Ultracrepidarian: someone giving opinions on something beyond their knowledge. The habit of talking constantly about subjects you know little or nothing about.
From the Latin word ultra (beyond) and crepida (slipper, or sandal).
According to legends, a famous Greek painter liked to place his work on display. He would then hide nearby in order to listen to the inevitable comments.
A passing shoemaker remarked that, in one painting, a figure had the wrong number of straps on his sandal. Hearing this, the painter fixed the mistake.
The next day, the same shoemaker remarked that the legs of the painting also needed attention from the painter.
At this point, the painter emerged from hiding to tell the shoemaker to stick to his area of expertise.
The story produced a Latin proverb. Ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret. “Let not the cobbler judge beyond the shoe.” In other words, “Stay in your lane.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Almost every Saturday, I send out a Tip of the Week. The tip of the week is usually something I have picked up along the way that may make your life a little easier. If you would like to hear from me (almost) every Saturday, just go to the home page of my site and plug in your name and email. You will also get a free digital copy of my book on learning Latin (and almost anything else). Just go here: https://dwanethomas.com/
If you want to buy the digital book instead (because you just feel like buying me a cup of coffee) go here: https://dwanethomas.gumroad.com/l/fzixlh
If you are interested in learning Latin, you can go through the classes on my site 24/7. I recommend the book Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. If you tackle the book and find yourself bogged down, you may find the classes on my site helpful. To join, just click here: https://dwanethomas.com/join/
If you want a more professionally filmed experience, check out the best-selling DVD series: Visual Latin.
Or, if you want to skip Latin, and just jump right into learning English words from Latin and Greek roots, you may enjoy the series Word Up! Warning. Word Up! is a bit wacky. You will learn a lot… but, you may find yourself rolling your eyes, too.
I teach other languages on my site, too. The current schedule is here: https://dwanethomas.com/live-classes/
By the way, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Not trying to pull a fast one on you. I only promote what I believe in.
