Posted by Ed Kiser on January 01, 2011 at 10:04:53 user Kisered.
In Reply to: Re: Coot Club: Who said posted by Elizabeth on December 31, 2010 at 19:02:35:
Upon doing a SCAN for "million cheers" we have these findings:
The first documented use of these words is in COOT CLUB
(Chapter 22), which is after WINTER HOLIDAY, where, it is
possible, that Nancy, may have used that expression, even if
Ransome did not record that event for our eyes to read.
This could have passed on this expression to those with
Nancy, and that includes Dick and Dorothea, who were present
later on in COOT CLUB, where its usage is given as a part of
great babbling of many speaking all at once, with no real
identification as to who is saying what, so that quote may
have been the contribution to that babble by one of the D's.
`
SECRET WATER has the next collection of these expressions
where they are used more in this book than in any other,
there being eight of these quotations. Nancy had used this
quote in a message to the Swallows, and in their discussion
about this note, the Swallows have repeated this quote
several times, thus bringing up the count of these words
being used.
MISSEE LEE has several variations of this expression, this
being sometimes varied from the somewhat more common usage
of "three million cheers" as Nancy in a few places has added
even greater emphasis by making it "ten thousand million
cheers" to express her joy at discovering that the Swallows
are here and not still lost at sea (Chapter 8). Another
time it was enhanced to be "three thousand million cheers"
(Chapter 27).
GREAT NORTHERN? has Nancy using this expression only once.
We may be a bit surprised to see that Nancy did not use this
expresson in SA, SD, WH, PP, PM, which is all the "lakes"
stories.
Perhaps it is not Nancy that was the original user of this
expression, but one used by some unidentified excited
babbler in COOT CLUB, and then perhaps in an undocumented
moment passed it on by the D's to Nancy in PP, whose first
documented usage was in a written note to the Swallows in
SW, and was again used in ML and GN by Nancy.
We do attribute to Nancy this "million cheers" expression, but
we are unsure as to which of the gang was the first to use it
perhaps in an undocumented moment.
- - -
BUT if we consider just "CHEERS" - In WH, Peggy said "three cheers"
when they thought the D's has spent the night in FRAM. John
said "three thousand cheers" when it was announced that Nancy
was to be let loose upon the world after the mumphs confinement.
Ed Kiser, Kentucky
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Included here are my findings of "million cheers":
CCCH22.doc
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Everybody was talking at once. "But that's a Thames barge." "Not at
Horning." "Jim Wooddall took us in Sir Garnet." "But the championship
races..." "The A.P. going off in a rush and Ginty packing." "Awful when
you weren't at Stokesby or Yarmouth." "Hullabaloos?" "Nosing into Fleet
Dyke looking for you." "Needn't be back for a week." "Yes. In a
cupboard bunk." "Oh, three million cheers!"
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===================================================================
SWCH1.doc
----------
John pulled a pencil out of his pocket and scribbled a letter of the
alphabet under each of the dancing figures. "T.H.R.E.E...
M.I.L.L.I.O.N... C.H.E.E.R.S... Three million cheers."
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"Three million cheers," said Titty. "What for? She must have done
something and thinks we know all about it."
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"Captured the houseboat I should think," said Roger. "Or drowned the
Great Aunt. She wouldn't send three million cheers about nothing at
all."
-----
Nobody at Pin Mill felt like three million cheers. They felt about
Nancy's message almost as Roger had felt about the "pudding faces". It
was not fair. Three million cheers, indeed. Who could be expected to
cheer about anything on a day when the best plan ever made had been wiped
out by stonyhearted Lords of the Admiralty.
-----
SWCH2.doc
----------
"Captain Nancy'd just love to be marooned," said Titty. "But I expect
they're doing something too. Sure to be. They'll probably write and
tell us about it. She wouldn't have sent three million cheers unless
they were up to something pretty larky."
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SWCH9.doc
----------
"It's a message," said Titty. She took her finger away, and showed the
letters. "It says, 'Three million cheers'."
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SWCH10.doc
----------
"Three million cheers!" said John.
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===================================================================
MLCH8.doc
----------
"Hi! Captain!" Nancy's voice came from somewhere close by. And then,
"Barbecued billygoats! Jibbooms and Bobstays. Ten thousand million
cheers! Shiver my timbers! KEEP STILL, PEGGY! It's the Swallows.
Here."
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MLCH15.doc
----------
"Three million cheers," cried Nancy, and, as the cage was lowered to
the ground, some frantic handshaking was done through the bars.
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MLCH18.doc
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"Three million cheers," said Nancy. "I and Peggy have never seen it."
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MLCH27.doc
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"Three thousand million cheers," exclaimed Nancy, not even minding
being called a foolish child. "Barbecued billygoats, I thought Captain
Flint was right. Cat and mouse, you know."
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===================================================================
GNCH20.doc
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"That settles it," said Nancy. "He's after us and he doesn't want us
to know it. Three million cheers! Well done, the goggles! And my
yelling your name must have helped. All we've got to do now is to keep
him going."
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