Ultracrepidarian

English

Etymology

The term is attributed to William Hazlitt, who used it in a letter to William Gifford (see quotation below).

It derives from the Latin proverb ne supra crepidam or ne ultra crepidam meaning “not beyond the sandal.”

The phrase originates from a story in ancient Greece concerning the painter Apelles. According to Pliny the Elder in Natural History, Apelles displayed his paintings publicly and secretly listened to criticism.

A shoemaker correctly pointed out an error in the straps of a crepida (a type of Greek sandal). When the shoemaker then began criticizing other aspects of the painting, Apelles reportedly told him to limit his criticism to the shoes.

Thus the proverb: a cobbler should not judge beyond the sandal.

Katakana Transliteration

• ウルトラクレピダリアン (Urutorakurepidarian)

Adjective

ultracrepidarian (comparative more ultracrepidarian, superlative most ultracrepidarian)

1. Giving opinions on matters beyond one's knowledge or expertise; speaking authoritatively about subjects one does not understand.

Quotations

• 1933 — Ellery Queen, The American Gun Mystery

“Inspector Queen was the only person in New York who might be called, without intent to malign, an ultracrepidarian critic.”

• 2010 — Richard A. Lanham, The Electronic Word: Democracy, Technology, and the Arts

“Suitably daunted by ultracrepidarian angst, I record here some tentative readings…”

Noun

ultracrepidarian (plural ultracrepidarians)

1. A person who offers opinions or criticism on matters beyond their knowledge or expertise.

Derived terms

• ultracrepidarianism

Related expressions

• cobbler, stick to your last

Further reading

• World Wide Words: Ultracrepidarian
• Language Log — “Ultracrepidarian”

See Also

• https://www.dictionary.video/explain/ultracrepidarian.html
• https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ultracrepidarian
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ultracrepidarian
• https://wordsmith.org/words/ultracrepidarian.html