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corrupted so much in the last few decades, because the riding population in the advanced countries [is] about 90% women. “In the older days [Elyot’s grandmother’s day], women rode horses in the saddles specially designed just for them, [that is, side saddle]. . . .” I don’t believe in crying over my bridge before I’d eaten it. – Amanda has managed to cram several old sayings into this statement: No use crying over spilled milk; that’s water over the bridge, etc. What she means is that she doesn’t lose sleep over actions she has not taken—I think. Frowsy – Webster’s says this is “unkempt, slovenly,” even “having an unpleasant smell.” It’s a joke!, of course, but what an attitude toward marriage. Caraway biscuit and change my crinoline – Amanda is suggesting to Elyot that he is voicing out-of-date opinions on the state of women. It is important to note that this play was written in 1929, many decades before the so-called Sexual Revolution (another thing which your students may not know about, the revolution, I mean). Amanda’s statement, “It doesn’t suit men for women to be promiscuous,” is much in the same vein. Coward is pretty progressive for a man of that time—but don’t get me started on that! I think it needs a little Borax (the floor they’re dancing on) – The editor of Dance Addict’s Guide, a webpage about ballroom dancing in the Philippines, has this to say about dancing in modern clubs: “I have yet to experience ballroom dancing on my idea of the best dancing floor—a non-lacquered (read as ‘naturally polished’) sprung wood floor which has been naturally polished by thousands of dancing feet over the years. Many clubs have wood parquet floors, usually lacquered to look good. Club owners though have to check daily for lose slats which could sprain unwary dancers. Some hotels, in the absence of a real ballroom, install portable wooden floors with aluminum connectors, which could trip a lady’s heel. Other dance clubs, and this seems to be the trend, have marble or faux marble floors. But I find these too hard and slippery especially with suede and leather soles. The hard floor could also be a strain on the dancer’s ankles. . . . “Because dance floors are seldom cleaned and maintained properly, and because they are not really suitable for dancing, club owners help to smoothen the floor with either borax [a granular hydrated sodium borate used to clean things] or talcum powder. Club owners should not confuse this with corn starch which can glue dancers’ shoes to the floor. . . .” Ouch! How long, oh Lord, how long? - This phrase occurs repeatedly in the Bible, most often in the book of Psalms. Without fail it is utteredd by an individual who is feeling very oppressed and wondering when God will intervene. This is just a slight exaggeration of the situation Elyot and Amanda are in, which Elyot well knows. Like being under gas - It’s like being under the influence of a popular form of anesthesia. Tiller Girls - Britisher John Tiller began a troupe of dancing girls in 1885 who were chiefly known for their precision dancing, often done in a geometric formation and involving high kicks. People of a certain age may remember Jackie Gleason’s June Taylor Dancers, but the best known American equivalent is Radio City’s Rockettes. Sacred shibboleths - a “sacred” or special/secret word, phrase or manner of speaking used by a group of people that conveys a certain meaning. For Elyot and Amanda it is Solomon Isaacs or Sollocks! Place Vendome - a famous Paris shopping area: “Place Vendôme, in . . . magnificent perspective going from Opera Garnier to Jardin desTuileries, beside the Hôtel Ritz , not far from the Hôtel Crillon and one block from Rue de La Paix and Rue Saint Honoré,” according to the jeweler Alexandre Reza’s webpage.