In the episode, The Psychiatrist, Basil is called by Sybil an "aging, brilliantine stick insect". I've not heard the term brilliantine used before. Is that a British expression that was used in the 1970s? If so, is it still being used now? I'm be interested to know from those who are from England the meaning in context of that expression. I noticed it gets a real howl of laughter from the audience.
sharehttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/brilliantine
That may help you- I'd not heard it before/since either. From the definition, it seems that Sybil is saying Basil is always trying to act perfect- which he obviously isn't.
I think Sybil was referring to the hair product, and implying that Basil was a greasy old lech:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brilliantine
Robert Altman
1925-2006
RIP
Yes, Brilliantine was a brand of haircream in the Fifties, a rival product of Brylcreem.
shareThats the only episode where Basil stood up to Sybil isnt it, and he ended up looking like a pratt yet again. I was sad to see this because Basil lost out to Sybil far too often!!
shareSame here - I was really hoping he'd let her have it... if just a bit more.
And yes, this is really the only time he went at her.
Great scene, but far too brief a moment. Poor Basil.
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Wait a minute... who am I here?
I loved that scene also: to see Basil finally "man-up" and put Sybil down, albeit briefly. His lovely tirade was brilliantly delivered, and still makes me smile 40 years on!
"Shut up! I'm fed up with you, you rancorous, coiffeured old sow! Why don't you syringe the doughnuts out of your ear and get some sense into the dormant organ you keep hidden in that rat's maze of yours?"
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I don't think it's a common phrase. But it gets a howl of laughter from the audience because it's such an random-yet-accurate description of Basil.
shareTo be precise, it was "brilliantined", ie someone who has applied Brilliantine (I always assumed Brylcreem was either the British version or a knock-off).
It went out of fashion but now men putting gunk in their hair is back in vogue. Growing up in the Sixties, I honestly thought my dad had black hair and was shocked to see a photo of him as a blonde boy. I had just never seen him without Brylcreem!
Awight we're The Daamned we're a punk baand and this is called Carn't Be Appy T'day!
I always found it ironic that Sybil called him "aging". If you extend the actors' real ages to their characters, Basil would have been a relatively young man of 40 at this point and Sybil 47. If anyone was aging it was Sybil.
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