Through the Looking Glass

”

“That's a great deal to make one word mean,” Alice said in a thoughtful tone.

“When I make a word do a lot of work like that,” said Humpty Dumpty, “I always pay it extra.”

“Oh!” said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.

“Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night,” Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side: “for to get their wages, you know.”

(Alice didn't venture to ask what he paid them with; and so you see I can't tell YOU.)

“You seem very clever at explaining words, Sir,” said Alice. “Would you kindly tell me the meaning of the poem called “Jabberwocky”?”

“Let's hear it,” said Humpty Dumpty. “I can explain all the poems that were ever invented—and a good many that haven't been invented just yet.”

This sounded very hopeful, so Alice repeated the first verse:

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

“That's enough to begin with,” Humpty Dumpty interrupted: “there are plenty of hard words there. “BRILLIG” means four o'clock in the afternoon—the time when you begin BROILING things for dinner.”

“That'll do very well,” said Alice: and “SLITHY”?”

“Well, “SLITHY” means “lithe and slimy.” “Lithe” is the same as “active.” You see it's like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word.”

“I see it now,” Alice remarked thoughtfully: “and what are “TOVES”?”

“Well, “TOVES” are something like badgers—they're something like lizards—and they're something like corkscrews.”

“They must be very curious looking creatures.”

“They are that,” said Humpty Dumpty: “also they make their nests under sun-dials—also they live on cheese.”

“Andy what's the “GYRE” and to “GIMBLE”?”

“To “GYRE” is to go round and round like a gyroscope. To “GIMBLE” is to make holes like a gimlet.”

“And “THE WABE” is the grass-plot round a sun-dial, I suppose?” said Alice, surprised at her own ingenuity.

“Of course it is. It's called “WABE,” you know, because it goes a long way before it, and a long way behind it—”

“And a long way beyond it on each side,” Alice added.