Words mean what they're generally believed to mean. When Charles II saw Christopher Wren's St. Paul's Cathedral for the first time, he called it "awful, pompous, and artificial." Meaning roughly: Awesome, majestic, and ingenious.
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I am the Online Community Manager at PLoS-ONE (Public Library of Science). My job is to try to motivate you to comment on the papers there. My scientific specialty is chronobiology (circadian rhythms and photoperiodism), with additional interests in comparative physiology, animal behavior and evolution. You can contact me at: Coturnix@gmail.com
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ClockQuotes
Category: Clock Quotes
Posted on: April 28, 2008 3:56 AM, by Coturnix
Comments
An earlier version of this quote forms the first and last paragraphs of Poul Anderson's "A Tragedy of Errors".
"Once in ancient days, the then King of England told Sir Christopher Wren, whose name is yet remembered, that the new Cathedral of St. Paul which he had designed was 'awful, pompous, and artificial.' Kings have seldom been noted for perspicacity.
...
In the case of the king and Sir Christopher a compliment was intended. A later era would have used the words "awe-inspiring, stated, and ingeniously contrived."
Posted by: alias Ernest Major | April 28, 2008 4:42 AM