Men at Arms: A Discworld Novel:15

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The tolling of the bell on the church tower signalled a death, so by combining the two expressions, Pratchett is hinting to the detectives that there is a connection between the various deaths in the novel and Edward d'Eath, something the reader already knows. This hyperbole first appeared in Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), “But did thee feel the earth move? When Cuddy and Detrius are chasing Cruces down Grope Alley, Pratchett mentions that the origin of the name is "fortunately" lost in the mists of time. Note that on page 264 Detritus repeats the phrase as "You got a field-marshal's button in your knapsack", while on page 269 Cuddy creatively manages "You could have a field-marshal's bottom in your napkin". the upturned face of Lance-Constable Cuddy, with its helpful intelligent expression and one glass eye.

The Mona Ogg is a take off on his painting the Mona Lisa whose eyes (rather than teeth) appear to follow you around the room. shaped like a pair of artificial breasts" Pratchett plays with the colloquialism for breasts - as in a 'nice pair of knockers'. Page 25 - "Here be Dragns" (Latin: hic sunt dracones) means dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations of dragons, sea monsters and other mythological creatures on uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist.Pratchett is likely just referring to a generic musical stereotype but there are a number of musicals that fit the bill for this reference. The shoguns realized that their armies of samurai warriors could be wiped out by peasants with guns which would jeopardize their own positions so severely restricted their use and distribution (contrary to popular opinion they did not completely ban them - they could be used against vermin with permission for example). Page 99 - Lady Omnius takes her name from "omni" meaning all but it also resonates with 'ominous' which this kind of supposed all knowing intellectual nonsense is. Edward d'Eath, an Assassin and son of a down-and-out noble family, becomes convinced that the restoration of the Ankh-Morpork monarchy will solve the social change in the city which he blames for his family's humbling. Pratchett makes sure the reader notices the mock French words for 'bum's rush' because Colon's use of language is important shortly afterwards.

The 1946 song "Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)", with music by Bernie Wayne and lyrics by Ben Raleigh was popularized by Dinah Shore, Andy Russell, and Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra (with vocal by Billy Williams).In others, a pea was also added to the cake batter and the woman who found the pea in her serving of cake enacted the role of "queen.