GR translation: Arab With A Big Greasy Nose

[Mike Jing]

Resurrecting this thread yet again on my third pass. I have another
idea: could "to perform on" simply mean "to perform a prank on"? It
seems to make sense given the context, with Gary Grant larking in and
out and so on.

On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 4:19 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com> wrote:
> P14.5-13   In 1935 he had his first episode outside any condition of
> known sleep—it was during his Kipling Period, beastly Fuzzy-Wuzzies
> far as eye could see, dracunculiasis and Oriental sore rampant among
> the troops, no beer for a month, wireless being jammed by other Powers
> who would be masters of these horrid blacks, God knows why, and all
> folklore broken down, no Gary Grant larking in and out slipping
> elephant medicine in the punchbowls out here . .. not even an Arab
> With A Big Greasy Nose to perform on, as in that wistful classic every
> tommy’s heard . . .
>
> What is this classic with "an Arab With A Big Greasy Nose"?  And what
> do they want to perform on him?
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