By Barbara McAllister
A martinet is a…
A. strict follower of rules
B. small member of the weasel family
C. puppet on strings
Answer: The correct answer is A. If you picked B, you may be thinking of a marten. If you picked C, you are thinking of a marionette. If you picked A, you might have known the office manager where I once worked.
A martinet is a person who is a stickler for petty rules and regulations. The martinet I knew was a mid-level manager who required requisition forms for everything from paperclips to pencils. He imposed an office dress code that dictated not only colors and styles, but heights for woman’s heels, hems and hair. Arrival even one minute after starting time was considered late and subject to punitive measures. While this strict discipline may be an admirable quality in the military, it is much less satisfactory in civilian life.
The term “martinet” originated with Jean Martinet, a 17th century French lieutenant-colonel and inspector beneral credited with introducing a standardized system to turn new recruits into disciplined soldiers. He is regarded as one of the first great drill masters of modern times.
His strict discipline was, not surprisingly, unpopular with the troops. Jean Martinet probably admired Draco, the 7th century Athenian lawmaker whose name became synonymous with repressive and excessively harsh punishment, leading to the term “draconian.”
It is instructive to note that Draco was banished to a nearby island for life and Jean Martinet was killed in battle by friendly fire.
