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The first-ever Tony winner for Best Musical is Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, a comedic send-up of The Taming of the Shrew that debuted in 1948 at the Shubert Theatre. And theatre lovers can find plenty of then-current references, as well as a lot of riffs on Shakespeare.

We've collected the most unusual鈥攁nd unrecognizable鈥攑hrases from the musical and laid out their meanings below. The lyrics come from the most recent iteration, the 2019 Tony-nominated revival by Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54, starring Kelli O'Hara, Will Chase, Stephanie Syles, and Corbin Bleu. Among the biggest changes here was the overhaul of "I Am Ashamed Women Are So Simple," by Amanda Green, replacing "people" with "women."

Listening along by purchasing the album from or check out the recording on Spotify.

ACT 1

鈥淎nother Op'nin', Another Show鈥�
Stage folks: Anyone who works in show business
Cross your fingers: Hope something will be good
Hold your heart: An expression of nervousness

鈥淲hy Can鈥檛 You Behave?鈥�
Switch the dice: Adjust the numbers on a dice roll to get a more favorable outcome
Turn a new leaf: Change one鈥檚 behavior, generally for the better

鈥淲耻苍诲别谤产补谤鈥�
Wunderbar: German for 鈥渨onderful鈥�
Jungfrau: A mountain in Switzerland
Liebchen mein: German expression for 鈥渟weetheart鈥�
Hand in glove: A very close relationship or agreement

鈥淲e Open in Venice鈥�
Troupe of strolling players: A group of traveling actors
L.B. Mayer: Studio chief of MGM
Fol-de-rol: Trivial or nonsensical
Venice, Verona, Cremona, Parma, Mantua, Padua: Cities located throughout Italy
Quail: A small bird often eaten in upscale establishments

鈥淭om, Dick or Harry鈥�
Racket: Illegal activity for monetary gain
Rip-roaring: Very loud and exciting
Silver lining: A consoling or hopeful prospect.
Thoroughbred: Type of horse that鈥檚 bred for racing
Patrician: Aristocratic or upper class

鈥淚鈥檝e Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua鈥�
Zounds: Expressing surprise or indignation, derived from a late 1500s euphemism for 鈥渂y God's wounds鈥�
Quarter-wit: A very foolish or stupid person
Powder your nose: Phrase to announce one is going to the toilet (usually used by women)
Gadzooks: An Old English shortening of 鈥渂y God鈥檚 hooks,鈥� possibly referring to the nails on Christ's cross
Cad: A disreputable man
Vesuvius: A volcano in Pompei that erupted in 79 A.D., preserving the entire city鈥攊nhabitants included鈥攊n ash.

鈥淚 Hate Men鈥�
Down, boy: A command to remain still or lay down, usually used for a dog
I dinna ken: A Scottish phrase meaning 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know鈥�
Araby: The Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East.

鈥淲ere Thine That Special Face鈥�
Thine: Old English phrase meaning 鈥測ours鈥�

鈥淜iss Me, Kate鈥�
Dish: Slang for an attractive person, gaining popularity in the 1920s.
Dastard: A cowardly person who is unlikeable.

Act 2

鈥淭oo Darn Hot鈥�
Sup: Eat dinner
Blow my top: Lose one鈥檚 temper due to stress or pressure
Kinsey Report: One of the first modern-day academic papers that explains human sexual behavior, including same-sex attraction.
Pitch the woo: Flirt
Mister GOB: A sailor
Squab: A bird (colloquially meaning a young person)
GI: Stands for government issue, but generally refers to any soldier in the army.

鈥淲here is the Life That Late I Led?鈥�
Shuberty: reference to the Shubert family, one of modern-day theatres' leading organizers
The Duomo: A cathedral in Italy
Pitti Palace: A palace in Florence, Italy (now an art museum)
Virago: A domineering woman

鈥淎lways True to You in My Fashion鈥�
Something wet: a drink, usually alcoholic
Pass: romantic gestures
Back Bay: A rich neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts
Tycoon: A powerful manager, usually a boss, that is a leader in a specific industry
Curl my lip: Sneer at, reject
Let her rip: Go faster or give permission
Schlitz: An American-made beer made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Lush: A heavy drinker of alcohol
To park: Have sex in a secluded area (originated from hiding in a car)
Mr. Gable: Clark Gable, one the most popular movie stars in the 鈥�30s and 鈥�40s.
Sable coat: Outerwear made of an animal with valuable fur.

鈥淏颈补苍肠补鈥�
Sanka: Instant decaffeinated coffee

鈥淏rush Up Your Shakespeare鈥�
Aeschylus and Euripides, Homer, Sophocles, Sappho: Greek philosophers and poets
Shelley, Keats, Pope: Popular 18th-and 19th-century English poets (Pope is Alexander Pope)
搁补惫颈苍鈥�: Applauded
Stratford Upon Avon: Shakespeare鈥檚 birthplace in England
Mussing: Make something untidy
Kowtow: To follow one鈥檚 commands or be subservient
Forsooth: Old English phrase meaning 鈥渋ndeed鈥�
Pound of flesh: Something owed, used as an ultimatum to pay debts.
Odds bodkins: God鈥檚 body, used as an expression in Old English
Huffy: Easily offended
Lay on Macduff: Give it your best attempt (taken from Macbeth), usually in a fight or battle.

鈥淚 Am Ashamed That People Are So Simple鈥�
Put your hand under a foot: Show devotion
In token of: A symbol of something