Merry andrew (clown)
Encyclopedia
A merry andrew is a clown
or buffoon or mountebank's assistant.
The OED also mentions that Merryandrew can also be used as a verb—meaning to play like a clown.
(1766–1848) (describing the period around 1230 CE) illustrates its use: "In the church of Paris, and in several other cathedrals of the kingdom, was held the Feast of Fools or madmen... The priests and clerks assembled elected a pope, an archbishop, or a bishop, conducted them in great pomp to the church, which they entered dancing, masked, and dressed in the apparel of women, animals, and merry-Andrews; sung infamous songs, and converted the altar into a beaufet, where they ate and drank during the celebration of the holy mysteries; played with dice; burned, instead of incense, the leather of their old sandals; ran about, and leaped from seat to seat, with all the indecent postures with which the merry-Andrews know how to amuse the populace."
In the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer (1810–1897) http://www.bartleby.com/81/11341.html states that the term Merry Andrew was "So called from Andrew Borde
, physician to Henry VIII
., etc. To vast learning he added great eccentricity, and in order to instruct the people used to address them at fairs and other crowded places in a very ad captandum
way. Those who imitated his wit and drollery, though they possessed not his genius, were called Merry Andrews, a term now signifying a clown or buffoon. Andrew Borde Latinised his name into Andreas Perfora’tus. (1500–1549) Prior has a poem on Merry Andrew."
In an early passage of A Journal of the Plague Year
Daniel Defoe
mentions merry andrews while describing the effects of the plague on London society: "All the plays and interludes which, after the manner of the French Court, had been set up, and began to increase among us, were forbid to act; the gaming-tables, public dancing-rooms, and music-houses, which multiplied and began to debauch the manners of the people, were shut up and suppressed; and the jack-puddings, merry-andrews, puppet-shows, rope-dancers, and such-like doings, which had bewitched the poor common people, shut up their shops, finding indeed no trade; for the minds of the people were agitated with other things, and a kind of sadness and horror at these things sat upon the countenances even of the common people."
In the musical comedy film "Merry Andrew
", Danny Kaye
not only has the name of Andrew, but he acts as a clown in a circus.
In the romantic comedy movie "Kate & Leopold
", Leopold tells Charlie that he is a merry andrew.
Narcissus Luttrell, Diary entry 2 September 1693: 'A merry andrew in Batholomew Fair is committed for telling the mobb news that our fleet was come into Torbay...'
The character Rolf in the cartoon Ed, Edd, and Eddy has been known to use the term.
There is a music-based internet radio program called The Merry Andrews Show.
Merry Andrew is the name of one of Crazy Jane
's alternate personalities in Doom Patrol
.
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
or buffoon or mountebank's assistant.
The OED also mentions that Merryandrew can also be used as a verb—meaning to play like a clown.
Usages of the term 'merry andrew' as a clown or buffoon
The following passage from Isaac D'IsraeliIsaac D'Israeli
Isaac D'Israeli was a British writer, scholar and man of letters. He is best known for his essays, his associations with other men of letters, and for being the father of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli....
(1766–1848) (describing the period around 1230 CE) illustrates its use: "In the church of Paris, and in several other cathedrals of the kingdom, was held the Feast of Fools or madmen... The priests and clerks assembled elected a pope, an archbishop, or a bishop, conducted them in great pomp to the church, which they entered dancing, masked, and dressed in the apparel of women, animals, and merry-Andrews; sung infamous songs, and converted the altar into a beaufet, where they ate and drank during the celebration of the holy mysteries; played with dice; burned, instead of incense, the leather of their old sandals; ran about, and leaped from seat to seat, with all the indecent postures with which the merry-Andrews know how to amuse the populace."
In the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer (1810–1897) http://www.bartleby.com/81/11341.html states that the term Merry Andrew was "So called from Andrew Borde
Andrew Boorde
Andrew Boorde was an English traveller, physician and writer.Born at Boords Hill, Holms Dale, Sussex, he was educated at Oxford University, and was admitted a member of the Carthusian order while under age...
, physician to Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
., etc. To vast learning he added great eccentricity, and in order to instruct the people used to address them at fairs and other crowded places in a very ad captandum
Ad captandum
In rhetoric an argument ad captandum, "for capturing" the gullibility of the naïve among the listeners or readers, is an unsound, specious argument, a kind of seductive casuistry. The longer form of the term is ad captandum vulgus . The ad captandum argument may be painfully vivid in sound bites...
way. Those who imitated his wit and drollery, though they possessed not his genius, were called Merry Andrews, a term now signifying a clown or buffoon. Andrew Borde Latinised his name into Andreas Perfora’tus. (1500–1549) Prior has a poem on Merry Andrew."
In an early passage of A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in March 1722.The novel is a fictionalised account of one man's experiences of the year 1665, in which the Great Plague struck the city of London...
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
mentions merry andrews while describing the effects of the plague on London society: "All the plays and interludes which, after the manner of the French Court, had been set up, and began to increase among us, were forbid to act; the gaming-tables, public dancing-rooms, and music-houses, which multiplied and began to debauch the manners of the people, were shut up and suppressed; and the jack-puddings, merry-andrews, puppet-shows, rope-dancers, and such-like doings, which had bewitched the poor common people, shut up their shops, finding indeed no trade; for the minds of the people were agitated with other things, and a kind of sadness and horror at these things sat upon the countenances even of the common people."
In the musical comedy film "Merry Andrew
Merry Andrew (film)
Merry Andrew is a 1958 American musical film directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd. The screenplay by Isobel Lennart and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the short story "The Romance of Henry Menafee" by Paul Gallico...
", Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
not only has the name of Andrew, but he acts as a clown in a circus.
In the romantic comedy movie "Kate & Leopold
Kate & Leopold
Kate & Leopold is a 2001 romantic-comedy fantasy that tells a story of a duke who travels through time from New York in 1876 to the present and falls in love with a career woman in the modern New York...
", Leopold tells Charlie that he is a merry andrew.
Narcissus Luttrell, Diary entry 2 September 1693: 'A merry andrew in Batholomew Fair is committed for telling the mobb news that our fleet was come into Torbay...'
The character Rolf in the cartoon Ed, Edd, and Eddy has been known to use the term.
There is a music-based internet radio program called The Merry Andrews Show.
Merry Andrew is the name of one of Crazy Jane
Crazy Jane
Crazy Jane is a fictional character created by Grant Morrison and Richard Case for their work on the Vertigo Comics version of the Doom Patrol...
's alternate personalities in Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
.