As I watched them while they all stood clustering about the forge, enjoying themselves so much, I thought what terrible good sauce for a dinner my fugitive friend on the marshes was. They had not enjoyed themselves a quarter so much, before the entertainment was brightened with the excitement he furnished.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 5. Pip’s convict friend Magwitch becomes the unexpected source of entertainment for the adults at Gargerys’ Christmas party. A unit of armed soldiers hunting the two escaped convicts arrive at the forge for Joe to repair the lock on their handcuffs. Great excitement is triggered among the party people, as Magwitch’s misery is a source of amusement for them. The convict becomes “terrible good sauce” for their dinner, Pip says, using a metaphor and irony.