Meaning & Analysis
The proverb describes a nonsensical scenario where, in the North of England, people use tailors as bars to secure their doors. This is not meant to be taken literally but as a satirical comment on the nature of the events unfolding.
Insights
Commentary on Poverty
The proverb satirically comments on supposed northern poverty. The 'great doings' (important events) necessitate barring the door, but the lack of a proper iron or wooden bar means they must resort to using a tailor, humorously implying extreme scarcity of resources.
Ironic Understatement
The phrase 'great doings' is used ironically. Using a tailor—stereotypically a weak person—as a bar suggests that the events are not actually very serious or threatening. The flimsy 'security' measure implies the commotion is trivial.
Absurdity and Chaos
The image creates a 'topsy-turvy' world where people are used as objects and the normal order is inverted. It suggests a state of chaos or absurdity, where events are so unusual that they defy normal conventions and logic.
Regional Stereotype
This proverb is a striking example of English regional stereotyping, with the 1678 citation specifically linking the saying to Yorkshire. It reflects a historical tendency to portray the North of England as rustic, poor, and uncivilized from the perspective of the more metropolitan South.
Occupational Satire
The choice of a tailor is deliberate, playing on a common early modern stereotype of tailors as being physically frail, thin, and weak. This occupational humor is central to the proverb's satirical bite, as using a 'weak' person for a security fixture is absurd.
Psychology of Humor
The humor arises from the surreal and exaggerated image of using a human being to bar a door. This reflects a psychological tendency to use absurdity and ridicule to comment on social or economic conditions, in this case, supposed northern poverty and lack of resources.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The central image of using a person to bar a door is a gross exaggeration, employed to create a powerful comedic and satirical effect.
Irony
The proverb is deeply ironic, as the term 'great doings' is immediately undercut by the absurdly inadequate method of securing the door, suggesting the events are anything but 'great'.
Satire
The entire proverb is a satirical jab at the perceived poverty and backwardness of the North of England, using occupational and regional stereotypes to deliver its critique.
Absurdist Imagery
The proverb's power lies in the bizarre and memorable mental picture it creates, making its satirical point more effective and enduring.
Transcription
Quotations
*Yorkshire.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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