down to those serious thesbians who consider pantomine the lowest form of their art.

Heretofore, I have always hesitated to offer this explanation, for fear that I might be wrong. But here in the bosom of BritEng I am safe from churlish laughter, n'est-ce pas?


~jwf~

"Every time I see the subject come up in various threads I have this almost irresitable urge to point out that 'pants' is a theatrical term familiarly referring to pantomine skits and pantominers."

Really

Our side of the pond it's always "Panto" as the abbreviation.

I think ~jwf~ is referring to "pants" the term of derision, not pants the trousers (or underwear -- another source of misunderstanding). Special actorspeak; like "ham" meaning apparently not pork, nor indeed one who fancies playing Hamlet, but a neophyte who is assigned to sing the "Ham fat" song in revue (any opinions?)

As for singular and plural in different languages, I hesitated to bring in Gaelic (house rules) but it is perhaps an interesting fact that there is such a thing as dual number in Irish, preserved in Irish English in such phrases as "I need a scissors" and "he's a bollox". Joyce referred to it, obviously with pride, though he resented the Gaelic Leaguers telling him how poor in resonance English is. They belittled the word "thunder" which unfortunately was one of his favourites.

Panto I believe is the short form used by chemists when referring to:

"pantonine, (n)
an amino acid identified in Escherichia coli that may be an intermediate in the biosynthesis of pantothenic acid by that organism, containing NH2 in place of the alpha-OH group of pantothenic acid."

Palomino is a horse of a different colour.

Like only a pal o' mine-o, would refrain from embarassing a fella for spelling pantomiMe wrong all these years. Of course it's nought to do with mining. Unless it's a very noisy mine.

You may be right about the pants too.
I was, as I often do, just guessing.
But I mean well, and only wanted to share the image of some stuck-up actor in the wings looking onstage at the opening act of a vaudevillian evening and saying, "Oh that's just pants!"

~jwf~

I have a few leftover words that did not survive my preview edit of this posting which I will also share with you now:
pancho
pantaloons
santa-balloons
pancho-villa
belgium

"bel***m"

There's no need for that sort of language, man.

Sorry, ~jwf~ that was just one of an intended bunch of stuff which was to have included "hamfatter" but this machine went V. strange -
re-sizing & closing windows willy-nilly. In the two hours taken to restore service (phew) the muse has left the building.

So that's one benefit M*soft has bestoed on humankind.

and bestowed, too.

Bill likes to put his best toe forward.

Why would ham mean pork? A ham is an amature radio operator.

(Sorry, I just had to add that comment.)

The leading man hammed up his romantic scenes, the villain certainly put plenty of beef into his role and the leading lady came on looking like mutton dressed up as lamb .

Together they butchered up the whole play. The producer did not mince his words and in the end the director chickened out.

Veally?

Stepping back again...

Diamonds on the soles of her shoes is a reference to conspicuous consumption. This seems clear from the first few lines:

She’s a rich girl
She don’t try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes


But then it moves into free association:

People say she’s crazy
She’s got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Well that’s one way to lose these
Walking blues


And I don't think anything from there on makes any sense!

Paul Simon is so annoying. Pretty vowel sounds to go with his pretty tunes.

*...silly old man character in Italian comedy who wore tight trousers over his skinny legs...*



http://www.etymonline.com/p1etym.htm

Wonderful! Pantaloon refers to "San Pantaleone, Christian martyr, a popular saint in Venice"

Just as "tawdry" refers to St Audrey, who refused to wear an expensive necklace and wore crochet instead, which came to be known as "St-Audrey Lace" and then "tawdry lace"; it eventually gave the name of "lace" to the fine needlework (which in its turn became expensive too).

And there is a connection to pantomime too; "The name [Pantaleone] is of Gk. origin and means "all-compassionate."" The panto bit means "all-", and pantomime is all-mime.

The Greek prefix pan- is well known (pantheon, pandememonium, pangram)...so where does the -to- bit bit come from?

RF

The Greek words 'pan' and 'pantos' both mean 'all' so some English words have taken the former and some the latter.

Literally, then, 'panto-mime' must mean 'all mimed' - dumbshow, no words, no songs, no 'she's behind you!'

Anyone else watched a pantomime and wished that were the case?

Oh no I haven't!

Oh no we haven't....

It's behind you plaguey

>> Together they butchered up the whole play. <<


Nice one TC
That whole posting I mean.
Pretty comprehensive, it didn't leave
much for the pups to fight over. I have
no come-back but praise.

~jwf~