Meaning & Analysis
A direct simile meaning something is physically bent or twisted, just like a cammock, which is a naturally crooked stick or root.
Insights
Moral Corruption
The proverb is a powerful metaphor for moral corruption, dishonesty, or deceit. To be 'as crooked as a cammock' suggests a character that is fundamentally untrustworthy and morally deviant.
Ingrained Stubbornness
It can symbolize an ingrained stubbornness or perversity of character. Like the cammock that cannot be straightened, a person described this way is seen as resistant to correction, guidance, or moral improvement.
Physical Deformity
As used in early literature, the simile often described physical deformity in a derogatory way, comparing a person's limbs or posture to a gnarled piece of wood.
Symbolism of Nature
The cammock, a crooked staff or the root of the restharrow plant, grounds the abstract idea of crookedness in a tangible, rustic object. Its use by poets like John Skelton reflects a pre-industrial worldview where nature provided the most potent symbols for human character.
Psychology of Morality
The proverb taps into a deep-seated psychological association between physical straightness and moral rectitude. By invoking a naturally twisted object, it suggests that some forms of corruption or perversity are innate and uncorrectable, reflecting a fatalistic view of human nature.
Literary and Satirical Use
John Skelton's ironic use of 'As right as a cammocke crooked' in his satire 'Why Come Not to Court' demonstrates the proverb's literary flexibility. It could be used straightforwardly for insult or, as Skelton does, ironically to expose hypocrisy and corruption in high places.
Rhetorical Devices
Simile
The proverb's structure is a classic simile, using 'as...as' to create a direct, emphatic, and easily understood comparison.
Alliteration
The hard, percussive alliteration of 'crooked' and 'cammock' enhances the proverb's memorability and auditory impact, reinforcing the harshness of the judgment.
Imagery
It evokes a strong, visceral image of a gnarled, twisted piece of wood, making the abstract concept of moral or physical crookedness concrete and vivid for the listener.
Transcription
Quotations
As right as a cammocke crooked.
Your longe lothy legges, Crokyd as a camoke.
They studie twentie yeeres together to make vs grow as straight as a wande, and in the ende by bowing vs, make vs as crooked as a cammocke.
Annotations
- a crooked or curved stick
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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