History Literature / Snuff

* LadyVessel: The ox-powered paddleboats on the Quire include the ''Roberta E. Biscuit'' and the ''[[UnfortunateNames Wonderful Fanny]]''. Commander Vimes realises that the captain of the latter is probably married to a woman named Fransesca he's very proud of, just in time to avoid sniggering. Corporal Nobbs doesn't.

* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Vetinari claims to be "awash with tears" over Pastor Oates' book on goblins, but has to say so because he isn't really. It makes sense, though: even though he occasionally feels human emotions, dramatic outward expressions of them are unlike him.

** After [[spoiler:he opens the huts, finding hundreds of dead or dying enslaved goblins in horrific situations]], he asks himself again and just limits his response to the guards as capturing them with no further action. [[spoiler:Subverted by Vimes himself who tells Wee Mad Arthur, if the Vimes was there and did things, Vimes would be brought up on charges of excessive force, police brutality, and other similar crimes]].

** "Hang", the goblin word meaning survive. Hang tight, hang in there, hang together or hang separately, but most importantly, hang on.

** Also by Lady Sybil and the Gordons. Mostly averted by the first (she has the SympatheticPOV, but it's a mistake to cross her) while the latter are nice enough if you're in the club.

** The goblins, first mentioned waaaay back and slightly elaborated upon in ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'' are fully fleshed out.

* DeadpanSnarker: The voice of the author himself, when he relays Vimes' thoughts on writers. Stating that Vimes did nor have a very clear idea about what authors actually did, beyond a vague impression that they spent the whole day walking around in their dressing gowns, drinking champagne, Sir Terry interrupts himself with a footnote, saying "Which is, of course, absolutely true."

* FantasticRacism: In spades, directed towards the goblins. They're officially seen as vermin, and killing them [[spoiler:or even enslaving them and shipping them off to another continent]] is entirely legal. Not surprisingly, the actions that the Goblins are forced to perform just to survive are used to "justify" the fact that they are treated the way they are. The thing is, the goblins are stuck having to perform these acts quite literally because they are hanging on the edge of survival. Let's put this in perspective: if a race is given no means of making an honest living, is hunted zealously where ever they are found, and is only, say, two feet to three feet tall and typically extremely malnourished due to poor diet and lack of a steady food supply, is it any surprise that they turn to thievery, will threaten uninvited strangers on sight, and are extremely "cowardly"? [[spoiler:At the end of the book, most major powers are passing legislations to regard them as sapient and under the protection of common law.]]

* GoodPolicingEvilPolicing: Commander Vimes, the good cop, finds himself up agaist the police force of the Shires he's visiting in the form of Constable Feeney. Feeney seems to believe a policeman's first loyalty is to the people who hired him, ie the Magisters of the Shires, and follows their orders even as they try to cover up a serious crime and the horrendous actions they condoned to pull it off. Vimes points out that a policeman's first loyalty is to the Law, which means even the Magisters are subject to his authority and admonishes Feeney for thinking they somehow made the law themselves.

* PaedoHunt: Colonel Makepeace, makes a mention in his InternalMonologue, that Honerable Ambrose was an oddity for being sent to lie low in the coutryside, because of some trouble with a girl. After a bit of digging, he found out why by a tiny note from an old friend saying simply, "Yes indeed under-aged, hushed up at great expense." The colonel made sure never to shake the man's hand ever again.

** The surname of Discworld's most famous children's writer, Miss Felicity Beedle, happens to be the name of [[Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard a certain fictious bard]] created by [[Creator/JKRowling her Roundworld counterpart.]] Commenting on Miss Beedle, Lady Sybil (whose husband is intially quite sceptical about the author but grows to rather admire her later on) says that she "gets children interested in reading, you see?", a claim often made about the said counterpart as well. However, Miss Beedle (who plays a significant and decidedly positive role in the story) seems to target rather younger audience and to write mostly on the subject of various bodily secretions, make of it what you will.

** The goblins working in the city, mainly for Harry King, are explicitly describes as living in a ramshackle shanty town outside the city limits built from whatever the City has discarded, have no legal protections, and are explicitly expected to be outside the city limits by a specified time. (Arrest might theoretically follow?) Whether they are expected to carry written work permits or pass-cards is not specifically mentioned, but this sounds reminiscent of a certain [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Roundworld nation]] during UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra.

** The surname of Discworld's most famous children's writer, Miss Felicity Beedle, happens to be the name of [[Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard a certain fictious bard]] created by [[Creator/J.K.Rowling her Roundworld counterpart.]] Commenting on Miss Beedle, Lady Sybil (whose husband is intially quite sceptical about the author but grows to rather admire her later on) says that she "gets children interested in reading, you see?", a claim often made about the said counterpart as well. However, Miss Beedle (who plays a significant and decidedly positive role in the story) seems to target rather younger audience and to write mostly on the subject of various bodily secretions, make of it what you will.

** The surname of Discworld's most famous children's writer, Miss Felicity Beedle, happens to be the name of a certain fictious bard created by her Roundworld counterpart. Commenting on Miss Beedle, Lady Sybil (whose husband is intially quite sceptical about the author but grows to rather admire her later on) says that she "gets children interested in reading, you see?", a claim often made about the said counterpart as well. However, Miss Beedle (who plays a significant and decidedly positive role in the story) seems to target rather younger audience and to write mostly on the subject of various bodily secretions, make of it what you will.

* BilingualBonus: The "avec" gag -- The British-derived Ankh-Morporkian characters say that Quirmian ([[FantasyCounterpartCulture French]]) food is good, but uses too much "avec" -- is never explained, but pretty easily found in the dictionary.[[note]] Avec is French for "with", so obviously, it's written on menus and recipes a lot. Saying something was made with too much "with" is kinda silly, and Vimes' insisting on having his bacon sandwich "without "avec"" is rather hilarious.[[/note]] Of course, we later see "avec" being sold by the jar....

* TheUnreveal: It is never revealed what exactly "avec" is, but many an honest Morporkian seems quite uneasy about the prospect of encountering this celebrated Quirmian delicacy (ingredient?) on their plate.

** The surname of Discworld's most famous children's writer, Miss Felicity Beedle, happens to be the name of a certain fictious bard created by her Roundworld counterpart. Commenting on Miss Beedle, Lady Sibyll (whose husband is intially quite sceptical about the author but grows to rather admire her later on) says that she "gets children interested in reading, you see?", a claim often made about the said counterpart as well. However, Miss Beedle (who plays a significant and decidedly positive role in the story) seems to target rather younger audience and to write mostly on the subject of various bodily secretions, make of it what you will.

* BilingualBonus: The "avec" gag -- The British-derived Ankh-Morporkian characters say that Quirmian ([[FantasyCounterpartCulture French]]) food is good, but uses too much "avec" -- is never explained, but pretty easily found in the dictionary.[[note]] Avec is French for "with", so obviously, it's written on menus and recipes a lot. Saying something was made with too much "with" is kinda silly.[[/note]] Of course, we later see "avec" being sold by the jar....