even Homer nods

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From even + Homer + nods (“be momentarily inattentive or inaccurate”), alluding to line 359 of Horace’s Ars Poetica indignor quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus (“I become annoyed when the great Homer is being drowsy”). The English translation Homer nods has become standard following Pope (1709), but is due to Dryden (1677).

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Chinese Mandarin: 智者千慮,必有一失 /智者千虑 — no one is immune to error
• Chinese Mandarin: 必有一失 (zhìzhě qiān lǜ, bì yǒu yī shī) — no one is immune to error
• Czech: i mistr tesař se někdy utne — no one is immune to error
• Dutch: het beste paard struikelt wel eens — no one is immune to error
• Finnish: joskus Homeroskin nukahtaa — no one is immune to error
• Finnish: viisaskin menee vipuun — no one is immune to error
• French: tout le monde peut se tromper — no one is immune to error
• French: il n'y a si bon cheval qui ne bronche — no one is immune to error
• French: cela arrive même aux meilleurs — no one is immune to error
• French: l'erreur est humaine — no one is immune to error
• Friulian: a fâle ancje il plevan tal altâr — no one is immune to error
• Hungarian: néha Homérosz is alszik — no one is immune to error
• Irish: ní bhíonn saoi gan locht — no one is immune to error
• Japanese: 猿も木から落ちる (saru mo ki kara ochiru) — no one is immune to error
• Japanese: 弘法にも筆の誤り (Kōbō ni mo fude no ayamari) — no one is immune to error
• Japanese: 河童の川流れ (kappa no kawanagare) — no one is immune to error
• Korean: 원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다 (wonsung'ido namueseo tteoreojinda) — no one is immune to error
• Lithuanian: kas nedirba, tas neklysta — no one is immune to error
• Polish: niekiedy i wielki Homer drzemie — no one is immune to error
• Polish: i dobry nawet Homer niekiedy zadrzymie — no one is immune to error
• Russian: и на стару́ху быва́ет прору́ха (i na starúxu byvájet prorúxa) — no one is immune to error
• Russian: на вся́кого мудреца́ дово́льно простоты́ (na vsjákovo mudrecá dovólʹno prostotý) — no one is immune to error
• Spanish: al mejor cazador se le va la liebre — no one is immune to error
• Spanish: al mejor cazador se le va la paloma — no one is immune to error
• Spanish: al mejor panadero se le quema el pan — no one is immune to error
• Thai: สี่ตีนยังรู้พลาด นักปราชญ์ยังรู้พลั้ง (sìi-dtiin-yang-rúu-plâat-nák-bpràat-yang-rúu-pláng) — no one is immune to error