Did Upstairs Downstairs give a pederast a wink and a nod

[Dingbat]

Does this bawdy song about a pederast on Upstairs Downstairs give him a wink and a nod?

Any old skirt's a flirt to Uncle Arthur,
He's over eighty, but how he can run!
"Give us a kiss, my dear," he'd say,
And tickle you up the boom-di-ay,
And say it was just an 'armless bit of fun.1

What are we going to do with Uncle Arthur?
Have him doctored like a tomcat?

http://www.updown.org.uk/multim/lyrics.htm


Uncle Arthur seems to be treated with much greater indulgence than this old man:

There I met an old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg
And threw him down the stairs.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goosey_Goosey_Gander

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

On Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:53:29 -0700 (PDT), Dingbat
<ranjit_...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Does this bawdy song about a pederast on Upstairs Downstairs give him a wink and a nod?
>

??
A pederast is " A man who has or desires sexual relations with a boy"
[OED].

It's clear from the lyrics that he chases women.

The full wording of the first verse (from the url below):

What are we going to do with Uncle Arthur?

A blinking stallion, is Uncle Arthur.
When he goes a-strolling in the park,
Watch your step, girls, especially after dark.

Any old skirt's a flirt to Uncle Arthur,
He's over eighty, but how he can run!
"Give us a kiss, my dear," he'd say,
And tickle you up the boom-di-ay,
And say it was just an 'armless bit of fun.


>Any old skirt's a flirt to Uncle Arthur,
>He's over eighty, but how he can run!
>"Give us a kiss, my dear," he'd say,
>And tickle you up the boom-di-ay,
>And say it was just an 'armless bit of fun.1
>
>What are we going to do with Uncle Arthur?
>Have him doctored like a tomcat?
>
>http://www.updown.org.uk/multim/lyrics.htm
>
>
>Uncle Arthur seems to be treated with much greater indulgence than this old man:
>
>There I met an old man
>Who wouldn't say his prayers,
>So I took him by his left leg
>And threw him down the stairs.[1]
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goosey_Goosey_Gander

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

[Dingbat]

On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 6:18:23 AM UTC-4, PeterWD wrote:

> On Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:53:29 -0700 (PDT), Dingbat wrote:
>
> >Does this bawdy song about a pederast on Upstairs Downstairs give him a wink and a nod?
> >
> ??
> A pederast is " A man who has or desires sexual relations with a boy"
> [OED].
>

OK; then a pedophile or hebephile

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <bc3e5e31-e149-416f...@googlegroups.com>,

Dingbat <ranjit_...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> > >Does this bawdy song about a pederast on Upstairs Downstairs give him a
> > >wink and a nod?
> > >
> > ??
> > A pederast is " A man who has or desires sexual relations with a boy"
> > [OED].
> >
> OK; then a pedophile or hebephile
> >
> > It's clear from the lyrics that he chases women.
> >
> > The full wording of the first verse (from the url below):
> >
> > What are we going to do with Uncle Arthur?
> > A blinking stallion, is Uncle Arthur.
> > When he goes a-strolling in the park,
> > Watch your step, girls, especially after dark.
> > Any old skirt's a flirt to Uncle Arthur,
> > He's over eighty, but how he can run!
> > "Give us a kiss, my dear," he'd say,
> > And tickle you up the boom-di-ay,
> > And say it was just an 'armless bit of fun.

And the textually-based answer remains, no.

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

On Fri, 20 Mar 2015 06:52:40 -0700 (PDT), Dingbat
<ranjit_...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 6:18:23 AM UTC-4, PeterWD wrote:
>> On Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:53:29 -0700 (PDT), Dingbat wrote:
>>
>> >Does this bawdy song about a pederast on Upstairs Downstairs give him a wink and a nod?
>> >
>> ??
>> A pederast is " A man who has or desires sexual relations with a boy"
>> [OED].
>>
>OK; then a pedophile or hebephile

It's possible that you are misunderstanding what is meant by "girls" in
the lyrics. The word can be used to refer to females of any age. I don't
see anything in the lyrics to suggest that Uncle Arthur chases underage
girls.

OED on "girl":

2.
a. A young or relatively young woman.

b. A woman of any age.
....
1964 G. L. Cohen What's Wrong with Hospitals? iii. 45 Our girls
were up and dying for their tea by seven o'clock. They're working
wives, or married to factory workers.

and then:

3. A female child. The counterpart of boy.

>>
>> It's clear from the lyrics that he chases women.
>>
>> The full wording of the first verse (from the url below):
>>
>> What are we going to do with Uncle Arthur?
>> A blinking stallion, is Uncle Arthur.
>> When he goes a-strolling in the park,
>> Watch your step, girls, especially after dark.
>> Any old skirt's a flirt to Uncle Arthur,
>> He's over eighty, but how he can run!
>> "Give us a kiss, my dear," he'd say,
>> And tickle you up the boom-di-ay,
>> And say it was just an 'armless bit of fun.
>>

My interpretation

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 9:52:46 AM UTC-4, Dingbat wrote:
> On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 6:18:23 AM UTC-4, PeterWD wrote:
> > On Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:53:29 -0700 (PDT), Dingbat wrote:

> > >Does this bawdy song about a pederast on Upstairs Downstairs give him a wink and a nod?
> > ??
> > A pederast is " A man who has or desires sexual relations with a boy"
> > [OED].
> >
> OK; then a pedophile or hebephile

(Was that a pathetic attempt at "ephebophile"?)

There is no suggestion in the lyric that it is about sexual desire for
children or adolescents.

[Dingbat]

On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 5:05:01 PM UTC-4, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 9:52:46 AM UTC-4, Dingbat wrote:
> > On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 6:18:23 AM UTC-4, PeterWD wrote:
> > > On Thu, 19 Mar 2015 20:53:29 -0700 (PDT), Dingbat wrote:
>
> > > >Does this bawdy song about a pederast on Upstairs Downstairs give him a wink and a nod?
> > > ??
> > > A pederast is " A man who has or desires sexual relations with a boy"
> > > [OED].
> > >
> > OK; then a pedophile or hebephile
>
> (Was that a pathetic attempt at "ephebophile"?)
>

Yes; thanks for the correction.

[musika]

On 20/03/2015 22:08, Dingbat wrote:
> On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 5:05:01 PM UTC-4, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
>> On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 9:52:46 AM UTC-4, Dingbat wrote:
>>> OK; then a pedophile or hebephile
>>
>> (Was that a pathetic attempt at "ephebophile"?)
>>
> Yes; thanks for the correction.
>>

Are you sure? Hebephile comes between paedophile and ephebophile.

--
Ray
UK

[Dingbat]

No, I'm not sure. I thought I remembered hebephile but presumed that PD was right that I was wrong.

[R H Draney]

"Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote in
news:9113102d-fd70-4f69...@googlegroups.com:

> On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 9:52:46 AM UTC-4, Dingbat wrote:

>> OK; then a pedophile or hebephile
>
> (Was that a pathetic attempt at "ephebophile"?)

A bit young for my taste at 31, but nothing kinky here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebe_Tien

....r

[Charles Bishop]

In article <e3e57c2b-449c-4804...@googlegroups.com>,

I wonder what the over/under is on that, generally.

--
charles

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 6:29:01 PM UTC-4, musika wrote:

It's not in AHD5.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Good grief.

There's a Hebe in G&S, and a different one in Greek mythology.

[CDB]

On 20/03/2015 8:06 PM, Dingbat wrote:
> musika wrote:
>> Dingbat wrote:

>>> Peter T. Daniels wrote:
>>>> Dingbat wrote:
>>>>> OK; then a pedophile or hebephile

>>>> (Was that a pathetic attempt at "ephebophile"?)

>>> Yes; thanks for the correction.

>> Are you sure? Hebephile comes between paedophile and ephebophile.

> No, I'm not sure. I thought I remembered hebephile but presumed that
> PD was right that I was wrong.

Nah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebephilia

[Peter T. Daniels]

According to which it has had a very wide range of uses over the years and
there's no consensus that such a thing even exists (distinct from the other
two), so it would be up to the Dingbat to say what she meant ("Dingbat" =
"Edith Bunker," normally).