Some of our people no longer use words in their proper meaning

Plunged into such a state of topsy-turvy and confusion, some of our people no longer use words in their proper meaning but wrest them from the most honorable associations and apply them to the basest pursuits. On the one hand, they speak of men who play the buffoon and have a talent for mocking and mimicking as “gifted"...on the other hand, they think of men who indulge their depraved and criminal instincts and who for small gains acquire a base reputation as “getting the advantage.” Isocrates. Antidosis. Speech 15. Section 283 - 284.

Image: Relief of a seated poet (Menander) with masks of New Comedy, 1st century BCE – early 1st century CE, Princeton University Art Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and the museum.