Two ANONS and a by-and-by is an hour and a half

Insights

Procrastination

Highlights the gap between verbal intention and timely action, mocking the habit of repeatedly promising something 'soon' while persistently delaying.

Empty Promises

Suggests that vague or non-committal assurances often mask an unwillingness or inability to act, pointing to unreliability or passive avoidance.

Time Distortion in Speech

Draws attention to how language can distort perceptions of time—terms like 'anon' and 'by-and-by' feel immediate but can stretch indefinitely depending on the speaker.

Linguistic Humor and Social Critique

The proverb plays humorously with temporal language, offering a sly critique of human tendencies toward delay, especially in domestic or service contexts. It's an early example of time-based sarcasm grounded in everyday speech.

Cultural Commentary on Courtesy

Polite but evasive phrases like 'by-and-by' or 'anon' were commonly used to delay without confrontation. This proverb exposes their superficial courtesy as veiled procrastination, reflecting social norms of indirectness.

Persistence of the Complaint

Found in 17th- and 18th-century collections like those of Ray and Fuller, the saying reflects a longstanding cultural frustration with inefficiency and insincerity—sentiments still familiar today in customer service or bureaucratic settings.

Rhetorical Devices

Irony

The proverb’s surface politeness is undercut by its sarcastic implication: 'soon' really means 'not anytime soon.' This ironic disjunction amplifies its comedic and critical effect.

Colloquialism

Uses informal, everyday expressions ('anon', 'by-and-by') to craft a relatable and vivid depiction of delay, grounding the wisdom in lived experience.

Enumeration

The cumulative phrasing ('Two ANONS and a by-and-by') mimics the absurd arithmetic of delay, humorously quantifying procrastination in a mock-logical structure.