“Hold your tongue, beadle,” said the second old gentleman, when Mr. Bumble had given vent to this compound adjective. “I beg your worship’s pardon,” said Mr. Bumble, incredulous of his having heard aright,—“did your worship speak to me?” “Yes—hold your tongue.”

Probably the hooligan of London need not cost more to redeem than the ike of Manchester or the peaky blinder of Birmingham; the differences in expense lie in the method.

[T]hat such Shows should be prohibited is very rational & proper—it is however curious to see how little forbiddance is necessary; for these Superstitious Brutalities die away of themselves gradually […] .

Added to these woes was the Treasury's demands for across-the-board train operator cost-cutting of broadly 10%. Passenger rail's slow, patchy and fragile recovery had the stuffing knocked out of it once more.