Greenwood, Kerry -- Phryne Fisher, Book 15, Death by Water, ch. 15 (2005)

Dave — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:11:17 +0000

When pursued by a satyr, always make sure you are caught near the softest available moss.

Kerry Greenwood (b. 1954) Australian author and lawyer
Phryne Fisher, Book 15, Death by Water, ch. 15 (2005)
(Source)

A quip Phryne recalls once making.

Shakespeare, William -- Othello, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 129ff (1.1.129-131) (1603)

Dave — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:17:15 +0000

IAGO: I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Othello, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 129ff (1.1.129-131) (1603)
(Source)

Speaking to Desdemona's father, the senator Brabantio. Earliest recorded use of "beast with two backs" in English; though Rabelais used it in Gargantua and Pantagruel (c. 1532), but that is not known to have been translated to English until the late 17th Century. (More info here).

WIST Quotations

Greenwood, Kerry -- Phryne Fisher, Book 15, Death by Water, ch. 15 (2005)

Shakespeare, William -- Othello, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 129ff (1.1.129-131) (1603)