Ha-ha, you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is "Never get involved in a land war in Asia," but only slightly less well known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian, when death is on the line!"

The speaker crows over a fool who has fallen into a classic mistake, then lists proverbial blunders in mock-solemn style. The first is a famous warning about foreign land wars; the second, a lesser-known one, is never to face a Sicilian when death is at stake.

Context reviewed 29 September 2026