Nickneven

A gigantic malignant hag of Scotch superstition. Dunbar has well described this spirit in his Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy.

<Nicodemused into Nothing that is, the prospects of one's life ruined by a silly name; according to the proverb, “Give a dog a bad name and hang him.” It is from Sterne's Tristram Shandy (vol. i. 19), on the evil influence of a silly name on the mind of the bearer of it.

“How many Caesars and Pompeys by mere inspiration of the names have been rendered worthy of them; and how many might have done well in the world had they not been Nicodemused into nothing.”

(This is, to call a man Nicodemus would be enough to sink a navy.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language

• 
  • Calculator
  • Spelling Checker
  • Place Finder
  • Distance Calculator
  • Periodic Table
  • Conversion Tool
  • Perpetual Calendar
  • Year by Year
  • Fact Monster

24 X 7

Private Tutor

	24 x 7 Tutor Availability
	Unlimited Online Tutoring
	1-on-1 Tutoring

Explore Histogram Examples , Grade 9 Math