Ultra Crepidam

"beyond the sole"

Although it is certainly not anything new for me, by the nature of my employment, I had a fairly vexing conversation with a client this evening. The client, of themself, was not particularly rude or upset. No, what bothered me about the call was the attitude of the client. I do not presume to be an absolue expert in the field of finance, but I do expect to have an above-average knowledge and insight into matters of this business. Without going into any details, let's just say that the client was fairly outspoken about matters that they obviously did not understand. This sort of call is not as rare as I might wish, however, this incident did spark something. I also have a feeling that you will all be able to feel where I am coming from.

As I reflect on how I felt during the aforementioned phone call, I realize that too often I also presume to know more than I do about many things. I can only imagine the times that I have opined toward something with which I was hardly an expert.

Ultra Crepidam

Above, slightly modified from the original quote: "ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret," meaning, " judge not above the sandal, shoemaker."
Pliny the Elder is a well known Roman author of Historia Naturalis, an encyclopedic work. Within this work he tells many stories about Apelles, whom Pliny boasts as one of the best artists of his time (23 AD –  79 AD). In one such story, he tells of how Apelles respected the public opinion so much, that he would place a completed piece in a public place, and then hide in a descrete place to listen in on the public's criticism. One day during such a practice, he overheard a shoemaker comment that one of the sandals in his painting was missing a lace. After hearing this, Apelles made certain to correct the mistake. The next day, while eavesdropping again during the display of the same work, the same shoemaker, enblazened with pride to see that his critique had been followed, started to criticize the leg; at this point, Apelles burst out of hiding, full of indignation, and said, "Judge not above the sandal, shoemaker!"

Now during Pliny's time, this had become a familiar proverb, and thanks to William Hazlitt, I believe that we should bring this proverb back! Hazlitt used this Latin proverb to create a new word in our language, ultracrepidarian, or one who gives his opinion to matters beyond his own knowledge. Ready for another story?
A famous letter from Hazlitt to the editor of the Quarterly Review, William Gifford, records the first use of this word in reference to the editor. Hazlitt was not Gifford's nor the publication's biggest fan, and the letter was written in response to a review of Hazlitt's published lectures. He also spoke of the incident is his later essays, The Spirit of the Age:

"His Journal, then, is a depository for every species of political sophistry and personal calumny. There is no abuse or corruption that does not there find a Jesuitical palliation or a bare-faced vindication. There we meet the slime of hypocrisy, the varnish of courts, the cant of pedantry, the cobwebs of the law, the iron hand of power. Its object is as mischievous as the means by which it is pursued are odious."

Now if that doesn't motivate you to want to incorporate supra (ultra) crepidam, or ultracrepidarian, into your vocabulary, then--Amici, diem perdidi!