Act 1

Twelfth Night: Act 1, Scene 3

SIR ANDREWBut itbecomes mewell enough,does ’t not?SIR TOBY
BELCHExcellent; ithangs likeflax on a distaff; and Ihope to see a
housewifetake theebetween her legsandspin itoff.In thisscene, Sir Toby
Belch and Sir Andrew are discussing Andrew’s hair,which is apparentlyflat
andlifeless. While Toby uses theimage of a womanspinning yarnfromflax,
the line is a rather unfortunatedouble entendre. Essentially, Sir Toby is
telling Andrew that he hopes a womantakeshim “between her legs” and that
he contracts syphilis, a diseasewhich causes hair loss.