Daniel Lambert

English

Etymology

From Daniel Lambert (1770–1809), who was in his lifetime the heaviest man in the United Kingdom.

Noun

Daniel Lambert (plural Daniel Lamberts)

1. Something that is giant, or otherwise great in some way.

   The courtiers were Daniel Lamberts of learning.

   • 1849 September, Z, “The Undergraduate. Chapter 1—My First Day at College”, in The Dublin University Magazine, volume 34, page 335:

     A whipstick was a Daniel Lambert in comparison with him.

   • 1854, R. M. DeWitt, “Advertisement for Snarleyow, the Dog Fiend”, in The Chess Player's Instructor, page 75:

     If laughing makes people increase in bulk, "Snarleyow" would have been found guilty of making Daniel Lamberts of the human race

   • 1873 June, Herbert Spencer, “A Study of Sociology”, in Popular Science, page 172:

     A student may become a very Daniel Lambert of learning, and remain utterly useless to himself and all others.

   • 1874, Charles Henry Webb, John Paul's book: moral and instructive: consisting of travels, tales, poetry, and like fabrications, page 372:

     Whales and other Daniel Lamberts of the deep can take care of themselves well enough, but a grave question arises — should not all ocean ships be compelled to ring bells and carry fish-catchers attached to their prows for the benefit of aqueous Tom Thumbfins and their spouses?

   • 1874, George Alfred Townsend, Washington, Outside and Inside, page 306:

     This accommodates the three Daniel Lamberts of the bench, and I am told that the Supreme Court has never been without a large proportion of Colossuses upon it.

Derived terms

• Daniel Lambertish