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It's a sexual pun used by Shakespeare's character Mercutio in Act 2 Scene1 of Romeo and Juliet. "Poperin pear" is Shakespearean slang for penis. It should also be noted that "open arse" is a disputed edit - some translations include the words "open et caetera"; these are however attributable to early censorship of obscene language. "Open arse" is more likely to be the words used in Shakespeare's original (although no such original text of Shakespeare exists today), as it scans better than the alternative, fitting with the iambic pentameter of the verse. Either way it's definitely sexual bawdiness because earlier in the same passage there's a reference to the fruit of a "Medlar" tree. If one searches for "Medlar fruit" online, you will see that, it certainly resembles something of a bodily orifice. In addition to this, the medlar fruit was also referred to in Shakespeare's day as an "open arse". The pun was made by Mercutio in reference to Romeo's obsession with Rosaline, whom Mercutio believed to be the object of Romeo's affections, however by this stage in the play Romeo's infatuation with Rosaline had been superseded by his love for Juliet.

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Q: What does An open arse and thou a poperin pear mean?
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What is Romeo and Juliet's least favorite fruit?

I would have to say cantaloupe. Since they planned to elope, they would be very unhappy to be told they can't elope. Apart from that joke, there is nothing in the text about fruit. Oh, apart from Mercutio's dirty joke which is so dirty it was censored right from the very beginning: "O, that she were an open (arse) and you a pop'rin pear." "Open-arse" was a name for the medlar, which is a fruit eaten when it is rotten and which looks unfortunately like a certain part of the female anatomy. A pear, on the other hand, can look a lot like a certain part of the male anatomy.


Which pear is not a pear?

A "prickly pear" is not actually a pear.


When is a pear not a pear?

When there is only one of them.


Where is an example of unrequited love in Romeo and Juliet?

Mercutio and the Nurse both speak of things that are vulgarity, which is to say, are specific references to the sexual act. The Nurse repeats, over and over, a joke that her husband told that although Juliet had fallen on her face as a little girl, she will learn to lie on her back when she is grown up. The Nurse also alludes to pregnancy when she says, "Nay, women grow by men." Mercutio is so full of dirty jokes it is hard to know which ones to select, but just about everything he says in Act II Scene 1 is filthy. In particular this scene contains a piece of censorship which continues to the present day. "O that she were/ An open-arse and thou a pop'rin pear." "Open-arse was a vulgar term for the medlar fruit, but in most editions the word "arse" is replaced by a euphemistic "et cetera" which wrecks the scansion. Both medlars and pears are fruits, but the conjunction of "open-arse" with "popperin" (sounding like "pop 'er in") is extremely evocative, especially if one considers the shape of pears and medlars.


What pear is not a pear?

Nothing can be a pear and something that's not a pear at the same time.Perhaps he/she means the prickly pear cactus whose fruit is called a cactus fig.More informationWhen the pear is an acronym for the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Laboratory that used to exist at Princeton University but to examine psi phenomena, but closed around 2007. Their work lives on in the International Consciousness Research Laboratories, Psyleron, and the Society for scientific exploration.AnswerI'm pretty sure this was a riddle. "What pear is not a pear" it is "When is a pear not a pair" and the answer is when there is only one you can't really write it out or it is to easy so this riddle is usually spoken.

Related questions

What is Romeo and Juliet's least favorite fruit?

I would have to say cantaloupe. Since they planned to elope, they would be very unhappy to be told they can't elope. Apart from that joke, there is nothing in the text about fruit. Oh, apart from Mercutio's dirty joke which is so dirty it was censored right from the very beginning: "O, that she were an open (arse) and you a pop'rin pear." "Open-arse" was a name for the medlar, which is a fruit eaten when it is rotten and which looks unfortunately like a certain part of the female anatomy. A pear, on the other hand, can look a lot like a certain part of the male anatomy.


What kinds of Pokémons live were on Pokémon pear?

if you mean pearl than Pokemon from sinnoh like starly and bidoof and if you do mean pear...! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS!


What does the name pereira mean?

Pear Tree


What does guava mean?

a pear like fruit


How do pears get into pear vodka?

Assuming you mean the "Pear in the Bottle" eaux-de-vie, the bottles are placed over the branches of a pear tree and the pears grow into them.


What does la pera mean from spanish to English?

pear


What does Perry mean?

Perry means a "pear-tree"


What does pear shaped mean?

It means the generally accepted shape of a pear. As an idiom in speech it means something going wrong


What does pear shaped really mean?

It means the generally accepted shape of a pear. As an idiom in speech it means something going wrong


What does pear pressure mean?

you get pussed into something you dont want to do and there is 2 types of pear pressure un spoken and spoken they are both nasty


Which pear is not a pear?

A "prickly pear" is not actually a pear.


What does la pera es jagosa mean?

Translation: The pear is juicy