the roundest tower

Humble   Wed May 21, 2008 4:39 am GMT
Hi,

While listening to the well-known fairy-tale, Tinderbox, I think I heard this:
-Here was the dog with eyes as big as the roundest tower.-
(or the Roundest Tower)

I read somewhere that the tower in question really existed in Copenhagen, built as an observatory.

What puzzles me is the superlative degree - how can a tower be less round or more round?
Could you give any clue, please?

Thanks.
Guest   Wed May 21, 2008 7:08 am GMT
The horizontal cross section could have a higher eccentricity.
Bill from Warwick   Thu May 22, 2008 12:37 am GMT
Logically speaking, round is round. However "roundest" or "flattest" don't grate on the ears in English- I suppose we suspend our logic for beautiful phrases!
Guest   Thu May 22, 2008 12:55 am GMT
Nothing is perfectly round in nature. So yes, something can be more round than something else.
Guest   Thu May 22, 2008 12:57 am GMT
Yes. If one thing is closer to a perfect circle than another thing, then the first thing is rounder.
Humble   Sat May 24, 2008 3:53 am GMT
I’ve tried a Google search - no hits for " eyes as big as the roundest tower".
I’ve found two versions of the tale. In one "two eyes as big as round towers", in the other "eyes as big as the Round Tower".
Mine must be a rare one - the main character is not a soldier, but Prince Ferdinand. The rest of the plot is very similar.
Well, I just hoped somebody might remember the tale, the one with “the roundest”.
Never mind.

Thank you all.