A Gentleman and a Scholar
gentleman and a scholar, a - Well-behaved and well-educated. This term hails from days of yore when education was a privilege of the upper crust or those following a religious vocation. Its maiden voyage in print happened in 1607 through George Peele’s Merrie Conceited Jests (“He goes directly to the Mayor, tels him he was a Scholler and a Gentleman”). So timeless was the expression, Robert Burns dabbered it, with a hint of jest, into his The Twa Dogs in 1786: “His lockèd, letter’d braw brass collar shew’d him the gentleman an’ scholar.”
Related Terms & Synonyms:
- Well-mannered and well-versed
- Cultivated and courteous
- Polished and principled
- Pedigreed and perspicacious
Other Literature References:
- Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
- Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest
- Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series
Similar Expressions:
- Man of letters
- Gentleman of the cloth
- Scholar and gentleman rolled into one
Proverbs, Quotes, and Witty Words:
- “Knowledge inflates the brains, manners deploy the heart – and when combined, a gentleman is born.”
- Emulate a Bard thrown in fine attire with, “Wear thy learning like thy cloak.”
- As Winston Churchill supposedly quipped, “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.”
Suggested Readings and Resources:
- How To Speak Politely And Why by Munro Leaf.
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White.
- Etiquette for the Savvy Scholar by Clone LaRue Purcell.
### Which of these terms is related to the idiom "a gentleman and a scholar"?
- [x] Well-mannered and well-versed
- [ ] Rough around the edges
- [x] Cultivated and courteous
- [x] Polished and principled
> **Explanation:** A gentleman and scholar is a notion hitting all elegances and eruditions.
### Who jokingly employed the term “a gentleman and a scholar” in his literature?
- [ ] William Shakespeare
- [x] Robert Burns
- [ ] Charles Dickens
- [ ] Mark Twain
> **Explanation:** In *The Twa Dogs* (1786), Robert Burns playfully showed his acquaintance with the idiom.
### Fill in the blanks: "_____ man of _____"
- [x] A / letters
- [ ] A / fabric
- [x] Gentleman / the cloth
- [ ] An / industry
> **Explanation:** The phrases "man of letters" and "gentleman of the cloth" resonate with being mannered and learned.
### True or False: George Peele was the first to print the idiom "a gentleman and a scholar."
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** Indeed, George Peele’s *Merrie Conceited Jests* in 1607 manifests the earliest known printed example.
### Match the Leaves with the Trees:
A. Well-behaved and well-educated.\
B. A colloquial appreciation of one's gentlemanly pedigree and educational achievements.\
C. Reserved only for noblemen or clergy of the ancient epoch.\
D. Found in George Peele’s *Merrie Conceited Jests*.
1. (___) Reserved only for noblemen or clergy of ancient epoch.
2. (___) A colloquial appreciation of one's gentlemanly pedigree.
3. (___) Found in George Peele’s *Merrie Conceited Jests*.
4. (___) Well-behaved and well-educated.
- Answers:
- 1. C
- 2. B
- 3. D
- 4. A
> **Explanation:** By understanding contextual shadows, the metaphorical trees become deciduous in knowing.
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Until our next literary promenade: read generously, learn heartily, and may witty distinctions be your path’s light!
— A. P. Proverbialist
