I turned on the pillow with a little moan, and at this juncture Jeeves entered with the vital oolong. I clutched at it like a drowning man at a straw hat.
P. G. WodehouseRead
It would take more than long-stemmed roses to change my view that you're a despicable cowardy custard and a disgrace to a proud family. Your ancestors fought in the Crusades and were often mentioned in despatches, and you cringe like a salted snail at the thought of appearing as Santa Claus before an audience of charming children who wouldn't hurt a fly. It's enough to make an aunt turn her face to the wall and give up the struggle.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote humorously criticizes someone for their cowardice and inability to face their responsibilities.
In this quote, P. G. Wodehouse uses exaggerated and colorful language to lampoon an individual's cowardice and dishonorable behavior. By contrasting this person's actions with the valor of their ancestors, who fought valiantly in the Crusades, Wodehouse highlights the absurdity of their timid nature, thereby creating a humorous yet poignant critique of failing to live up to familial legacy and personal courage.
Themes
CowardiceHumorLegacyCourageCriticism
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a humorous speech about bravery and personal challenges.
More from P. G. Wodehouse
All quotes →While not exactly disgruntled, he was far from feeling gruntled. He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.
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She fitted into my biggest arm-chair as if it had been built round her by someone who knew they were wearing arm-chairs tight about the hips that season
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It was a nasty look. It made me feel as if I were something the dog had brought in and intended to bury later on, when he had time.
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Memories are like mulligatawny soup in a cheap restaurant. It is wiser not to stir them.
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It was a confusion of ideas between him and one of the lions he was hunting in Kenya that had caused A. B. Spottsworth to make the obituary column. He thought the lion was dead, and the lion thought it wasn't.
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