Comma

The title of the carol is "God rest ye merry [comma] gentlemen" and it means something like "Gentlemen, I pray that God will continue to bless you with joy." It doesn't mean "Hey, you happy guys over there, I pray that God will 'rest you ' (whatever that might mean).

I finally picked up on this a few days ago -- after hearing and singing it all my life -- when a radio announcer spoke the title and paused so long between the fourth and fifth words that I could almost hear the comma.

(And no, the gentlemen have nothing to do with the Magi.)

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