phrases: devil incarnate, devil's incarnation, and devil in carnation (i.e., pink).
II. ii. 37. being more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind. Launcelot humorously makes sand-blind a kind of positive to the comparative gravel-blind and superlative stone-blind. 'High-gravel blind' is of course his own invention.
II. ii. 47. By God's sonties. A corrupted oath: God's saints, or sanctities (or possibly from the French santé).
II. ii. 61, 62. But I pray you, ergo, old man, ergo, I beseech you, talk you of young Master Launcelot? Since you address me respectfully as 'your worship,' and Launcelot is my friend and equal, therefore (ergo) is it not Master Launcelot that you talk of?
II. ii. 102. what a beard hast thou got! 'Stage tradition, not improbably from the time of Shakespeare himself, makes Launcelot, at this point, kneel with his back to the sand-blind old Father, who, of course, mistakes his long back hair for a beard, of which his face is perfectly innocent.' (Staunton.)
II. ii. 116. you may tell every finger I have with my ribs. Topsy-turvy nonsense for 'you may count every rib with your finger.'
II. ii. 164. The old proverb is very well parted. The proverb was: 'God's grace is gear enough.' Parted means distributed, divided.
II. ii. 174. table, etc. Palmistry. Table was the technical term for the palm of the hand. As Launcelot opens his hand to inspect the palm, the action suggests to him the idea of laying the hand on the book (Bible) to swear an oath. 'A simple (moderate) line of life' (l. 176) is used humorously for the reverse. Compare 'a small trifle of wives,' 'a simple coming-in for one man' (l. 178). The number of wives was supposed to be indicated by the number of lines running from the ball of the thumb towards the line of life.
