A dictionary-maker, unless he is a monster of omniscience, must deal with a great many matters of which he has no firsthand knowledge.
So H.W. Fowler wrote in the Preface to the 1929 Concise Oxford Dictionary. (Yes, I actually read the Preface to the 1929 Concise Oxford Dictionary. Hey, I was a lonely child.) I was quite taken by the phrase, and resolved to use it every chance I got.
Which opportunities turned out to be rather rare in practice. It just doesn't lend itself to everyday conversation:
Is it raining out?What am I, a monster of omniscience?
D'you think the Red Sox will take it this year?
What am I, a monster of omniscience?
You see the problem? You start to sound like Howard Cosell, waxing rhapsodic about Muhammad Ali:
Ali! A. Monster. A. Monster. Of. . . omniscience!
But I've finally found a use for it. It makes a perfect title for a blog post. After all . . .
Made ja look! Made ja look!