Iolanthe

American  

[ahy-uh-lan-thee] / ˌaɪ əˈlæn θi /

noun

1. an operetta (1882) by Sir William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan.

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Example Sentences

In 1882, they were integrated into the costumes of fairies in a Savoy Theatre production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera “Iolanthe.”

From Seattle Times

The late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who oversaw President Clinton’s trial, was a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and festooned his robe with four gold stripes to mimic the Lord Chancellor in “Iolanthe.”

From Fox News

Years later, reflecting on his role in the Clinton impeachment trial, Chief Justice Rehnquist was self-deprecating, borrowing a line from “Iolanthe,” a favorite Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera.

From New York Times

The garment was inspired, the Supreme Court’s public information office explained in 1995, by one worn by the Lord Chancellor in a local production of “Iolanthe.”

From New York Times

So Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Iolanthe” opera song with the verse “every boy and every gal that’s born into the world alive is either a little liberal or else a little conservative” seems to have been spot on!

From Washington Post