Say What? Give a man enough rope.../Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

Today we're looking at two quotations: give a man enough rope and he'll hang himself, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Servalan and Travis from Blake's 7 will provide fannish examples.

Our first quote isn't literally about execution or suicide, but it references those grisly events. According to thefreedictionary.com, this saying means "to allow (someone) to accomplish his own downfall by his own foolish acts." In the context of a classic crime novel, of course, the saying could well be absolutely literal, with 'enough rope' leading directly to 'the rope'.

The saying first appears in recognisable form in Thomas Fuller's 1639 work The History of the Holy War, the exact words being 'they were suffered to have rope enough, till they had haltered themselves.' This answers.com page shows examples spanning some four hundred years. The suffered in Fuller's quote is the old usage of 'suffer' as in 'to permit'. This saying is often used in the context of someone watching, and maybe even encouraging, another individual indulging in actions that will not end well for the individual concerned.

Servalan rested her beautifully manicured hands upon her desk. "A fake Central Control is such a tasty lure. Make it just hard enough, but also just easy enough, to find and undesirable elements will waste such a lot of their time and resources on it."

"Give Blake enough rope and he'll hang himself," Travis commented.

"Preferably the Federation will hang him," Servalan said tartly, before she mellowed with anticipation. "Metaphorically speaking, but most definitely publicly."

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" is a somewhat younger saying, according to this page at phrases.org, with expressions found of the concept dating to 1708. The version we know today is presented in Charles Colton's Lacon: or, Many Things in few words, published in 1820.

So what does it mean? Flattery by definition is an insincere or fulsome compliment, intended to puff up someone's self-esteem and maybe gain something for the flatterer. It's easy to say a few pleasant words. If you're prepared to imitate someone, for example copying their mode of dress, then you're risking your own self-esteem. Your compliment is presumed less studied, and so more sincere.

Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but even in her earliest days in the Federation Academy, Servalan saw imitators of her flamboyant style only as rivals, and Servalan never, never brooked rivals.

Comments

[pathology-doc.livejournal.com]

Servalan, Travis, rope and flattery? That could spawn some really fascinating plot bunnies (though personally I think she really wanted Avon). *evil grin*

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, but what did she want him for?

[pathology-doc.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I think she imagined the possibility of turning him into Travis MkII, albeit with more intelligence and initiative. But this would have been akin to the foolishness Emperor Palpatine showed in seriously thinking he could turn (and control) Luke Skywalker. IIRC she essentially offered him half of what had once been the Federation and he still turned it down.

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

Indeed. He declined on the entirely likely basis that he'd be dead within a week.

[pathology-doc.livejournal.com]

*nod* It would be a bit like mating habits among spiders, wouldn't it? One of them would wind up killing the other before too long for sure. When I saw the grand finale (I wasn't even twelve, I think, and it was the only time I ever saw it) I always thought it was Servalan (off camera) who got Avon's last shot, hence why he was smiling just before he fired it and why so many shots were fired at him as it cut to black - he'd made it count. Everything I've read online, however, suggests otherwise.

[thisbluespirit]

Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but even in her earliest days in the Federation Academy, Servalan saw imitators of her flamboyant style only as rivals, and Servalan never, never brooked rivals.

:loL: Indeed!

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

Servalan is both predictable and yet capable of anything....