Erasmic?

Ben Crick ben.crick at argonet.co.uk
Thu Jul 16 18:03:57 EDT 1998


On hu Jul 16 (09:34:08), jernest at hendrickson.com wrote:
> At the moment I can think of only one adjective that 
> ends with -smic, and it ain't Erasmic.  Isn't the usual 
> adjectivization of Erasmus Erasmian?  --Quite willing
> to learn that I'm wrong...

 Erasmic?  In the days long ago before electric shavers were invented,
 Erasmic was a proper noun, a trade name for a popular variety of
 shaving stick (soap for shaving). The advertisements claimed that
 the lather it produced was "not too little, not too much, but just
 right". A school Latin "newspaper" called /Acta Diurna/ even featured
 an ad. which read (IIRC) /Non parvissima, non magnissima, sed exacta
 satis/. Funny how schoolboy things stick in the mind....

 Yes; Erasmian for pertaining to or originating from Desiderius Erasmus.
 But for Luther, he was anything but a /desideratum/!
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick at argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm






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