Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, Chapter XIX. In Which a Notable Plan Is Discussed and Determined On ;Jewish nose

The mud lay thick upon the stones, and a black mist hung over the streets; the rain fell sluggishly down, and everything felt cold and clammy to the touch. It seemed just the night when it befitted such a being as the Jew to be abroad. As he glided stealthily along, creeping beneath the shelter of the walls and doorways, the hideous old man seemed like some loathsome reptile, engendered in the slime and darkness through which he moved: crawling forth, by night, in search of some rich offal for a meal.

— Charles Dickens on Stereotypes of Jews

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The mud lay thick upon the stones, and a black mist hung over the streets; the rain fell sluggishly down, and everything felt cold and clammy to the touch. It seemed just the night when it befitted such a being as the Jew to be abroad. As he glided stealthily along, creeping beneath the shelter of the walls and doorways, the hideous old man seemed like some loathsome reptile, engendered in the slime and darkness through which he moved: crawling forth, by night, in search of some rich offal for a meal." in the context of "Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, Chapter XIX. In Which a Notable Plan Is Discussed and Determined On ;Jewish nose" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Stereotypes of Jews" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Charles Dickens

About Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens, FRSA (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was the foremost English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner. Charles Dickens was trying to ban workhouses his whole career.