Original artwork, not a still
A Noble Spirit Embiggens the Smallest Man.
— The Simpsons · 1989
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line is Springfield's civic slogan, delivered with the stiff pomp of a founding father, and it works because embiggens sounds real enough to quote. A Victorian writer had in fact used the word in 1884, and the Simpsons-coined word has since turned up in real scientific papers. Fans use it for anything that makes someone or something bigger.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The SimpsonsShow the scene
The motto appears in "Lisa the Iconoclast" (The Simpsons, season 7, February 1996), set as Springfield celebrates its bicentennial. It is the town motto, tied to the founder Jebediah Springfield's famous speech, and is inscribed on his statue. A teacher remarks that she had never heard the word embiggen until she moved to town, and another replies that it is a perfectly cromulent word. Lisa digs up evidence that Jebediah was really a murderous pirate called Hans Sprungfeld. Writer Dan Greaney coined embiggen for the episode.
Sources (3)
- Wikipedia: Lisa the IconoclastPlot and Production sectionsReference checked
- Simpsons Wiki: Jebediah SpringfieldLead and infoboxReference checked
- Simpsons Wiki: Lisa the IconoclastInfoboxReference checked
Context reviewed
