Original artwork, not a still
You don’t frighten us, English pig dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, you sons of a silly person! I blow my nose at you, so-called “Arthur King,” you and all your silly English K-n-i-g-g-i-t-s.
— Monty Python and the Holy Grail · 1975
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The insults are deliberately absurd, a child's idea of what a foreign enemy would say, and the delivery in a heavily exaggerated accent is half the joke. It turned 'son of a silly person' and 'I blow my nose at you' into standard playground comebacks, and it remains the template for sneering at someone from a safe distance. The prim 'so-called' makes it funnier than a real curse.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Monty Python and the Holy GrailShow the scene
When Arthur and his knights reach a castle held by French soldiers, who claim to have the Holy Grail, a French guard (the Taunter, played by John Cleese) leans over the battlements and insults them in a thick accent. He calls them English pig-dogs, tells them to go and boil their bottoms, and says he blows his nose at the so-called Arthur King. Arthur tries to negotiate, but the Frenchman only gets ruder, and the knights are driven off by a barrage of farmyard animals thrown over the wall. They later return with the Trojan Rabbit plan.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Monty Python and the Holy GrailFrench tauntsReference checked
- Wikipedia: Monty Python and the Holy GrailPlot and CastReference checked
Context reviewed
