roe
Among other definitions, the first edition of the OED defines roe as
"A small species of deer (Capreolus capraea, formerly Cervus capreolus) inhabiting parts of Europe and Asia; a deer belonging to this species."
Inasmuch as they thought specifically at all, Gilbert's audience would have thought of this deer as small, delicate, perhaps, and dainty. Deer described in Gilbert's day as small and delicate lived on the Japanese islands.
This definition is based on the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, which requires a little explanation.
Back to the libretto of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.
Back to the homepage of this Mikado website.
Email Sharon Cogdill.
This URL: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/scogdill/mikado/roe.html.
Last update: 26 April 1998.