(1) Of or resembling a fox.
(2) Possessing or being thought to posses the characteristics often attributed to foxes ( crafty, clever, sly, cunning etc).
1620-1630: From the Latin vulpīnus (foxy, fox-like, of or pertaining to a fox), the construct being vulp(ēs) (fox) + -īnus. Vulpēs was from the earlier volpes (genitive vulpis, volpis) of unknown origin, though though probably from the primitive Indo-European wl(o)p and cognate with the Welsh llywarn (fox), the Classical Greek ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx) (fox), the Armenian աղուէս (ałuēs), the Albanian dhelpër, the Lithuanian vilpišỹs (wildcat) and the Sanskrit लोपाश (lopāśa) (jackal, fox). The Latin suffix -inus was from the Proto-Italic -īnos, from the primitive Indo-European -iHnos and cognate with the Ancient Greek -ινος (-inos) and the Proto-Germanic -īnaz. It was used to indicate "of or pertaining to, usually a relationship of position, possession, or origin. Vulpine is a noun & adjective, vulpinism & vulpinist are nouns and vulpinary is an adjective; the noun plural is vulpines.
The Holy Fox, Lord Halifax: The Right Honourable Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, First Earl of Halifax, KG, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, TD, PC, was a leading Tory (Conservative & Unionist Party) politician of the inter-war and war-time years; among other appointments, he was
Viceroy of
India, foreign secretary and
ambassador to the United States.
He was known as the
Holy Fox because of his devotion to church, the hunt and Tory politics though was more holy than foxy and perhaps too punctilious ever to be truly vulpine. He was also born too late; had he lived a century earlier, he’d likely be remembered as an eminent
statesman of the Victorian era but even before 1945, he seemed a
relic of the bygone age.
A fox and other beasts: Count Galeazzo Ciano (1903–1944; Italian foreign minister 1936-1943, left), Lord Halifax (1881–1959; UK foreign secretary 1938-1940 centre left), Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940; UK prime minister 1937-1940, centre right) and Benito Mussolini (1883–1945; Duce & Italian prime minister 1922-1943, right), Rome, January 1939.
Some three months after signing the infamous Munich Agreement that
rubber-stamped Adolf Hitler's (1889-1945; Führer (leader) and German head of government 1933-1945 & head of state 1934-1945) takeover of Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain and Halifax visited Rome to confer with Mussolini. Although it had long been obvious the
Duce had been drawn into the German orbit, British foreign policy was still based on the hope war could be avoided and, having seen appeasement prevent immediate conflict over Berlin's demands about Czechoslovakia, the hope was to find a way to appease Rome, the goal at the time little more ambitious than the maintenance of the status quo in the Mediterranean. Even in 1939, the UK's Foreign Office still believed Mussolini might be susceptible to "civilizing influences" in a way it had (belatedly) become obvious Hitler would not. In retrospect pointless, the meeting, held between 11-14 January 1939, was the last attempt through official channels to tempt the Duce away from the entanglement with Hitler to which, in reality, he was already committed although he certainly didn't expect war to be declared as soon as things transpired. The spirit of the meeting was well captured in Count Ciano's diary and while the count's entries are not wholly reliable, he was one of the century's notable diarists, an astute observer and, too clever to be much bothered by principles, painted vivid pictures of some of the great events of those troubled years. Mussolini, flattered by Hitler and already seeing himself as a Roman emperor, must have thought he was being visited by the ghosts of the past, Chamberlain looking like the provincial lord-mayor he'd once been and Halifax the
archbishop he probably wished he'd become.
“
In substance, the visit was kept on a minor tone, since both the Duce and myself are scarcely convinced of its utility. . . . How far apart we are from these people!" Ciano noted in his diary. "
It is another world."
After dinner with Mussolini he recorded the Duce's feelings: "These men are not made of the same stuff as the Francis Drakes and the other magnificent adventurers who created the British Empire. These, after all, are the tired sons of a long line of rich men, and they will lose their Empire,... The British do not want to fight. They try to draw back as slowly as possible, but they do not want to fight." Whatever other mistakes he may have made, on that night in Rome, Mussolini made no error in his summary of the state of thought in Downing Street and the Foreign Office. "Our conversations with the British have ended" Ciano concluded and "Nothing was accomplished." He closed the diary that evening with the note "I have telephoned Ribbentrop (Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893–1946; Nazi Foreign Minister 1938-1945) that the visit was a big lemonade [ie a farce].”
In zoology, the family Canidae is
divided into (1) Vulpini (foxes) and (2) Canini (wolves, dogs, coyotes, and
jackals). From these beasts comes the
metaphorical use of “canine” and “vulpine”, both tending to be used of character
traits rather than appearance. In the
metaphorical sense, “canine” is associated with qualities such as friendship loyalty,
trustworthiness, dependability, devotion and loyalty, thus the phrase: “Dog is man’s best friend”, pointed
variants appearing in quips from politicians such as Frederick II’s (Frederick
the Great, 1712–1786, Prussian king 1740-1786): “The more I learn of the nature of man, the
more I value the company of dogs” and Harry Truman’s (1884–1972; US
president 1945-1953): “Want a friend in Washington? Get a dog”. Jeff Kennett (b 1948; premier of the
Australian state of Victoria 1992-1999) would late adapt that Truman doctrine
and coined one to use in an internecine squabble, disparaging Peter Costello (b
1957; Treasurer of Australia, 1996-2007) for possessing “all the attributes of a dog - except loyalty”. If “canine” brings to mind honestly and guilelessness,
“vulpine” does not. Because foxes stereotypically
are though sly, clever and cunning, they’re regarded not as loyal companions
but solitary creatures whose every calculation in life is one of shrewd self-interest,
their folkloric reputation for deceit well-deserved.
Amanda Knox
in court during her appeal against her conviction for murder, Perugia, Italy, September,
2011.
The terms (of both endearment and disparagement) “foxy” and “vulpine” can be used interchangeably but context must be studied to determine which
meaning is being deployed. A US citizen
studying in Italy, Amanda Knox (b 1987) was twice wrongfully convicted of
murder by Italian courts and, as a young, photogenic American accused of
killing the young lady who was at the time her flat-mate, the trials received extensive
international coverage. It wasn’t long
before the media were referring to Ms Knox as “Foxy Knoxy” and while many
assumed that was typical tabloid journalism and a use of “foxy” in the sense of
“sexy young woman” (perhaps with an overtone of “manipulative”), it was revealed
to be her nickname on MySpace (an early social media site on which Rupert
Murdoch (b 1931) would book a big loss), the moniker gained from the pace and
agility she displayed in her youth on the soccer (football) pitch. Of Ms Knox, the use of “foxy” can be debated
but it would never be appropriate to speak of her as “vulpine”.
The dapper Franz von
Papen during the first Nuremberg Trial. Although never part of the Nazi "
establishment", he served the regime almost to the bitter end.
Both however could be applied to Franz
von Papen (1879-1969; German chancellor 1932 & vice chancellor 1933-1934)
who appears in the history books described variously as “vulpine”, “foxy”, “the sly old fox” and “the old silver
fox”. No author has ever used
these terms to suggest Papen was “sexy” and the references are all to his
cunning, slyness and extraordinary ability, over many decades, to extricate
himself from situations where his prospects seemed dismal or doomed. Few have ever quibbled over André
François-Poncet (1887–1978; French ambassador to Germany 1931-1938) famous
thumbnail sketch: “There is something about Papen that prevents either his
friends or his enemies from taking him entirely seriously” and the
Frenchman was acknowledged a fair judge of politicians, even Hitler more than
once admitting: “Poncet is the most intelligent of
the diplomats I've known”, to which he’d sometimes pause to add (especially
if anyone from the foreign ministry was in earshot): “…including the German ones.”
Members
of the Reich government assemble for the First of May celebrations, Berlin
Lustgarten, 1 May 1933. Disappointingly
for English-speakers although Lustgarten
translates as “Pleasure Garden”, that’s in the sense of “a pleasant place to
take a stroll”.
Left to right: Otto
Meissner (1880–1953; head of the Presidential Chancellery of Germany
1920-1945), Vice-Chancellor von Papen, Chancellor Hitler and Dr Joseph Goebbels
(1897-1975; Nazi propaganda minister 1933-1945). The military office behind Hitler is Minister of Defense, General (later Generalfeldmarschall) Werner von Blomberg
(1878–1946; Reichsminister of War 1935-1938).
Blomberg would in 1938 be forced to resign as Minister of War and
Commander-in-Chief of the Army after it was revealed his new wife (the much
younger Erna Gruhn (1913–1978)) “had a past”.
Hitler, although untroubled about ordering the murder of millions, was
in some matters a bourgeois moralist and there were verified reports of him at
the time ranting: “If a German field Marshal can marry a whore, anything is
possible.”
Most Germans were as sceptical as the French ambassador. General Kurt von Schleicher
(1882–1934; German chancellor 1932-1933) who was a confidant of Generalfeldmarschall
Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934; Reichspräsident (1925-1934) of Germany
1925-1934) schemed and plotted to have the dilettante Papen appointed
chancellor (prime minister), believing his inexperience and known political ineptitude make him
a malleable tool (like many others, he would later make the same mistake with Hitler). When astonished associates protested: “Papen has no head
for administration”, the General replied” “He doesn’t need a head, his job is to be a
hat”. Through means fair & foul, Papen managed to stay in office for six months and was planning to have Hindenburg grant him dictatorial powers before being out-maneuvered by Schleicher who secured the office for himself. Between December 1932 and January 1933 that chancellorship lasted only eight weeks before Hitler was appointed but the general continued to plot ways back into office before in 1934 becoming one of hundreds murdered by the Nazis during the Nacht der langen Messer (Night of the Long Knives), a purge of the regime's opponents subsequently justified by Hitler as a pre-emptive strike against the imminent "Röhm putsch".
Papen, then serving as Hitler's vice chancellor, had been on several of the lists (there was a bit of mission creep from the original plan for a "surgical strike" against two-dozen-odd) to be killed, having upset the Nazis by having made a speech at Marburg University critical of the regime but escaped death because Hermann Göring (1893–1946; leading Nazi 1922-1945, Hitler's designated successor & Reichsmarschall 1940-1945) had him placed in protective custody; Göring knew Papen's execution would have troubled the president. Although appalled at the blood-letting (including several of his close associates), Papen couldn't resist the lure of the political stage and continued to accept appointments from Hitler, his last job being as ambassador to Turkey (Türkiye since 2023) and he remained in the embassy in Ankara (which, along with Cario and Lisbon, was one of the war's hotbeds of espionage) until August 1944 when diplomatic relations with Berlin were severed.
Papen
in Pickelhaube while serving as
German Military Attaché to the US, Washington DC, 1915.
As a consequence of his inept and sometimes farcical
attempts at espionage and sabotage, the US government in December 1915 declared
Papen persona non grata (the diplomatic
term meaning “you must immediately leave the country”) but despite the conspicuous
failure of his mission, upon returning to Berlin, he was (presumably for “effort”)
awarded the Iron Cross, First Class. The
Pickelhaube (pointed helmet,
pronounced pick-el-how-buh) was first
used by the Prussian Army in the 1840s and became such a potent symbol of
German power it was adopted by some of the country’s many uniform-loving
institutions including police forces, fire brigades and even the forestry
service. Rendered unsuitable for use in
combat by advances in ballistics, except for ceremonial purposes, beginning in
1916, it was withdrawn from use and replaced by the Stahlhelm (steel helmet, pronounced shtal-helm).
Then serving as vice-chancellor, von Papen sits behind Hitler during a
parade, Berlin, May 1933.
The car is a
Mercedes-Benz 770K (W07, 1930-1938) Cabriolet D. Despite the "K" ("Kompressor" in the context of the 770s), not all W07 770Ks were supercharged but all those suppled to the Chancery had the Roots type "blower". Big, heavy and with less than slippery aerodynamic qualities, the cars needed the power of their 7.7 litre (468 cubic inch) straight-8s but, despite the mass, the updated 770K (W150, 1938-1943) could top 100 mph (160 km/h) on the long straights of the new Autobahns although such was the fuel consumption (which for the armored versions could be as high as 40 litres/100 km (5.88 mpg (US); 7.06 mpg Imperial)), even with a 195 litre (52 US gallon; 43 Imperial gallon) tank, when cruising at high speed, the time between "top-ups" could be brief.
In the aftermath of the war, the old fox proved himself again one of the century’s great survivors. Indicted for (Count 1)
conspiracy to commit crimes against peace and (Count 2) waging aggressive war, he
was acquitted by the IMT (International Military Tribunal) in the first Nuremberg Trial (1945-1946), a verdict which disappointed some but didn’t surprise those lawyers
who’d found the conspiracy charge dubious in many aspects and thought the
defendant too remote from the business of planning or waging war. The speech critical of the Nazis (drafted for him by an aide who was murdered during the purge) he delivered in 1934 seems to have persuaded the (non-Russian) judges that even if "corrupting", he was less reprehensible figure than some of his fellow defendants (that may be "damning with faint praise" but the "he spoke at Marburg" feeling seems to have been an effective piece of mitigation) contributed to him securing one of three acquittals among 19 convictions (twelve death sentences and seven imprisoned with terms between ten years and life). In 1947 he was convicted by a German
de-Nazification court and sentenced to eight years hard labor but, on appeal, was released in 1949 and his two years in captivity were not unpleasant, spent
mostly in a hospital; upon release, promptly he re-discovered his robust good health although his attempts in the 1950s to re-enter politics proved abortive. Many of his more obviously credentialed contemporaries
were either murdered by their “friends” or sent to the gallows by their
opponents but the old fox lived to his ninetieth year, dying peacefully in his
bed.
Lindsay
Lohan’s “Fursona”, one of the Canine Cartel’s NFTs (non-
fungible token). In zoology, the canine family (Canidae, from the Latin canis (dog)) includes domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, raccoon dogs, foxes, jackals and several other species.
Launched
in August 2021 on Ethereum, the Canine Cartel NFT was a generative NFT
collection launched in late August 2021 on Ethereum. The collection included a reputed 10,000 unique
(ERC‑721) canine characters,
each with what was claimed to be “randomly generated traits” (subsequent
analysis would correct that) inspired by ten dog breeds, the fictional back-story
being of dogs which formed a “cartel” that emerged victorious over feline
rivals in a stylized Sinaloa-inspired turf war. As all know, cats are evil so the happy ending
was good triumphed over evil. There was
a charitable element to the project, the first 10 ETH raised (some 10 % of mint
revenue) pledged to dog shelters. At the
time, there was quite a buzz around EFTs and (with a mint price of 0.05 ETH per
NFT) the drop apparently sold out quickly but like many EFT “bubbles”,
expectations of profits were not realized by most speculators and recent floor
prices have hovered around 0.0045 ETH on very low volumes. The Canine Cartel model was a classic example
of the promotional technique used when speculative interest in NFTs was high
and was one common to many ventures, some of which by centuries pre-date the
internet.
