- Short, sharp shock
The phrase "Short, sharp shock" is a phrase meaning "punishment that is quick and severe." [ [http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/short+sharp+shock Dictionary definition] ] It was most famously used in
Gilbert and Sullivan 's 1885comic opera "The Mikado ", where it appears near the end of the Act I song, "I am so proud."In the opera, the Mikado (the
Emperor of Japan ), having learned that thetown of Titipu is behind on its quota of executions, has decreed that at least one resident of the town must be executed immediately. Otherwise the town will be reduced to the status of avillage . In the dialogue preceding the song, three characters, Pooh-Bah, Ko-Ko and Pish-Tush, discuss which of them should be beheaded in order to save the town from "irretrievable ruin." Although Pooh-Bah's enormous "family pride" would normally prompt him to volunteer for important civic duties, he has decided to "mortify" his pride, and so he declines this undertaking. He points out that since Ko-Ko is already under sentence of death for the capital crime of flirting, Ko-Ko is the obvious choice to be beheaded. Pish-Tush helpfully notes that he had heard that beheading is not all that painful (although he does not seem certain of this).In the last lines of the song, Pooh-Bah, Ko-Ko and Pish-Tush are contemplating "the sensation" of a short, sharp shock caused by being beheaded:
:To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,:In a pestilential prison with a life-long lock:Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock:From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block.
Cultural influence
*The phrase is heard as part of a spoken section in the song "
Us and Them " byPink Floyd from their 1973 album, "The Dark Side of the Moon ". The phrase is spoken byrock and roll road manager Roger The Hat , between 5:05 and 5:21::"You know they're gonna kill ya. So, like... if you give 'em a quick short, sharp shock, they don't do it again. Dig it? I mean he got off lightly, 'cos I could've given him a thrashing - I only hit him once! :It was only a difference of right and wrong in it... I mean good manners don't cost nothing do they? 'Ey!"
*This phrase also met popularity under the Thatcher government in the
United Kingdom , when the then Home SecretaryWillie Whitelaw introduced the "short, sharp shock" treatment at detention centers for young criminals (advertised as part of the 1979 Conservative PartyManifesto ).*The phrase was used in the title of a 1990
fantasy novel, "A Short, Sharp Shock " byKim Stanley Robinson .*It also appears in the title of an album, "
Short Sharp Shocked ", byMichelle Shocked and the EP "Shortsharpshock " byTherapy? .*In the
Discworld novel byTerry Pratchett , "Feet of Clay ", Commander Sam Vimes is noted as "all for giving criminals a short, sharp shock."*The phrase is used among stage actors (and perhaps other practitioners of vocal arts) to exercise and perfect articulation.
*The phrase is used in the song "East Side Beat" by
The Toasters .*
Short Sharp Shock is a crossover thrash band fromLiverpool ,England .*The British electronic rock band (We Are) Performance have a song called "Short Sharp Shock" on their self-titled album.
*Short Sharp Shock was the name of a 1984 album by
Chaos UK .*The phrase 'Short Sharp Shock' is also found in the lyrics of the [http://www.billybragg.co.uk/ Billy Bragg] song entitled [http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/B/billybragglyrics/billybraggitsaysherelyrics.htm "It Says Here"] found on his 1984 album 'Brewing Up with Billy Bragg'.
References
External links
* [http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/mikado/html/index.html Extensive information about "The Mikado" including Midi file and lyrics to the song]
* [http://www.staffspasttrack.org.uk/exhibit/crimeandpunishment/imagepage/shock.htm 1820s letter employing the phrase]
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