to cut blocks with a razor
Preserved but no longer current.
To do some- thing astounding by insignificant means; to do something more eccentric than expedient; to "make pm-cushions of sunbeams" (Swift). The tale is that Accius Naevius, a Roman augur, opposed king Tarqum the Elder, who wished to double the number of senators. Tarqum sneered at his pretensions of augury, and asked if he could do what was then in his thoughts.
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 “to cut blocks with a razor” mean?
To do some- thing astounding by insignificant means; to do something more eccentric than expedient; to "make pm-cushions of sunbeams" (Swift). The tale is that Accius Naevius, a Roman augur, opposed king Tarqum the Elder, who wished to double the number of senators. Tarqum sneered at his pretensions of augury, and asked if he could do what was then in his thoughts.
Is “to cut blocks with a razor” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.