Act One, Scene Four 

Pg 47 – Francis - "nil by the mouth"

"nil" = "nothing | "by the" = "by the way of the" | "mouth" = ... "mouth" |. 
Therefore, he's saying he's had "nothing by the way of his mouth," or, more simply, he hasn't had a bite all day. Of course, he says it's been 16 hours, and now it's lunch -- which means (assuming lunch is at noon) that he last ate at 8pm the night before, and happened to skip breakfast this morning ... which, sure, yeah, skipping breakfast can suck it you're not used to it, but it does help point out that his "I'm starving to death" demeanor and eating cheese from mousetraps is a bit over the top.

 

Pg 49 – Gareth - "he was at Gallipoli"

The famously disasterous (for the Brits) WWI battle known as the Battle of Gallipoli. Britain led the multi-nation campaign in 1915/16 in an attempt to seize control of an important waterway; the campaign ended in a massively lopsided victory for the Turkish military and their allies.

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Pg 49 – Francis - "Jean Jacques Jim"

Likely nonsense - I believe this is just three random names, the first two being cliche French names, and the third being a sign that Francis' imagination only stretches so far. The first two are pronounced approximately like "Zhohn Zhohk (to rhyme with "on sock)." I would assume he then francofies "Jim" to "Zhim," creating a bad-French accent "Zhohn Zhohk Zhim," but that's up to the actor and director.

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Pg 49 – Charles- "Ashby-de-la-Zouch"

The full explanation here is long and complicated, but the extremely simplified version is basically that there is a castle and land area in England called "Ashby-de-la-Zouch" which has very strong historical ties to France, and is still the home of some French speakers and French societies. To help set up the joke, here's what this dialogue might look like if the play had been set in America:

Francis - I'm that good! I was trained by the legendary Mexican waiter, Carlos Alberto Bob.

Gareth - In Mexico?

Francis - Of course!

Gareth - Which city?

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Francis - San Antonio.

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Gareth - But that's in Texas!

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Francis - It is now.

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Pg 50 – Lloyd/Francis - "A la carte?" / "...indoors..."

For this several course meal, it would be possible to either order prix fixe (i.e., a fixed meal at a fixed price via a limited menu, like many U.S. restaurants will do for Mother's day and many caterers offer for receptions), or "A la carte," in which individual components (entree, sides, soups, etc.) are all available to be ordered separately, allowing for a customization of both food and price. Francis, however, appears to mix up the French "A la carte" for the Italian term "al fresco," used in England and the U.S. (but rarely Italy) to mean "to dine outdoors."

 

Pg 53 – Stanley - "...other pier was on fire" 

Likely a purposeful anachronistic meta reference for the audience. The pier was not on fire in 1963, as he himself suggests a moment later in an aside when he said he actually came back due to the "rozzers" (i.e., police). However, the West Pier DID in fact catch on fire, making national news in 2003. So, while the characters in the play wouldn't have known about it, there's a very good chance OMTG's opening night audiences would still remember the destruction of eight years prior.

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Pg 53 – Stanley - "Mills and Boon!" 

Mills and Boon was an imprint specializing in Romance novels -- known for their nearly pornographic storylines and, often, their "rough and tumble" plots (lots of "big, strong, passionate" men with "frail little maidens" in their arms in rustic settings, etc). Stanley does two things here -- first, he makes a sex joke about the newlyweds (basically the same as if, in the U.S., someone said two newlyweds were in the next room, and someone else made the 70s porno guitar sound effect ("Newlyweds? Bum-chicka-wow-wow!"). Second, by choosing Mills and Boon in particular, he is furthering the show's ongoing joke about Australia being a tough wasteland of manly men, beer, bbq, and opera. On a side note--whether intentional or not, there's a Commedia "easter egg" here! "Mills and Boon" was an imprint of the larger romance novel giant, "Harlequin Romance." 

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Pg 55 – Stanley - "Vichyssoise"

A thick potato-based soup traditionally served cold. Pronunciations range from "vi-she-schwahz" (to sort of rhyme with "fishy-laws") to "vee-she-schwahs" to sort of rhyme with "lee-she-hoss"

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Pg 55 – Stanley - "High Wycombe"

I'm a bit stuck on this. It's an area that has certainly seen it's share of bad days, and back in the early 60s (right before major renovations in the mid-60s) and at many other times throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, it's been known as a particularly rough area with crime, drugs, and violence -- though the joke appears to be that Francis is stupid -- and I'm not sure that "bad neighborhood" perfectly expresses that idea. If any one has alternate suggestions, I'm all ears!

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Pg 55 – Gareth - "Quenelle de Volaille" ("chicken balls")

"Quenelle [kuh-NEHL] are a culinary specialty of Lyon, France: a light, delicate small oval shaped dumpling made of seasoned, minced or ground fish or white meat bound with panada which are gently poached in stock or water. Quenelles are usually served with a rich sauce and can be used as a first course, main course or garnish." -- http://www.cookingninja.com/115-Quenelles-de-volaille.html

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Pg 59 and elsewhere – stage directions - "W. G. Grace"

Legendary cricket player.

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Pg 63 – Alfie - "Chelsea Flower Show, 1934"

The Chelsea Flower Show is a major, annual cultural event held in Chelsea. Under the "Chelsea" name it has been in operation (other than a few down years during WWII) since 1912. As far as why 1934 -- I can't find any reference to that year being a particularly important year for the show, so all I can surmise is that the joke is that Alfie is whistfully thinking back fondly on some date he went on in 1934 (i.e., "the old man reminicing about the old days / "old character with dementia" comedy trope). 

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Pg 64 & 65 – Gareth, Francis, Stanley - "Crepe Suzette"

Let's let Gordon Ramsey take over dramaturgy for a moment ... though as you check this out, note the presentation, the obvious socio-economic situation it suggests. This might give you some sense of how dinner SHOULD be going, as opposed to the chaos that's been taking place.

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Pg 65 – Stanley - "Grand Cru" / "Papes"

I'm admittedly stabbing in the dark a bit with this one, but here's the best I was able to figure out; as always, if you have a different take, please let me know! As you'll remember, Stanley had ordered a bottle of "Chateauneuf-du-Pape," or "Papes" for short. Roughly translated, "Chateauneuf-du-Pape" means "The new castle of the Pope," and refers to land that the papal residence had moved to, and which features a vineyard (Thus, referring to the wine in shorthand as "Pope's"). "Grand Cru," meanwhile, is not a "type" or brand of wine, but rather a classification meaning a first growth of the year in a notibly fertile and respected growing area. A sensititve wine afficianado would likely be able to tell the difference between the high quality "first growth," verses later "batches." Although he didn't specifically request a Grand Cru bottle, it seems Stanley assumed that's what should be expected. When he decides it cannot be from a Grand Cru batch, it seems he then completely loses his faith in the establishment and asks whether it's even the correct vineyard. As to Francis's reply -- I've got a couple of guesses. Perhaps the joke is that he says no it is not Cht.du.Pape, but then says that it's actually quite good ... the humorous part being that Chateauneuf-du-Pape *IS* considered quite good. Otherwise, it seems more likely based on other language jokes in this show that he is mistaking the word "Papes" ("Popes") for something else. The problem is that "Papes" is pronounced "Pahp," which isn't really suggesting anything very funny to me. "Pop" (meaning soda)? "A bizarre pronounciation leading to "poop"? Beyond that, I've got nothing. Please share if you have ideas!

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