ThisGreatWorld™, The English Language – 3. My favourite words, phrases, quotes or excerpts etc:

Onomatopoeia being sense by sound eg “bang”

Mulligatawny, a hot curry soup, being a Tamil word brought from Southern India.

The Forlorn Hope, being first up the ramp of a breached wall to attack a besieged city

“The Stew Pony” a pub in the Black Country probably named after the battle during the Peninsular War in Spain at the town of Estepona.

“A host of golden daffodils” (Wordsworth)

“Have no time to stand and stare” (Davies)

Mellifluous, as in the sound of Chinese being sung

“Boil and bubble, Toil and trouble.” As you stir a witches’ cauldron (Macbeth/ Shakespeare)

“Spring is here, birdies build your nest,

Weave together

Straw and feather

Doing each your best”

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead!

In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in your rears,

Then imitate the action of a tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favor’d rage;

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect.” Shakespeare

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them. Binyon.

Oh to be in England now that April’s there

And whoever wakes in England sees, some morning, unaware,

That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheath

Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,

While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough

In England – Now. Browning

Men will feel themselves accurst they were here on St. Swithins day. Shakepears

Qui custodiet custodes (who polices the police)

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

When mighty roast beef was the Englishmen’s food,

It ennobled our hearts, enriched our blood,

Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good,

Oh! The roast beef of England. Richard Leveridge.

Nil desperandum Nihil illegitimae carborundum,

(don’t despair, don’t let the illegitimae grind you down)

An Englishman’s word is his bond.

England expects every man will do his duty - Nelson

England’s the one land, I know,

Where men with Splendid Hearts may go. Brooke

If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field that is forever England. Brooke

This sceptre’d isle set in a silver sea

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,

“to talk of many things;

Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax-

Of cabbages - and kings –

And why the sea is boiling hot –

And whether pigs have wings.” Carroll.

Hearts of oak are our ships,

Hearts of oak are our men;

We always are ready;

Steaby, boys, steady;

We'll fight, and we'll conquer again and again. Garrick

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun;

The Japanese don’t care to, the Chinese wouldn’t dare to;

Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one,

But Englishmen detest a siesta. Noel Coward