The Lemon Fool

I posed this question in last night's quiz "Four and twenty virgins came down from Inverness" - where were they going. Only 4 of the 16 teams were able to answer correctly. 2 of those teams were doctors, 1 accountant and 1 retired RAF. Are you able to answer without using Google?
I had several amusing emails this morning from people who'd Googled the answer after they'd submitted their sheets, one chap said he'd had his horizons expanded considerably!!

R6
Those of a nervous disposition please do not search for the song as you may be offended.

I can give two answers, as the song is known as "The Ball of <one-of-two-different-place-names>" (although only one seems to be a real place). Hopefully you accepted either....

It's terrible English though! Four and twenty virgins came down from Inverness / When the ball was over, there were four and twenty less.

Ugh! Should be: Four and twenty virgins came up to <the-real-place> / When the ball was over, there were four and twenty fewer.

I would have known if the clue is in the title (of which I know only one)

John

Edit: Googling for the alternative title gives a slightly controversial answer!

John

redsturgeon wrote:I would have known if the clue is in the title (of which I know only one)

John

Edit: Googling for the alternative title gives a slightly controversial answer!

John

Well according to the Suffolk Gazette, in this story by Crime correspondant Hugh Dunnett, they came down to Ipswich and were arrested

https://www.suffolkgazette.com/news/four-and-twenty-virgins/

Four and twenty virgins who came down from Inverness have been arrested for fighting and outraging public decency.

The rowdy women told cops they were desperate to get a man before Saturday night, or they’d never have one at all.

But as they roamed Ipswich town centre bars trying to attract the attentions of rugby players and other handsome men, it all kicked off with jealous local girls.

So what does that tell us about the men in their home country? Snorvey and his ilk not up to the job!

I remember the song and the title, which was "The Ball at K---------r".

Not surprised if an RAF man knew it. He had probably been to RAF Dalcross, when it was an AFTS.

TJH

ursaminortaur wrote:
Well according to the Suffolk Gazette, in this story by Crime correspondant Hugh Dunnett, they came down to Ipswich and were arrested

https://www.suffolkgazette.com/news/four-and-twenty-virgins/

Four and twenty virgins who came down from Inverness have been arrested for fighting and outraging public decency.

The rowdy women told cops they were desperate to get a man before Saturday night, or they’d never have one at all.

But as they roamed Ipswich town centre bars trying to attract the attentions of rugby players and other handsome men, it all kicked off with jealous local girls.

if it was Ipswich , they were more likely to have come down from Orfordness, so I can see why they were desperate
(and yes, I know it's a spoof story...)

UncleEbenezer wrote:So what does that tell us about the men in their home country? Snorvey and his ilk not up to the job!

I was told that a long time ago the vikings decided to get rid of their less pulchritudinous female cohort by throwing them off ships in the North Sea
- the strong swimmers made it to Scotland

-sd

servodude wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:So what does that tell us about the men in their home country? Snorvey and his ilk not up to the job!

I was told that a long time ago the vikings decided to get rid of their less pulchritudinous female cohort by throwing them off ships in the North Sea
- the strong swimmers made it to Scotland

-sd

Eigi eru enn allir sítrónufíftrollar dauðir.

UncleEbenezer wrote:

servodude wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:So what does that tell us about the men in their home country? Snorvey and his ilk not up to the job!

I was told that a long time ago the vikings decided to get rid of their less pulchritudinous female cohort by throwing them off ships in the North Sea
- the strong swimmers made it to Scotland

-sd

Eigi eru enn allir sítrónufíftrollar dauðir.

Har du tomtar på loftet?

Worked with an Icelandic professor while in Sweden but never got up there myself; can't imagine they have too many lemons

-sd

Lemon peppers ? WTF?

servodude wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:

servodude wrote:
I was told that a long time ago the vikings decided to get rid of their less pulchritudinous female cohort by throwing them off ships in the North Sea
- the strong swimmers made it to Scotland

-sd

Eigi eru enn allir sítrónufíftrollar dauðir.

Har du tomtar på loftet?
-sd

Ja, en. Han heter Debian, och håller sig hela natten på dist-upgrade.

UncleEbenezer wrote:

servodude wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:Eigi eru enn allir sítrónufíftrollar dauðir.

Har du tomtar på loftet?
-sd

Ja, en. Han heter Debian, och håller sig hela natten på dist-upgrade.

Debian? hur snyggt! han låter verkligen som en tomte

- sd

Hmmm....
Ef TLF leyfir Islensku (næst tungumálinu við norræna Víkingamálið), af hverju leyfðu þá ekki ensku (EngilSaxnesku - móðurmál okkar)?

mc2fool wrote:It's terrible English though! Four and twenty virgins came down from Inverness / When the ball was over, there were four and twenty less.

Ugh! Should be: Four and twenty virgins came up to <the-real-place> / When the ball was over, there were four and twenty fewer.

Shouldn't it be: "Four and twenty virgins came down to <the-real-place>" if they were coming down from Inverness? Though Inverness is on the coast so quite how you come down from there I'm not sure.



GS