...as I felt my way along the wall I collided with what turned out to be a grandfather clock, for the existence of which I had not budgeted, and it toppled over with a sound like the delivery of several tons of coal through the roof of a conservatory. Glass crashed, pulleys and things parted from their moorings, and as I stood trying to separate my heart from the front teeth in which it had become entangled, the lights flashed on and I beheld Sir Watkyn Bassett.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A clumsy accidental collision with furniture leads to loud destruction and immediate social exposure.
- In plain terms
- I bumped into a clock, broke it loudly, and got caught by the owner.
- What can you take from it?
- Accidental clumsiness can lead to loud, embarrassing confrontations.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What clumsy accident embarrassed you?
- How do you handle sudden noise?
Another view
The scenario is exaggerated for comedic effect and unlikely in reality.
More from P. G. Wodehouse
'I hate you, I hate you!' cried Madeline, a thing I didn't know anyone ever said except in the second act of a musical comedy.
Permalink to quote #175 I was expecting Pop Bassett to give an impersonation of a bomb falling on an ammunition dump, but he didn't. Instead, he continued to exhibit that sort of chil…
Permalink to quote #177 'Stinko, is he?' 'Not perhaps stinko, but certainly effervescent.'
Permalink to quote #174
Related quotes
I'm mortified!
Jimmy DuranteJimmy Durante quote #10 'It was me!' (Liar, Liar) (after passing gas in a crowded elevator)
Jim CarreyJim Carrey quote #11 Le ridicule qu'on a augmente toujours en proportion qu'on s'en defend.
Pierre Choderlos de LaclosPierre Choderlos de Laclos quote #13