Scene 2: The 134th London Rat-Catching Contest

Listen or download Scene 2 of our pantomime by clicking on the links below. As you listen, try to answer these comprehension questions:

1. Is Franky Banky rich or poor?
2. What is the name of Franky Banky's cat?
3. What time does the 134th London Rat-Catching Contest finish?
4. Where does Apple go, at the end?

The answers are at the bottom of this page.

Vocabulary

calendar – ‘…the whole rat-catching calendar’
here, calendar means all the events that normally take place every year

to be agitated – ‘over there is Dick Whittington looking slightly agitated’
nervous, anxious

strings to my bow – ‘…the Lord Mayor thing would just be another string to my bow’
skills and abilities are strings to your bow – they are things which make you look good in a job interview, for example

to make a killing on something – ‘I made a killing on paperclips yesterday…’
to make a lot of money by buying and selling something. Franky Banky made a lot of money by selling paperclips at a higher price than he bought them.

‘Where’s he got to?’
Where has he gone?

any minute – ‘we’re going to be starting any minute’
very soon (you can also say any minute now)

to put up with something – ‘you don’t have to put up with that accent’
to not complain or to not try to change something unsatisfactory

stripe-enhancing drugs – ‘ Cats are … not permitted to take stripe-enhancing drugs’
a rat-catching version of performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes at the Olympics are not allowed to take drugs which enhance, or improve, their performances

kitty-cat – ‘See you at four o’clock, kitty-cat!’
a children’s word for cat

tabby – ‘a fine three-year-old tabby’
a type of cat with dark marks on brown or grey fur

debut – ‘I believe today is Tigger’s debut…’
someone’s first public appearance or performance. We can either say someone makes his debut or he debuts.

drain – ‘he’s just slipped down that drain’
a pipe which carries water or waste material

Answers

1. He is rich - the commentator says '... that rich and successful banker, Franky Banky...'
2. Tigger
3. 4 o'clock.
4. Down a drain. The commentator says '... he’s just slipped down that drain… I wonder what he'll find there…'