Merops' Son
Preserved but no longer current.
One who thinks he can set the world to rights, but can't. Agitators, demo- gogues, and Bolsheviks, are sons of Merops. The allusion is to Phaeton, son of Merops, who thought himself able to drive the car of Phoebus, but, m the attempt, nearly set the world on fire.
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 “Merops' Son” mean?
One who thinks he can set the world to rights, but can't. Agitators, demo- gogues, and Bolsheviks, are sons of Merops. The allusion is to Phaeton, son of Merops, who thought himself able to drive the car of Phoebus, but, m the attempt, nearly set the world on fire.
Is “Merops' Son” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.