Monthly Archives: July 2006

Worst Classical Typos

Here are my nominations: 1. In a Greek text: In Volume I of R. D. Dawe’s Teubner Sophocles (1975), the first word of Oedipus Tyrannus is misspelled. The fact that it’s a one-letter word is particularly impressive:  τέκνα Κάδμου … Continue reading

Posted in Greek Literature, Latin Literature, Orbilius | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Prediction

Just as some of the minor poetasters of the 17th century would be utterly forgotten today if they had not been fortunate enough to be mocked in Pope’s Dunciad, some of the bands of the late 20th century, including many … Continue reading

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Things That Warm My Cold, Cold Heart

Misreading two lines in a Chicagoboyz post, a review of a book on the fall of the Roman Empire. They give the table of contents, which includes these lines:       1. Romans 3       2. Barbarians 46 I couldn’t help reading that … Continue reading

Posted in Latin Literature, Orbilius | 1 Comment

Quotation of the Day

Elderly Nova Scotian Mrs. Fiedke explains why she refuses to fly out of Barcelona: “I’m a strict believer, in fact, a Witness, but I never trust the airlines from those countries where the pilots believe in the afterlife. You are … Continue reading

Posted in Culture: Fiction | 4 Comments

Hmmmmm . . . .

Terry Teachout’s life of H. L. Mencken is titled The Skeptic. Given Mencken’s taste (and aptitude) for invective, it might just as easily have been titled The Skoptic — not that anyone outside of Classics departments would know what that … Continue reading

Posted in Orbilius | Leave a comment

Quotation of the Millennium

The juvenile sea squirt wanders through the sea searching for a suitable rock or hunk of coral to cling to and make its home for life. For this task, it has a rudimentary nervous system. When it finds its spot … Continue reading

Posted in - Quotations, Ephemerides, Work: Teaching | 1 Comment