Chapter Critic to Cropland of C by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Critic to Cropland

Critic (A Bossu), one who criticizes the “getting up” of a book more than its literary worth; a captious, carping critic. Réne le Bossu was a French critic (1631–1680).

The epic poem your lordship bade me look at, upon taking the length, breadth, height, and depth of it, and trying them at home upon an exact scale of Bossu’s, ’tis out, my lord, in every one of its dimensions. Admirable connoisseur!—Sterne.

(The scale referred to was that of Bossut the mathematician.) (v. Chrysos, p. 208.)

Critic (The), by R. B. Sheridan, suggested by The Rehearsal (1779).

(The Rehearsal is by the duke of Buckingham, 1671.)

Criticism (An Essay on), by Pope (1709). It contains 724 lines in heroic couplets. It is full of household lines and phrases.

Lord Kames published, in 1762, a book called The Elements of Criticism.

Critics (The Prince of), Aristarchos of Byzantium, who compiled, in the second century B.C., the rhapsodies of Homer.

N.B.—Ritson was both an insolent and a malignant critic. (See Ritsonism.)

Croaker, guardian to Miss Richland. Never so happy as when he imagines himself a martyr. He loves a funeral better than a festival, and delights to think that the world is going to rack and ruin. His favourite phrase is “May be not.”

A poor, fretful soul, that has a new distress for every hour of the four and twenty.—Act i. I.

Mrs. Croaker, the very reverse of her grumbling, atrabilious husband. She is mirthful, light-hearted, and cheerful as a lark.

The very reverse of each other. She all laugh and no Joke, he always complaining and never sorrowful.—Act 1. I.

Leontine Croaker, son of Mr. Croaker. Being sent to Paris to fetch his sister, he falls in love with Olivia Woodville, whom he brings home instead, introduces her to Croaker as his daughter, and ultimately marries her.—Goldsmith: The Good-natured Man (1768).

Crocodile (King). The people of Isna, in Upper Egypt, affirm that there is a king crocodile as there is a queen bee. The king crocodile has ears but no tail, and has no power of doing harm. Southey says that though the king crocodile has no tail, he has teeth to devour his people with.—Browne: Travels.

Crocodile (Lady Kitty), meant for the duchess of Kingston.—Foote: A Trip to Calais (1777).

Crocodile’s Tears, deceitful show of grief; hypocritical sorrow.

It is written that the crocodile will weep over a man’s head when he hath devoured the body, and then he will eat up the head too. Wherefore in Latin there is a proverb: Crocodili lachrymœ (“crocodile’s tears”), to signify such tears as are fained and spent only with intent to deceive or doe harm.—Bullokar: English Expositor (1616).

Cæsar will weep, the crocodile will weep.
   —Dryden: All for Love (1682).

Crocus, a young man enamoured of the nymph Smilax, who did not return his love. The gods changed him into the crocus flower, to signify unrequited love.