A Case Of Necessity
A SHOPKEEPER, who had stuck up a notice in glaring capitals, Selling
off! Must close on Saturday! was asked by a friend, What! are you
selling off?--Yes, all the shopkeepers are selling off, ain't
they?--But you say, 'Must close on Saturday.'--To be sure; would you
have me keep open on Sunday!
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A Black Joke
A GENTLEMAN at Limehouse observed the laborers at work in a tier of colliers, and wanting to learn the price of coals, hailed one of the men with, Well, Paddy, how are coals?--Black as ever, was the reply. ... A Book Case
THERE is a celebrated reply of Mr. Curran to a remark of Lord Clare, who curtly exclaimed at one of his legal positions, O! if that be law, Mr. Curran, I may burn my law-books!--Better read them, my lord, was the sarcastic and appropriate rejoinder.... A Bright Rejoinder
AN Englishman paying an Irish shoeblack with rudeness, the dirty urchin said, My honey, all the polish you have is upon your boots and I gave you that. ... A Broad Hint
CHARLES II. playing at tennis with a dean, who struck the ball well, the king said, That's a good stroke for a dean.--I'll give it the stroke of a bishop if your Majesty pleases, was the suggestive rejoinder. ... A Broad Hint
AN eminent barrister having a case sent to him for an opinion--the case being outrageously preposterous--replied, in answer to the question, Would an action lie?--Yes, if the witnesses would lie too, but not otherwise. ... A Broad-brim Hint
A QUAKER said to a gunner, Friend, I counsel no bloodshed; but if it be thy design to hit the little man in the blue jacket, point thine engine three inches lower. ... A Broad-sheet Hint
IN the parlor of a public-house in Fleet Street, there used to be written over the chimney-piece the following notice: Gentlemen learning to spell are requested to use yesterday's paper. ... A Broken Head
I AM the only man in Europe, sir, said the Colonel, that ever had a broken head,--to live after it. I was hunting near my place in Yorkshire; my horse threw me, and I was pitched, head-foremost, upon a scythe which had been left upon the ground. Whe... A Budget Of Blunders
PERHAPS the best concentrated specimen of blunders, such as occur in all nations, but which, of course, are fathered upon Paddy wholesale, as if by common consent, is the following:-- Copy of a Letter, written during the Rebellion by Sir ----, an ... A Cabal
THE attempt to run over the King of the French with a cab, looked like a conspiracy to overturn monarchy by a common-wheel. ... A Calculation
AFTER the death of the poet Chatterton, there was found among his papers, indorsed on a letter intended for publication, addressed to Beckford, then Lord Mayor, dated May 26, 1770, the following memorandum: Accepted by Bingley, set for, and thrown o... A Candid Counsel
AN Irish counsel being asked by the judge for whom was he concerned, replied, I am concerned for the plaintiff, but I'm retained by the defendant. ... A Capital Joke
LORD BRAXFIELD (a Scotch judge) once said to an eloquent culprit at the bar, You're a vera clever chiel, mon, but I'm thinking ye wad be nane the waur o' a hanging. ... A Capital Letter
DR. LLOYD, Bishop of Worcester, so eminent for his prophecies, when by his solicitations and compliance at court he got removed from a poor Welsh bishopric to a rich English one, a reverend dean of the Church said, that he found his brother Lloyd sp... A Case Of Necessity
A SHOPKEEPER, who had stuck up a notice in glaring capitals, Selling off! Must close on Saturday! was asked by a friend, What! are you selling off?--Yes, all the shopkeepers are selling off, ain't they?--But you say, 'Must close on Saturday.'--To be... A Cautious Lover
WHEN I courted her, said Spreadweasel, I took lawyer's advice, and signed every letter to my love,--'Yours, without prejudice!'--D.J. ... A Celestial Vision
QUIN, being asked by a lady why there were more women in the world than men, replied, It is in conformity with the other arrangements of Nature, madam; we always see more of heaven than earth. ... A Certain Crop
UNDER the improved system of agriculture and of draining, great preparations had been made for securing a good crop in a certain field, where Lord Fife, his factor, and others interested in the subject were collected together. There was much discuss... A Certainty
A PHYSICIAN passing by a stone-mason's shop bawled out, Good morning, Mr. D.! Hard at work, I see. You finish your gravestones as far as 'In the memory of,' and then wait, I suppose, to see who wants a monument next?--Why, yes, replied the old man, ... A Change For The Better
HOW are you this morning? said Fawcett to Cooke. Not at all myself, says the tragedian. Then I congratulate you, replied Fawcett; for, be whoever else you will, you will be a gainer by the bargain. ... A Chartist Not A Leveller
A CHARTIST at a public meeting, in the course of a speech about the five points of the charter, exclaimed, Gentlemen, is not one man as good as another?--Uv course he is, shouted an excited Irish chartist, and a great deal betther. ... A Cheap Cure
PRAY, Mr. Abernethy, what is the cure for gout? asked an indolent and luxurious citizen. Live upon sixpence a day, and earn it! was the pithy answer. ... A Cheap Watch
A SAILOR went to a watchmaker, and presenting a small French watch to him, demanded to know how much the repair of it would come to. The watchmaker, after examining it, said, It will be more expense repairing than its original cost.--I don't mind th... A Choice Of Evils
ONE asked his friend, why he married so little a wife? Why, said he, I thought you knew, that of all evils we should choose the least. ... A City Varnish
IT being remarked of a picture of The Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, in the Shakespeare Gallery, that the varnish was chilled and the figures rather sunk, the proprietors directed one of their assistants to give it a fresh coat of varnish. Must I... A Claim On The Country
AS you do not belong to my parish, said a clergyman to a begging sailor, with a wooden leg, you cannot expect that I should relieve you.--Sir, said the sailor, with a noble air, I lost my leg fighting for all parishes. ... A Clear Case
MR. JUSTICE MAULE would occasionally tax the powers of country juries. Ex. gr. Gentlemen, said the judge, the learned counsel is perfectly right in his law, there is some evidence upon that point; but he's a lawyer, and you're not, and you don't kno... A Clever Dog
AFTER witnessing the first representation of a dog-piece by Reynolds, called the Caravan, Sheridan suddenly came into the green-room, on purpose, it was imagined, to wish the author joy. Where is he? was the first question: where is my guardian ange...