A circular today from a gentleman signing himself as a Reverend Canon.
So far, so good. The time when monsignori ... in Waugh's phrase ... were running around like rabbits, has, I hope, passed. "Canon" sounds so much more English.
But ... the missive refers to "... measure ... to mitigate against ... transmission ... The main mitigation against ..."
Oh dear.
Poor "poppet", as Your Reverence would say. He needs to get out more with the lads and go the extra 'mile'!
ReplyDelete"running around like rabbits" in the halls of Brideshead!! haha!!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, Father!!
But why would he sign as a Reverend Canon? He would sign as a Canon; that is his office. "Reverend" is a term of respect paid to him by others. I don't think the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, Prime Minister, 1st L.o.t.T would *sign* "The Right Honorable Boris Johnson". He would sign as "Boris Johnson" plus offices. I don't think that the Crown Prince would sign as "My Royal Highness Prince Charles", he would sign as "Charles, Prince of the United Kingdom" or something like it.
ReplyDelete(Or is the anglophone habit really so different? In Germany at least, the official predicate for non-noble layfolk like myself is "very honoured", and I never would sign "The Very Honoured Moritz Gruber").
I think the monks and monsignori were running around like mice, Father ; it's the alliteration, with the rhythm, that makes the phrase memorable.
ReplyDelete