TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

I feel slightly silly asking this, but I've never understood the significance of "Sorry dear, Rabelais off"
But then again, I'm the one who couldn't make the Gottle o'Geer/bottle o'beer connection, and
this seems like it might be slightly more referenced to something that I may have never encountered
in my sheltered life.  Please be gentle.

I seem to recall from Patrick Humphries' book that Dave Mattacks was responsible for the comment.  But what it means?  Maybe I'll try to get him for Talk Awhile and then you can ask  ;)

I believe it's a reference to a Peter Sellers sketch - a Rupert Brooke "Granchester" reworking - wherein the line "...and is there honey still for tea?" is followed by a proto-Mrs Overall answering " 'oney's off Dear....". No idea where the Rabelais bit comes from, mind.

you know this was the very first question i ever asked around these parts
and do you also know ive forgotten the answer, i too had been bugged for 30 years wondering what in gods name it meant.
 i assume the rabelais bit is a polite way of sayng eff off
 rabelaisian languge and all dontcha know
 and i thought it was swarb sending a message to one of his exes

but what with the old timers disease, ive forgotten
 3 good thingss about oldtimers diease though
1 - you get to meet new people all the time
2 - you get to meeet new peole all the time
3 - you get to meet new people all the time 

"French Renaissance writer, a Franciscan monk, humanist, and physician, whose comic novels Gargantua and Pantagruel are among the most hilarious classics of world literature. Rabelais' heroes are rude but funny giants traveling in a world full of greed, stupidity, violence, and grotesque jokes. His books were banned by the Catholic Church and later placed on The Index librorum prohibitorumon (the Index of Forbidden Books)."

Which would sort of make sense.

Just found this...

It is in the second book where Rabelais writes of the Abbey of Theleme, built by the giant Gargantua. It pokes fun at the monastic institiutions, since his abbey has a swimming pool, maid service, and no clocks in sight.

One of the verses of the inscription on the gate to the Abbey of Theleme says:

Grace, honour, praise, delight,

Journeyman's Grace!
Honour and Praise!!
Angel Delight!!!

Got to be, hasn't it?

I always likes a picture!

(http://www.todayinliterature.com/assets/portraits/r/francois-rabelais-190x257.jpg)

François Rabelais

Never before in the year or so I have been on this board, have I ever been so confused by a thread as this one!  I 've read it through twice
but I 've absolutley no idea what you are all talking about! ???

It's quote on the cover of 'Nine'
Apart from that you're on your own.  ;D

Thanks!  It's all sooo clear to me now

I want one of those hats for Cropredy!!! Doesn't look like much of a party animal though  ;D

Allways thought it was a comment from the landlady at the Brazenose 
Rabelais was a  beer on sale at the time in said pub>

 [;-) [;-)

You've been reading too much Dan Brown, mate.

Nice idea, but Fairport wouldn't record Honour and Praise for another 10 years or so after Nine was released. 

Unless it's a really spooky  :o bit of clairvoyance!

Will

Rablais certainly had a lot to say about beer and drinking in general
"I do not drink more than a sponge."
"They who drink beer will think beer".
“When I drink, I think; and when I think, I drink.”
"When my glass is full, I shall drink it. When my glass is empty, I shall regret it."

 Rabelais ;D ;D

My mate Oakwood Graham, a member of this board but an infrequent poster, thinks it relates to a Monty Python sketch of the Mrs Constitution kind. All that remains is for some pedant  ;D to run the entire Python DVD set to check this! It won't be me, I don't possess it.

Rabelais last words , and do correct me if I'm talking total boll*cks - were " I am off in search of a great perhaps"............

Thought the horse's mouth would be in order on this one. I asked Dave Mattacks and this is his reply:


"It's my quote/idea... and it was as a response to RT's (arguably) Rabelaisian type sleeve notes on "Full House" - the idea being that this one (Angel D.) has no sleeve notes... therefore, "Sorry dear etc"... (Yes, pythonesque way of saying same).

I trust hundreds can now sleep easy...

Fondest from New England... DM"

Well done that man!!!!! ;) ;D ;D

I'm off

to t'Arms

great , except it was"9" not "angel delight", which had its own strange brand of sleeve notes

A pedant writes: jawohl mein herr! A Monty Pm sketch in the latter half of the eighteenth century... although I don't in all honesty recall the full context.

Jack O'Diamonds -0 always short of a full context!

Spam. I'm certain of it.

Finally I can sleep easy ;). Thanks DM!
I have been wondering for some 30+ years! ::)
Staffan