Why “falstaff” is a great word
FALSTAFF — [Noun] A character of grand, disreputable charm: a fat, jovial, and dissolute man whose intelligence and wit outshine his vices. The name derives from the character Sir John Falstaff, invented by William Shakespeare for his Henry IV plays (c. 1597), likely inspired by the historical medieval knight Sir John Fastolf. Unlike a 'buffoon' (which suggests a simple, foolish clown) or a 'sage' (which implies solemn moral integrity), a Falstaff is a rogue philosopher, whose wisdom is distilled in sack and whose morality is a feast of self-interest. He is the barrel of sack emptied by firelight, the uproarious lie told with such conviction it becomes a kind of truth, and the poignant, knowing glance that cuts through the revelry to reveal the mortality beneath the mirth—the eternal argument for flawed, embodied life over sterile honor.