Who/what is Monoculus?

Question

In "Black Like Me" John Griffin writes on page 76,
"Like Monoculus, he poked fun at the devil."
Does anyone know who/what Monoculus is and what he is reffering to?
I've looked all over the internet and I've found the following:
1. a fish, Cichla monoculus.
2. a medical term for a one-eyed bandage.
3. the same question on PinkMonkey.com that has been removed.

This is driving me CRAZY! If you have any info please help!

Answer 1

Well, there is a Latin proverb: In terra caecorum monoculus rex, which means in English: In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.



As far as his specific reference, I'm not sure. A cyclops could be considered a monoculus, but I'm not sure how they (for instance in The Odyssey) poked fun at the devil. You could check out The Adventures of Ulysses by Charles Lamb or some of Charles & Mary Lamb's essays.



There is also Westward, Ho! (Chapter IX-How Amyas Kept His Christmas Day) by Charles Kingsley that includes a reference to Sir Monoculus. Check http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/lit/western/WestwardHo/chap9.html

Answer 2

I don't find any specific character named Monoculus, but one of the meanings for the word is cyclops. So it would seem that someone poked fun at the devil and lost an eye....

Answer 3

your info is quite correct, it can refer to a fish or a medical term, but what Griffin refers to, is actually a one-eyed person or creature. It is an obsolate term now.