“'Classic.' A book which people praise and don't read.”

What does it mean?

A joke definition: a "classic" is a famous book that everyone says is great, but few people actually read.

Key vocabulary

praise

say good things about

• “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter: 'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”– Mark Twain
• “I know grammar by ear only, not by note, not by the rules.”– Mark Twain
• “In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.”– Mark Twain
• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”– Often attributed to Mark Twain