Richard Whittington (1358?-1423)
According to legend, Richard "Dick" Whittington went to London while still a young boy and found employment as a scullion. Wearying of abusive treatment, Whittington started to leave the city, but hearing the bells of Saint Mary-le-Bow Church, which seemed to say, "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London," he went back to his work. Meanwhile, he sent his cat abroad on a ship, and the cat killed so many rats, he was sold to a Barbary prince for a large sum of money. Whittington was made rich from the sale of his cat, and he married and lived happily, rising to the prophesied post. There are many variations the legend of Dick Whittington.
"Where you Whittington's friend?" (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)
"And I once understudied Dick Whittington's cat." (Gus: the Theatre Cat)

Woolworth
A chain of five-and-ten-cent stores.
"Suddenly missed her Woolworth pearls." (Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer)

Ming
A Chinese dynasty dated 1368-1644 and marked by restoration of earlier traditions and in the arts by perfection of established techniques.
"From a vase which was commonly said to be Ming." (Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer)

Queen Victoria
Victoria was 18 years old when she became queen of England in 1837. She fell in love with her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. They were married in 1840 after Victoria had decided that as queen it was her right to propose to Albert. Her political views changed and she supported the Whigs and then the Tories. Victoria was proclaimed empress of India in 1876. The "widow of Windsor," in a long self-imposed isolation, became an almost legendary figure until the last years of her reign. She reigned for 64 years, which was the longest British reign in history. Victoria was not a great ruler or a particularly brilliant woman, but she became the living symbol of peace and prosperity.
"A long time before Queen Victoria's accession" (Old Deuteronomy)
"As we did in the day when Victoria reigned." (Gus: the Theatre Cat)

When the Blue Bonnets Come Over the Border
Song. The history is that Jacobite Troops had no formal uniform. The white cockade on a blue bonnet became their emblem. The white cockade emblem is said to have originated when Bonnie Prince Charlie picked a wild rose and pinned it to his hat. The lyrics are here .
"Playing 'When the Blue Bonnets Come Over the Border'." (The Awful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles)

Flying Squad
A small standby group of people ready to move or act swiftly. Such as a police unit formed to respond quickly in an emergency.
"He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair" (Macavity: the Mystery Cat)

Henry Irving (1838-1905)
Originally John Henry Brodribb, he was an English Shakespearean actor-manager long associated with Ellen Terry. He was the first English actor to be knighted. His most famous roles were in Hamlet, MacBeth, Othello, Shylock.
"He has acted with Irving." (Gus: the Theatre Cat)

Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree [1853 - 1917]
English actor-manager, who was one of the greatest figures of the Victorian theater. He became manager of the HaYmarket Theatre in 1887 and of Her Majesty's Theatre, which he had built, in 1897. He was best known for his elaborate productions of Shakespeare's plays and for his adaptations of Charles Dickens's novels, in all of which he took leading parts. As an actor he had a remarkably wide range, from romantic leading roles to such character parts as Svengali and Fagin. In 1904 he founded the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London. He was knighted in 1909.
"He has acted with Tree." (Gus: the Theatre Cat)

Little Nell
She was the heroine in a serial called 'Old Curiosity Shop' by Charles Dickens.
"I have sat by the bedside of poor Little Nell." (Gus: the Theatre Cat)

East Lynne
A long (600 page) book written by a British novelist, Ellen Price Wood (1814-87), alias Mrs. Henry Wood. It was later made into a silent film that was nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award in 1930, but it lost. The plot, according to the reviews, is an agonizingly dull murder mystery, with all the usual blood, betrayal, and sex that movie patrons are supposed to eat up. The rest of the story line remains forever buried in time.
"He will tell how he once played a part in 'East Lynne'." (Gus: the Theatre Cat)

George Bryan Brummell (1778-1840)
Commonly called Beau Brummell, he was an English dandy, dictator of fashion, and an early friend of prince of Wales.
"The name of this Brummell of cats." (Bustopher Jones)

Pied Piper of Hamelin
A magician in German legend who- by his piping- charmed the rats of Hamelin into following him into the Weser River. Because he was not paid, he lured the children of the city away. His story is used by Robert Browning in poem.
"The Pied Pipers assistant?" (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

Sphinx
A fabled monster with a human head and a lion's body. It sometimes represented the sky-god Horus. The lion's body- symbolizing courage- is crouched with its front feet outstretched. In some places the creature is said to have the head and bust of a woman. They added an eagle's wings to represent majesty and a long serpent's tail to indicate wiliness. In later Greek literature the sphinx was no monster, but a beautiful, wise, and mysterious woman. According to a legend this monster put a riddle to all those who passed by and devoured those who failed to guess it. After many had died in this way, the Theban hero Oedipus answered the riddle correctly and so caused the monster's death. The Great Sphinx at Giza bears the face of King Khafre of ancient Egypt.
"Were you there when the Pharaohs Commissioned the Sphinx?" (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868)
He was an Italian opera composer who wrote such famous pieces as 'William Tell', 'Cinderella', and 'The Barber of Seville'.
"Duets by Rossini." (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

[The Younger] Johann Strauss (1825-99)
He became the "waltz king", even though it was his father (the elder Strauss) popularized the waltz. He wrote many famous operettas, including 'The Blue Danube', and 'Tales from the Vienna Woods'.
"And waltzes by Strauss?" (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

Look at a King
Lewis Caroll used the line "A cat may look at a King..." in one of his Alice books.
"Can you looks at a King?"

Messiah
One of several oratorios written by Handel. This piece includes the famous 'Hallelujah Chorus' and has become a tradition of the Christmas and Easter seasons. It is estimated to have been performed more than 10 million times since it was first composed.
"Handling pieces from the 'Messiah'" (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

Oracle of Delphi
One of the most famous Oracles. Many people went to him for advise.
"Delphicoricle Cats." (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

Queen of the Night
Mozart's opera Die Zauberflote ( The Magic Flute ) is influenced by the rituals known only to Mozart and his fellows in the fraternal order of Freemasons, The Magic Flute is an amalgam of comic action, vocal virtuosity, and moral instruction. Strictly speaking it is a singspiel, a work with spoken dialogue rather than recitative between scenes, but it is a singspiel far more advanced than other works of this genre. The character of Papageno provides the humorous element found in works of this sort, but the piece is made exceptional by, among other features, the virtuoso arias for the Queen of the Night and the somber arias, full of didactic wisdom, of the High Priest Sarastro.
"Jellicle Cats are Queens of the Night." (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

Familiars Riding on Broomsticks
Witches are said to often employ animal familiars as assistants in their evil deeds. Witches in Europ are also said to ride on broomsticks because it is a very quick way to travel. Witches use candles, books, an bells in many of their rituals.
"Can you ride on a broomstick to places far distant? Familiar with candle, with book and with bell?" (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)

Fakir
The Arabic word for poor. A Muslim or Hindu person who dedicates life to the Lord, and is said to be holy and to possess miraculous powers. Some perform devotional dances leading to a trance, reject private property and practice self-denial, or live on charity and are resigned to God's will.
"His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare." (Macavity: the Mystery Cat)

Napoleon of Crime
Professor Moriarty was the "Master Mind" of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. He was often referred to as the "Napoleon of Crime", and the character himself was a genius of the highest kind.
"The Napoleon of Crime!" (Macavity: the Mystery Cat)

Napoleon
Napolean Bonaparte was a brilliant millitary man who ended up ruling France (he hated the French) and had a massive ego.
"The Napoleon of Crime!" (Macavity: the Mystery Cat)

Heaviside Layer
Kennelly-Heaviside layer (or E region), in upper atmosphere; suggested by Oliver Heaviside and A.E. Kennelly. The Heaviside Layer is a moderately ionized layer extending from 55 to 100 miles (90 to 160 kilometers) high. This region is caused by solar X rays and consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. It reflects relatively long radio waves.
"Do you know how to go to the Heaviside Layer?" (Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats)
"Up, up, up, Past the Russell Hotel. Up, up, up, up To the Heaviside Layer." (Journey to the Heaviside Layer)

Cymbeline
A play by Shakespeare. One of the songs in the play was the 'Dirge in Cymbelin' by Edward Lear. The first verse in the song was:
"Fear no more the heat o' the sun
Nor the furious winter's rages
Thou thy worldly task hast done
All golden lads and girls all must
Consign to thee and come to dust."
And later in the song:
"Golden lads and girls all must
As chimney sweepers, come to dust."
"Jellicle cats and dogs all must
Pollicle dogs and cats all must
Like undertakers come to dust..." (Right after after The Awful Battle of the Pekes and Pollicles)

Little Tom Pollicle
This may be a reference to T. S. Eliot's godson, Thomas Earl Faber- to whom many of the 'cat' poems were written in letters. "Tom" may also be TSE himself.
"Let my meaning be perfectly plain: That my name it is Little Tom Pollicle- And you'd better not do it again." (The Awful Battle of the Pekes and Pollicles)

Vicarage
House of the vicar, or parish priest.
"When he sits in the sun on the vicarage wall, The Oldest Inhabitant croaks" (Old Deuteronomy)