The Light Fantastic

stores and pubs around the English-speaking world: “Do not ask for credit, because a refusal often offends”.

30

My herpetological correspondent tells me that in our world no known turtles give any sort of care to their young. They just lay the eggs and leave the hatchlings to fend for themselves, which incidentally helps explain why sea turtles are becoming extinct.

It can be argued that Great A'Tuin is in fact a kind of sea turtle (admittedly, a somewhat unusual sea turtle), since only sea turtles have flippers in place of feet and spend most of their time swimming.

31

Substituting “graduation with distinction” for the Latin “summa cum laude” gives a perfectly unexceptional sentiment, but it is, of course, also a reference to the song ‘Summertime’ from the Gershwin opera/operetta/musical Porgy and Bess: “Summertime, and the living is easy”.