# Monty Python. So she was actually a witch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540 "2020-04-11T01:02:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/1 "2020-04-11T01:02:22Z")
At the end of the “trial”, the accused says “It’s a fair cop.” I’d guesstimate that at least 98% of Americans are unfamiliar with the phrase. But when I googled it, I got the impression that it’s basically an admission of guilt. Is that correct? So she was actually a witch or at least thought that she was? I think I need to lie down. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/2 "2020-04-11T01:08:28Z")
Um, I think it was a comment on the sheep like sensibility of the proletariat. Someone in authority told her she was a witch, so she accepted it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/3 "2020-04-11T01:10:12Z")
No, I think she really was a witch. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/4 "2020-04-11T01:13:08Z")
> [@Tatterdemalion](#): > > Um, I think it was a comment on the sheep like sensibility of the proletariat. Someone in authority told her she was a witch, so she accepted it. There you go, bringing class into it again. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/5 "2020-04-11T01:13:34Z")
She weighs as much as a duck, so obviously she is a witch. “A fair cop” is a common UK phrase used by someone caught red handed (at least, in popular culture). It was also used in the Monty Python TV Show: “It’s a fair cop, but society is to blame.” “We’ll be arresting them in the morning.” ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/6 "2020-04-11T01:15:26Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > There you go, bringing class into it again. Well, that **was** kind of the whole point of the thing. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/7 "2020-04-11T01:16:44Z")
First of all, yes she really is a witch. The joke is that you think Bedevere doesn’t believe in witches, and the trial by weighing against a duck is a trick. But then it turns out that it was a proper test, and proves her guilt. As for “It’s a fair cop” that is the stereotypical fake confession made up by police to fit up a suspect. Often followed by “You’ve got me bang to rights.” Usually used humourously. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/8 "2020-04-11T01:24:20Z")
Actually, we have a phrase in the US “Cop to it,” which means, pretty much, “Admit to it.” I could figure out the UK phrase from that. It did get me wondering about the origin of “Cop to it.” I used to think of it in my head as “Kop to it,” which is how the Yiddish word for head, “kop,” is usually transliterated. Even though “Head to it” isn’t a Yiddish expression, I realized that somehow, I was hearing that, as somehow meaning “acknowledge it.” But apparently, “Cop” is a variant pronunciation of “caught.” So “Cop to it,” essentially means, “everyone knows the truth, so just admit it,” which is pretty much what is means. “Cop out” has a similar derivation. If you let yourself be convicted of a lesser plea, instead of standing up to the charges, you are “caught.” Or “copt.” That’s how “copped” would have been spelled by people who used the pronunciation, and also spelled burned “burnt.” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/9 "2020-04-11T05:48:03Z")
Burn her anyway!! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/10 "2020-04-11T12:49:59Z")
Nobody noticed that the “fair test” involved a lot of villagers leaning on the duck side of the scale? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ecks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ecks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ecks)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/11 "2020-04-11T13:22:18Z")
Of course she’s a witch- what’s funnier, the “logic” of the wise and learned knight being wrong, or being right? Humor is all about subverting expectations. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/12 "2020-04-11T14:47:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nobody noticed that the “fair test” involved a lot of villagers leaning on the duck side of the scale? I just checked. There are no people leaning on any part of the scale. It’s just the woman on one side and the duck on the other. It _is_ a fair cop. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/13 "2020-04-11T14:49:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nobody noticed that the “fair test” involved a lot of villagers leaning on the duck side of the scale? Thought you might be serious and had to check, but there’s no obvious tampering and no one standing close to the scales other than the guys who just knocked the blocks out from under the two sides. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/14 "2020-04-11T15:00:55Z")
I always thought her tone of voice indicated that she was being sarcastic and full well knew that weighing her against a duck is a ludicrous test of her witchitude. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/15 "2020-04-11T15:04:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No, I think she really was a witch. She tu’n’d me innu a newt! I got better Stranger ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/16 "2020-04-11T15:20:51Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > There you go, bringing class into it again. Well, that’s what it’s all **about** , innit? :dubious: I thought “copper” was a reference to handcuffs being made of metal, as in “Go ahead, put the coppers on me!” 😕 Also, Bedevere doesn’t even rank as a pseudo-scientist. It’s clear he really believes weighing her against the duck is a legitimate means of proving her guilt. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/17 "2020-04-11T15:22:47Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I always thought her tone of voice indicated that she was being sarcastic and full well knew that weighing her against a duck is a ludicrous test of her witchitude. It’s always sounded more like resigned disappointment to me. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/18 "2020-04-11T16:08:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It’s clear he really believes weighing her against the duck is a legitimate means of proving her guilt. And it worked, didn’t it? Good thing he was so wise in the Ways of Science. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/19 "2020-04-11T16:17:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nobody noticed that the “fair test” involved a lot of villagers leaning on the duck side of the scale? It balances when she and the duck are both on it, but when they get off, and the sides just hang, they don’t balance-- it’s an unfair scale. It’s a detail that’s on only for a moment, though, and if memory serves, there’s a reel change about this time, so it’s possible that the shot of the unfair scale was cut out of some viewings. I ran a projector in college for an art house. We showed this once. That’s why I remember where the reel change was. I watched the end of this scene every time because I was getting ready for the reel change. Course, the 35mm films may have had the reel change in different places-- we showed 16mm. ---
**Author:** ![Calavera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calavera/32/70_2.png) [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540/20 "2020-04-11T16:33:05Z")
She was a witch. The fact that witches float, ducks float and therefore witches weigh the same as ducks is perfectly good science. The witch understood she had been caught fairly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monty-python-so-she-was-actually-a-witch/851540.md?page=2)