Customer Reviews:
 TAKING ON THE MANTELPIECE November 9, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
According to Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United, Ryan Giggs has taken on the mantelpiece of his team's captaincy, but there is an alternative version by Jimmy Greaves who wants someone new to take over the mantra of something or other.
The Colemanballs feature has now been running in the satirical magazine Private Eye for 14 years. The name derives from the erstwhile BBC sports commentator David Coleman, famous for his malapropisms. Most of the entries in the book are the dulcet utterances of sportsmen, but political and cultural broadcasters are not overlooked, and I certainly would not have liked to be deprived of such gems as 'They've found a chink in the jigsaw', or 'the hypocrisy is on the other foot', this latter from no less grave a source than a minister in Her Majesty's government. Indeed we owe to no lesser a figure than Mr Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary himself, the observation that 'we all enjoy the wind our colleagues produce'. I'm not at all sure I would enjoy that in the least, but thanks anyway to the Rt Hon Jack for the observation.
There are numerous cartoons by the gifted Bill Tidy, I'm also glad to say. If this kind of thing is your idea of humour I'd say this compilation has been generally very well done. Obviously the issue of the annual edition is timed for Christmas, and if you are having any difficulty in thinking of a stocking-filler that is irreverent without being liable to upset many recipients however traditional they may be, here is a possibility. In general, 'there are not enough expletives to thank the [editor]', so enjoy.
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