The phrase "short, sharp shock" means "a punishment that is ... severe but only lasts for a short time". It is an example of

alliteration Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...

. Although the phrase originated earlier, it was popularised in

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

's 1885

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a n ...

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, where it ran at the ...

'', where it appears in the song near the end of Act I, "I Am So Proud". It has since been used in popular songs, song titles, and literature, as well as in general speech.

Origin

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She ...

used the phrase in 1555 to refer to what she hoped would be a brief and effective use of brutality to persuade the populace to return to Catholicism by publicly burning a small number of visible Protestant heretics, rather than making a larger more systemic purge. John Conington's 1870 translation of the '' First Satire of Horace'' includes the following lines: :Yon soldier's lot is happier, sure, than mine: :One short, sharp shock, and presto! all is done.

''The Mikado''

In Act I of the 1885

opera ''

'', the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

, having learned that the town of Titipu is behind on its quota of executions, has decreed that at least one beheading must occur immediately. Three government officials, Pooh-Bah, Ko-Ko and Pish-Tush, discuss which of them should be beheaded to save the town from ruin. Pooh-Bah says that, although his enormous pride would normally prompt him to volunteer for such an important civic duty, he has decided to "mortify" his pride, and so he declines this heroic undertaking. He points out that Ko-Ko is already under sentence of death for the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

crime of flirting, and so Ko-Ko is the obvious choice to be beheaded. The three characters then sing the song "I Am So Proud". In the last lines of the song, they contemplate "the sensation" of the "short, sharp shock" caused by being beheaded: :To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark

dock A dock (from Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The exact meaning vari ...

, :In a pestilential prison, with a lifelong lock, :Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, :From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!

In popular culture

Songs and albums

The phrase is spoken by roadie Roger Manifold in the Pink Floyd song "

Us and Them Us and Them may refer to: *The sociological concept of in-group and out-group *'' Us & Them'', an American television series * ''Us and Them'' (Australian TV series), a 1994 Australian comedy television series * "Us and Them" (song), by Pink Floy ...

" on the band's 1973 album, ''

The Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of ...

''. ''Short Sharp Shock'' is the name of a 1984 album by

Chaos UK Chaos UK is an English punk rock band formed in 1979 in Portishead, near Bristol. They emerged as part of the anarcho-punk scene, developing a fast and aggressive hardcore punk style. The band recorded two EPs and a full LP for Riot City Rec ...

. It also appears in the title of an album, ''

Short Sharp Shocked ''Short Sharp Shocked'' is the second album by Michelle Shocked. Originally released in 1988, it was remastered and reissued in 2003 as a two-CD set by Shocked's own label, Mighty Sound. The title is a play on the phrase short, sharp shock. The r ...

'', by

Michelle Shocked Michelle Shocked (born Karen Michelle Johnston; February 24, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter. Her music has entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and received an award f ...

and the EP " Shortsharpshock" by

Therapy? Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...

. Short Sharp Shock is the name of a crossover thrash band from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, England. The phrase is used in the song "East Side Beat" by

the Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American second wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert "Bucket" Hingley relocated to New ...

, and in the 1980 song '' Stand Down Margaret'' by the Beat. It can also be found in the lyrics of a Billy Bragg song entitled "It Says Here" found on his 1984 album ''

Brewing Up with Billy Bragg ''Brewing Up with Billy Bragg'' is the second album by Billy Bragg, released in 1984. While his debut album ''Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy'' (1983) was performed by Bragg accompanied only by his guitar, ''Brewing Up with Billy Bragg'' began t ...

'' and of a

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a ...

song entitled "Circular Karate Chop" on their 2013 album ''

Nanobots Nanoid robotics, or for short, nanorobotics or nanobotics, is an emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer (10−9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics (as opposed to mi ...

''.

Literature

In literature, the phrase is used in the title of a 1990 fantasy novel, '' A Short, Sharp Shock'' by

Kim Stanley Robinson Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American writer of science fiction. He has published twenty-two novels and numerous short stories and is best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Many ...

. In the 1996 fantasy novel by

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first no ...

, ''

Feet of Clay Feet of clay is an idiom used to refer to a weakness or character flaw, especially in people of prominence and power. It can also be used to refer to larger groups, such as societies, businesses, and empires. An entity with feet of clay may appe ...

'', police commander

Sam Vimes His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel "Sam" Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series. Vimes is depicted in the novels as somewhere between an Inspector Morse-type 'old-school' British policeman, and ...

is "all for giving criminals a short, sharp shock", meaning electrocution.

UK politics

Since Gilbert and Sullivan used the phrase in ''The Mikado'', "short, sharp shock" has been used in political discourse in the UK. The phrase met renewed popularity with respect to government policy on young offenders pursued by the Conservative government of 1979–1990 under Margaret Thatcher, having appeared in the 1979 Conservative Policy manifesto, which promised that the party would "experiment with a tougher regime as a short, sharp shock for young criminals". These policies led to the enactment of the Criminal Justice Acts of 1982 and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

which, among other reforms, replaced

borstals A Borstal was a type of youth detention centre in the United Kingdom, several member states of the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. In India, such a detention centre is known as a Borstal school. Borstals were run by HM Prison Service ...

with

youth detention centre In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile det ...

s. The "short, sharp shock" programme was ultimately shown to have no effect on reoffending rates, with more than half of offenders being convicted again within a year, and young offenders being released back into the community "stronger, fitter, wiser and meaner". The policy was abandoned.

References

Sources

External links

Midi file and lyrics of "I Am so Proud" from ''The Mikado''
{{The Mikado English phrases Penology Gilbert and Sullivan Informal legal terminology 1885 introductions Decapitation