A John Wesley Harding Glossary

With occasional notes by Rose...

Clingfilm: Saranwrap. ("You're No Good")
Cupid and Psycho: Cf. the myth of Cupid and Psyche
Dansette: Old-fashioned all-in-one record player with lid as owned by my mother. Best for playing stacked singles. ("The World")
Do The Dinosaur: Pretty awful Was Not Was song. ("Here Comes The Grom")
Dog Collar: As worn by a member of the clergy (and a dog, naturally). ("You're No Good")
Dole-queue:: Where you pick up your welfare money with your UB40 (cf. lite reggae band UB40). ("Bridegroom Blues")
Just your body's enchained: What Socrates told people when he was in prison and about to die. ("The Truth")
Kings Cross All-Night Show: Not pornography as it seemed to be, but a reference to the sadly defunct Scala Cinema now closed down because it showed Clockwork Orange. Great all-night programming on Saturdays. ("Bridegroom Blues")
Lets her fingers do the walking: Old ad for the Yellow Pages in England. "Let your fingers do the walking, yellow pages, yellow pages." Very annoying. ("Bridegroom Blues")
Magic sponge: How trainers cure footballers (world style rather than American style) who are lying hurt on the pitch (as in "ooh, he's bringing on the magic sponge"). ("Same Thing Twice")
My cup of tea: A rather quaint way of saying "I like it." ("Same Thing Twice")
Naughty Nazis: There was a very strange tv show called Allo, Allo, set among the French resistance during the Nazi occupation. It was a very popular sitcom during the 80s. (American viewers can find the show on many PBS stations; watch at your own risk. --Rose) ("Hitler's Tears")
Pick those hops: Hop-picking is a very familiar job for teenagers where I come from (and possibly where you come from). ("When The Sun Comes Out")
Rent Boy: Popular name (particularly in the tabloid press) for young male prostitutes. ("Get Back Down")
Standard Lamp: A tall upright lamp with a (round) base on the floor found in many an English sitting room. ("The Original Miss Jesus")
Station Road: In Cambridge as you walk towards town centre. I lived on the corner above a pub. ("Cathy's New Clown")
The Sunday Sport: Very poor "sensational" English newspaper, more like the Weekly World News, most concerned with sex. ("Same Thing Twice")
Ticket Tout: Ticket scalper. ("The World")
TVQ: Some dotty system whereby showbiz magazines work out how popular you are. Like IQ. You get it. ("The Movie of Your LIfe")
Vulgar Fraction: A real fraction, not a decimal point thing. In other words 1/2 not 0.5. ("50/50 Split")
Vestry: Where priests etc. put their robes on in church (did I need to explain that?). ("Here Comes The Groom")
Whitehall Farce: Particular type of "whoops, there go my trousers" English comedy, which used to play in a particular part of London and often starred Brian Rix. ("Hitler's Tears")
Any other burning questions?
If you're stuck on the meaning of any particular words or phrases, mail Rose (auerbach@armory.com) and she'll pass them on to Wes.
If you have any deeper questions that can best be answered by The Man Himself, mail Wes (jwh@armory.com).