His Nibs

“His Nibs” is Phil Burbank’s irreverent name for the Governor, turning a formal title into a vehicle for mock deference. As the Governor’s dinner at the ranch approaches, Phil uses the expression to belittle the occasion, Rose Gordon Burbank’s social performance, and George Burbank’s attempt to present his wife to distinguished company.

Meaning and Usage

George announces that “His Nibs” will be coming to dinner. Phil answers with a joke about entering “Sassiety” and bringing out the finger bowls, treating the Governor’s visit as an invitation to perform upper-class manners. The nickname sounds respectful on its surface, but Phil’s surrounding remarks make its derision clear: he sees the dinner as social display, not an occasion deserving genuine deference.

The Governor’s Dinner

The expression recurs as Phil anticipates the dinner and imagines its awkwardness. He expects to carry the conversation while Rose plays the piano, making mistakes that he believes will expose her lack of polish. He also speculates about the Governor’s wife and frames the gathering as a lesson for George, whom he accuses of marrying outside his class. When George later raises the subject, he identifies “His Nibs” as the Governor and specifies that his concern is the Governor’s wife; Phil’s nickname thus becomes part of the conversation surrounding the social stakes of the visit.

Narrative Function

The approaching visit gives Phil an occasion to turn private contempt into a public test. His repeated use of “His Nibs” reduces the Governor’s authority to a joke even as the dinner’s importance grows: the day of the visit “stalked ever closer.” The contrast captures Phil’s posture toward status. He mocks the ceremony and claims not to be a snob, yet his insistence on class boundaries shapes his judgment of Rose and his effort to make the dinner humiliating for her and George.