Fred Karno

Posted by Patricia on September 28, 2004

Chatting to a friend yesterday she mentioned that her husband's hospital ward was like 'Fred Karno's', and neither of us knew where the phrase came from, so I've checked it up on the internet, and though someone wrote that the British Army used the phrase, and the House of Commons, and explained who Frederick John Westcott WAS, I still can't determine any connection as to why anything in a muddle is referred to as a 'right Fred Karno's', when he seemed to be a particularly clever and successful gentleman? Please enlighten!