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Critic
A judge; an arbiter. (Greek, krino, to judge.)
Critic.
A captious, malignant critic is called a Zoïlus (q. v.)
“ `And what of this new book the whole world makes such a rout
about?' `Oh, it is out of all plumb, my lord; quite an irregular thing!
not one of the angles at the four corners is a right angle. I had my
rule and compasses in my pocket.' `Excellent critic!'”
“ `And for the epic poem your lordship bade me look at, upon taking
the length, breadth, height, and depth of it, and trying them at home
upon an exact scale of Bossu's [Bossut's], 'tis out, my lord, in every
one of its dimensions.' `Admirable connoisseur!' ” —Sterne:
Tristram Shandy, vol. iii. chap. xii.
The abbé Charles Bossut (1730-1814) was a noted mathematician and
geometer.
Prince of critics.
Aristarchos, of Byzantium, who compiled the rhapsodies of Homer.
(Second century B.C.) Stop-watch critics.
“ `And how did Garrick speak the soliloquy last night?' `Oh, against
all rule, my lord, most ungrammatically. Betwixt the substantive and
the adjective, which should agree together in number, case, and gender,
he made a breach, thus—stopping as if the point wanted settling; and
betwixt the nominative case, which, your lordship knows, should govern
the verb, he suspended his voice in the epilogue a dozen times, three
seconds and three-fifths by a stop-watch, my lord, each time.'
`Admirable grammarian!' `But in suspending his voice was the sense
suspended likewise? Did no expression of attitude or countenance fill
up the chasm? Was the eye silent? Did you narrowly look?' `I looked
only at the stop-watch, my lord.'”
“ `Excellent observer!”' —Sterne: Tristram Shandy, vol. iii.
chap. xii.
Croaker (2 syl.). A raven, so called from its croak; one who takes a
desponding view of things. Goldsmith, in his Good-natured Man,
has a character so named.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 More on Critic from Infoplease:
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