ultracrepidarian
/ˌʌltɹəˌkɹɛpɪˈdɛəɹiən/
ultracrepidarian means giving or offering opinions on something beyond one's knowledge or expertise. It carries an Arena rating of 1660, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ultracrepidarian ranks #13 of 17,122 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #19 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #189 of 17,114 for Most Satisfying to Say, #336 of 17,118 for Most Ponderous Words.
ultracrepidarian is pronounced /ˌʌltɹəˌkɹɛpɪˈdɛəɹiən/.
Why “ultracrepidarian” is a great word
Giving opinions on matters beyond one's knowledge or expertise. Attributed to the English essayist William Hazlitt, from Latin ultra- ("beyond") + crepida ("a sandal, sole") + -arian, based on the Latin proverb "ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret" ("let the cobbler not judge above the sandal"). Unlike the "expert," who speaks from earned authority, or the "dilettante," who dabbles in curiosity, the ultracrepidarian carries the sting of the overreacher—the lecture hall interjector pronouncing on quantum mechanics after skimming a magazine, the dinner guest explaining foreign policy with unearned certainty, the online critic dismantling novels never read. It is the particular arrogance of the sandal-wearer who would redesign the shoe while standing in it, the ancient recognition that some boundaries exist not to limit us but to preserve our dignity.
Etymology
Attributed to English essayist and writer William Hazlitt, who used it in a letter to William Gifford (see quotation below); from ultra- (“beyond”) + Latin crepida (“a particular style of Greek sandal”) + -arian, evidently formed directly on the Latin proverb ne ultra/supra crepidam ("not beyond the crepida"). The reference is to a Greek story concerning the painter Apelles, who supposedly placed new works on public display and hid behind them to hear and act upon people's reactions. In Book 35 of his Natural History, Pliny the Elder records that a shoemaker noted that one figure had the wrong number of straps on his crepida, a kind of elaborate sandal. Delighted to see it fixed the next day, he supposedly began to critique the form of the leg, so annoying Apelles that the painter came out
adj
- Giving or offering opinions on something beyond one's knowledge or expertise.
noun
- One who gives or offers opinions on something beyond one's knowledge (a person passing judgment beyond their expertise).
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