Smith of Nottingham
Preserved but no longer current.
Applied to conceited persons who imagine that no one is able to compete with themselves. Ray, in his Collection of Proverbs, has the following couplet: — The little Smith of Nottingham Who doth the work that no man can.
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 “Smith of Nottingham” mean?
Applied to conceited persons who imagine that no one is able to compete with themselves. Ray, in his Collection of Proverbs, has the following couplet: — The little Smith of Nottingham Who doth the work that no man can.
Is “Smith of Nottingham” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.