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Wellerisms

Celebrating the linguistic pearls of Sam Weller and his father

The colorful dialogue of Sam Weller and his father, Tony, in Pickwick Papers is peppered with what have become known as Wellerisms. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following definition...

Wellerisms

Wellerisms found in The Pickwick Papers:

'Then the next question is, what the devil do you want with me, as the man said, wen he see the ghost?' (Pickwick Papers, p. 125)

'That's the pint, sir,' interposed Sam; 'out vith it, as the father said to his child, when he swallowed a farden' (Pickwick Papers, p. 154)

'Here's your servant, Sir. Proud o' the title, as the living skellinton said, ven they show'd him' (Pickwick Papers, p. 207)

Samuel Weller

'There's nothin' so refreshen' as sleep, sir, as the servant girl said afore she drank the egg-cupful of laudanum' (Pickwick Papers, p. 211)

'If you walley my precious life don't upset me, as the gen'l'm'n said to the driver when they was a-carryin' him to Tyburn' (Pickwick Papers, p. 254)

'Now, gen'l'm'n, "fall on," as the English said to the French when they fixed bagginets' (Pickwick Papers, p. 255)

'That's what I call a self-evident proposition, as the dog's-meat man said, when the housemaid told him he warn't a gentleman' (Pickwick Papers, p. 299)

'How are you, ma'am?' said Mr Weller.'Wery glad to see you, indeed, and hope our acquaintance may be a long 'un, as the gen'l'm'n said to the fi' pun' note' (Pickwick Papers, p.350)

'All good feelin', sir--the wery best intentions, as the gen'l'm'n said ven he run away from his wife 'cos she seemed unhappy with him,' (Pickwick Papers, p. 364)

'There; now we look compact and comfortable, as the father said ven he cut his little boy's head off, to cure him o' squintin'' (Pickwick Papers, p. 384)

'Nev'r mind, Sammy,' replied Mr Weller, 'it'll be a wery agonisin' trial to me at my time of life, but I'm pretty tough, that's vun consolation, as the wery old turkey remarked wen the farmer said he wos afeerd he should be obliged to kill him for the London market' (Pickwick Papers, p. 451)

'So I take the privilidge of the day, Mary, my dear--as the gen'l'm'n in difficulties did, ven he valked out of a Sunday' (Pickwick Papers, p. 453)

'Oh, quite enough to get, Sir, as the soldier said ven they ordered him three hundred and fifty lashes' (Pickwick Papers, p. 483)

'Hooroar for the principle, as the money-lender said ven he vouldn't renew the bill' (Pickwick Papers, p. 489)

'Vich I call addin' insult to injury, as the parrot said ven they not only took him from his native land, but made him talk the English langwidge arterwards' (Pickwick Papers, p. 493)

'It must be somethin' wery uncommon indeed, as could perduce a letter out o' any friend o' mine,' replied Sam, shaking his head dubiously; 'nothin' less than a nat'ral conwulsion, as the young gen'l'm'n observed ven he wos took with fits' (Pickwick Papers, p. 517)

'It's a great deal more in your way than mine, as the gen'l'm'n on the right side o' the garden vall said to the man on the wrong un, ven the mad bull vos a-comin' up the lane' (Pickwick Papers, p. 524)

'Come, Sir, this is rayther too rich, as the young lady said when she remonstrated with the pastry-cook, arter he'd sold her a pork pie as had got nothin' but fat inside' (Pickwick Papers, p. 541)

'If this don't beat cock-fightin' nothin' never vill, as the lord mayor said, ven the chief secretary o' state proposed his missis's health arter dinner' (Pickwick Papers, p. 549)

'P'raps if vun of us wos to brush, without troubling the man, it 'ud be more agreeable for all parties, as the schoolmaster said when the young gentleman objected to being flogged by the butler' (Pickwick Papers, p. 587-588)

'I think I see your drift; and if I do see your drift, it's my 'pinion that you're a-comin' it a great deal too strong, as the mail-coachman said to the snowstorm, ven it overtook him' (Pickwick Papers, p. 599)

'He's a malicious, bad-disposed, vorldly-minded, spiteful, windictive creetur, with a hard heart as there ain't no soft'nin', as the wirtuous clergyman remarked of the old gen'l'm'n with the dropsy, ven he said, that upon the whole he thought he'd rayther leave his property to his vife than build a chapel vith it' (Pickwick Papers, p. 615)

'Avay vith melincholly, as the little boy said ven his schoolmissus died' (Pickwick Papers, p. 623)

'Set down, Sir, ve make no extra charge for settin' down, as the king remarked wen he blowed up his ministers' (Pickwick Papers, p. 633)

'I should think they had,' exclaimed Mr Weller, surveying his companion's rags with undisguised wonder. 'This is rayther a change for the worse, Mr Trotter, as the gen'l'm'n said, wen he got two doubtful shillin's and sixpenn'orth o' pocket-pieces for a good half-crown' (Pickwick Papers, p. 640)

'If you know'd who was near, sir, I rather think you'd change your note; as the hawk remarked to himself vith a cheerful laugh, ven he heerd the robin-redbreast a-singin' round the corner' (Pickwick Papers, p. 662)

'I only assisted natur, ma'am; as the doctor said to the boy's mother, after he'd bled him to death' (Pickwick Papers, p. 664)

'Sorry to do anythin' as may cause an interruption to such wery pleasant proceedin's, as the king said wen he dissolved the parliament' (Pickwick Papers, p. 674)

'Wotever is, is right, as the young nobleman sweetly remarked wen they put him down in the pension list 'cos his mother's uncle's vife's grandfather vunce lit the king's pipe vith a portable tinder-box' (Pickwick Papers, p. 714)

'It wos to be--and wos, as the old lady said arter she'd married the footman' (Pickwick Papers, p. 730)