“Now, wipe your hands, lest someone should think you a commoner.”
Portia FeatheringtonPenelope FeatheringtonS2 · E1 · 00:49:21
What it sounds like
Clean the ink off your hands so people won’t mistake you for a commoner.
What it really means
“Your writing is beneath you, and even its ink makes you look socially inferior.”
Said today
“Wipe that ink off before people think you’re one of the help.”
What was happening
Portia has just caught Penelope writing to Colin and dismissed the letter as pointless. She uses the ink on Penelope’s hands to shame her by invoking the family’s fear of seeming low-status.
PortiaNow, wipe your hands, lest someone should think you a commoner.
The exchange, from the subtitles · Season 2, episode 1, at 00:49:21
Stings rather a lot.
How much it hurts: 3 of 5
Barely veiled.
How well it is hidden: 2 of 5
Type of insultclass and rank, direct insult.
Checked by my AI judge (98% sure). Found in 3 of 3 separate AI readings of the episode. Who said it was confirmed. How this works
More between these two
See the feud map →“Colin Bridgerton is no more your friend than I am the next Catherine the Great.”
“Do as I say, child. Or would you rather be without any prospects, like Penelope?”
“This is the very reason why I discouraged you from reading.”