# A Phantom of the Opera question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 10, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203 "2010-11-10T19:29:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203/1 "2010-11-10T19:29:43Z")

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I’ve been reading Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera and am stumped by a passage that I’m guessing is a tramslation of a French pun. The Persian, an acquittance of Eric, had previously made Eric promise to forgo any more murders. When reminded of the promise Eric says: “Oaths are made to catch gulls with”.  
Is that a pun or a maybe a punch line for an ancient joke?  
BTW, PotO is a pretty fun read.

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**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203/2 "2010-11-10T19:57:53Z")

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Perhaps “gull” in the meaning of “gullible”, someone who’s easily fooled?

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**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203/3 "2010-11-10T21:38:33Z")

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Yes, Shakespeare used “gull” to mean “fool”, more or less: [SCENE VI. The English camp in Picardy.](http://shakespeare.mit.edu/henryv/henryv.3.6.html)

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**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203/4 "2010-11-10T22:45:07Z")

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[moderating]  
Moved from GQ to Cafe Society, where book-related questions tend to get good answers.  
[/moderating]

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203/5 "2010-11-10T22:50:10Z")

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> [@jayjay](#):
>
> Perhaps “gull” in the meaning of “gullible”, someone who’s easily fooled?

But would the pun work in French?

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203/6 "2010-11-10T23:21:25Z")

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It’s not a pun, it’s just slang. I have no idea how the line was rendered in French, though.

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**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-phantom-of-the-opera-question/560203/7 "2010-11-10T23:31:45Z")

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> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> But would the pun work in French?

“Gulls” isn’t in the French. The original French text reads

> [@](#):
>
> Les serments sont faits pour attraper les nigauds

which translates to “Oaths are made to catch simpletons”. Whoever translated it to English used the gulls thing, so I’m guessing it’s not meant to be a pun.