They seek to get them a NAME by pissing against the holy waterstock

Meaning & Analysis

Some individuals attempt to make a name for themselves by committing acts of flagrant disrespect—specifically here, by urinating on a sacred object (the holy water font).

Insights

Infamy over Honor

Highlights the tendency of some to seek fame not through virtue, but through transgression—gaining notoriety by deliberately offending moral or sacred norms.

Provocation as Self-Promotion

Suggests that scandal, irreverence, or rebellion is used strategically to draw attention and elevate one's profile, regardless of moral standing.

Destructive Egoism

Depicts the pursuit of a 'name' as ego-driven, where individuals are willing to desecrate communal values or institutions simply to be noticed or remembered.

Religious Iconoclasm

The 'holy waterstock'—a font for sacred water—symbolizes ecclesiastical sanctity. To defile it is an act of deliberate iconoclasm, echoing Protestant critiques of Catholic ritual and deeper tensions around religious authority.

Cultural Anticipation of Modern Infamy

The proverb anticipates modern media dynamics, where notoriety often eclipses merit. It mirrors the way figures may provoke outrage to attract attention, illustrating how infamy can be a calculated path to fame.

Moral Critique of Ambition

Expresses cultural disdain for ambition untempered by virtue, implying that such self-serving acts corrupt both personal character and societal values.

Rhetorical Devices

Shock Imagery

The vivid and profane image of urinating on a sacred object jolts the audience, emphasizing the extremity of the act and the depth of the offense committed in the name of self-promotion.

Symbolism

The 'holy waterstock' represents sanctity, communal reverence, and tradition—its desecration symbolizing defiance against spiritual or social authority.

Sarcasm

The tone mocks those who think any attention is good attention, exposing the folly of seeking renown through disgraceful behavior.

infamyambitionirreverenceiconoclasmegofame
Analyzed with gpt-4o on July 10, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

[They] seek to get them a name by pissing against the holy waterstock (as the prouerb is) for there are a great number that wold be spoken of and renoumed for their naughty and wicked deeds.

1579, TOMSON, 2nd Ep. to Tim., i: Serm. Calvin, p. 735

Original Scan

They seek to get them a NAME by pissing against the holy waterstock - a scanned entry from Tilley's 1950 Dictionary of Proverbs.
Scan courtesy of HathiTrust Digital Library.
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.

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Last updated: January 27, 2026