Tobias Smollett Quotes:
Ocupation: Poet
Life: March 19, 1721 - September 17, 1771
Birthday: March 19
Death: September 17
A mere index hunter, who held the eel of science by the tail. Index-hunter is a term used mockingly, meaning one who acquires superficial knowledge merely by consulting indexes. The '[holding] the eel of science by the tail' allusion was used in 1728 by Alexander Pope (q.v.).
topic: Learning, Science, Eels
