Well, as you know, I am all for bringing back obsolete words that seem to have particular resonance in modern times and I think we could do with them. And one of them I was reminded of quite recently, that always proves quite popular, is ultracrepidarian, which is a very odd word really and a bit of mouthful. But it's perfect for somebody who's a bit of shotclog and a shotclog is a person in the pub who you only put up with because they're buying the next round and more often than not if they're the pub bore, they'll be spouting forth on a subject about which they known absolutely nothing. And that is your ultracrepidarian. It's an uniformed know-it-all. It could be a politician. There are so many uses for this, I have to say. But the word has a very classical pedigree and once you unpack it, it all makes sense. It goes back to a story and a comment, really, from a 4th-century Greek painter and he was called Apelles, and a shoemaker comes to look at his paintings and the pointed out that the pair of sandals that were depicted on the painting by actually incorrectly presented. The painter Apelles has not got painted these sandals particularly right. And then, because he was pretty much emboldened by his new-found art criticism, he went on to comment on the entire painting, and pointed out little flaws here and there. To which Apelles replied, "Sutor ne ultra crepidam", which means, "Shoemaker, do not go beyond the sole". In other words, don't talk about things. Talk about what are you know about, but don't talk about anything that ypu really have no knowledge whatsoever. So an ultracrepidarian literally means beyond the sole, which I think is a lovely story. Yeah, I like ultracrepidarian. As I say, it's very useful for our times.
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