Isaac Newton
Preserved but no longer current.
One winter's morning he upset a candle on his master's desk, by which papers containing minutes of many years' experiments were destroyed. On perceiving this terrible catastrophe Newton exclaimed: "Oh, Dia- mond, Diamond, thou little knowest the mischief thou hast done!" and at once set to work to repair the loss.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Isaac Newton” mean?
One winter's morning he upset a candle on his master's desk, by which papers containing minutes of many years' experiments were destroyed. On perceiving this terrible catastrophe Newton exclaimed: "Oh, Dia- mond, Diamond, thou little knowest the mischief thou hast done!" and at once set to work to repair the loss.
Is “Isaac Newton” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.