Downton Abbey returns to our screens tonight, so what better way to celebrate than with the Dowager Countess Violet's most withering put-downs? She basically invented the side-eye/and bitchy resting face.
Be warned: We'll be employing all of these lines today if anyone dares to annoy us.
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“When you talk like that, I’m tempted to ring for Nanny and have you put to bed with no supper.”
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“Do you think I might have a drink? Oh, I’m so sorry – I thought you were a waiter.”
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Isobel Crawley: “I take that as a compliment.”
Countess Violet: “I must’ve said it wrong.”
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Cora: "I hate to go behind Robert's back."
Countess Violet: "That is a scruple no successful wife can afford."
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"There's nothing simpler than avoiding people you don't like. Avoiding one's friends, that's the real test."
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"I don't dislike him. I just don't like him. Which is quite different.""
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"All this unbridled joy has given me quite an appetite."
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“I wonder your halo doesn’t grow heavy. It must be like wearing a tiara around the clock.”
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Isobel Crawley: “How you hate to be wrong.”
Dowager Countess: “I wouldn’t know, I’m not familiar with the sensation.”
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“Don’t be defeatist, dear, it’s very middle class.”