The humorist Paul Jennings wrote for Punch when it was still funny — that is, up to and including the editorship of the late Alan Coren. Jennings also wrote such books as Oddly Bodlikins (1953) and I Said Oddly, Diddle I? (1961). It was he who classified book reviewers as batchers, betchers (‘Betcher I could write it better than you’), bitchers, botchers and butchers. In this and my next review, I am cast as a promiscuous batcher. This first batch is of ‘quirky’ books; the next will be of ‘funny’ books. I reserve the right to be a betcher, a bitcher and a butcher too — I hope not a botcher.
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Anna
December 18th, 2007 9:23amSeriously, do you really think that you British are well dressed, know what good food is(maybe you have learnt it last week on television), and that your drinking habits are acceptable? It is way too easy to loose yourselves in the mean French VS the good English battle. I break you the news: all Europeans think exactly like Madame Mont Paisir when it comes to the English. She reads our minds and knows what we talk about at dinner parties!! Well done Sarah Long!
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