A created proverb in a novel becomes broadly used in society: “'Easily in but not easily out', as the lobster said in his lobster pot.”

Peter Unseth

Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics, Dallas, USA

Abstract

C.S. Lewis created several proverbs in his novel The Horse and His Boy. One of these has now become broadly used in English-speaking society. This article cites evidence that this new proverb is now being used in novels, poetry, short stories, blogs, and in giving advice. Wolfgang Mieder has noted that there are very few published studies about proverbs created in the last century, so this article fills this gap regarding this proverb. The focus of this article is on the growing use of this proverb, not on proverbs generally.

Keywords:

proverbs, C. S. Lewis, proverb creation, Chronicles of Narnia, wellerisms