I’ve seen the stereotypical “evil aristocrat” or “evil pretentious guy” in movies, and in a lot of the older ones a trademark was a monocle. Why? What’s the point of wearing half a pair of glasses? The only person I can think it would be useful for would be a pirate with an eyepatch. Is/Was there really some benefit, or was it just one of those “fashionable but stupid” things, like corsets?
Well this site says they were more of a fashion accessory than anything else. I suppose it might even be true.
Hey, monocles are cool, and so are corsets, Sam.
Don’t you go making fun of me or my monkeys.
You can’t rule the world without at least one monacle.
I think the monocle=evil thing started with Erich von Stroheim in one of his movies. Sorry, I don’t remember which one - but he played an evil German officer, avec monocle
I’m very short-sighted in one eye, but not at all in the other. My optician used to suggest (only half-seriously) that I have a monocle rather than spectacles.
I think he just wanted to make one, at least once in his career.
Monocles are often sold as menu readers.
As the proud new owner of a monocle/menu reader, mine goes around my neck on a chain whenever I wear prescription contact lenses for normal vision. The monocle assists me to read smaller print such as one finds on menus, speeding tickets and marriage certificates.
I am very, very pleased with it. I highly recommend the purchase of a monocle to anyone with an eye for tasteful ocular accessories.
And how evil can you really be when wearing hornrims?
I always wanted one, but my sight is awful. If one is cool, would wearing two monocles be twice as cool?
I once lost my glasses and as I didn’t have any spares I had to walk around with my monocle for a couple of days. Apparently it was a most impressive sight, not the least to a colleague’s teenage daughter. 
HOGAAAAAAAN!!!
Sorry, when I heard the word monacle this was the first thing that popped into my head.
FWIW, I’ve always thought Sherriff Bart’s line in Blazing Saddles would have been funnier if he had said
HOGAAAAAAAN!!!
Sorry, when I heard the word monacle this was the first thing that popped into my head.
Actually, I want a trinocle for my myopic third eye.
How do monocles stay on one’s face anyhow? Mr. Peanut seems to wear his without the benefit of any clips, adhesives, etc.
It staus in by resting the bottom on the cheek and the top by snugging it in with the eyebrow. The eye is constantly in a state of squinting…a tired face is probably the reason monacles were phased out.
This is the most amazing thread. So many people misspelling the object in question and yet no one bringing that up (until now). Are we seeing a kinder, gentler SDMB?
Always remember, when men are startled, the monocle pops out of their eye and they say, "I say!"
When women are startled, they lift their lorgnette to their eyes and say, "well, really!"
So many? I only count three “monAcles” out of fourteen posts (discounting the double HOGAn! post). Not too shameful. And the OP has it right.
There’s a difference (as we often know is the case) between why they did it, and what effect it had. I’ll address what effect it had.
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Any glass that’s placed before an eye reduces contrast, and amount of light.
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Even optical glass is not a “perfect” correction.
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As wearers of glasses know, there’s a tendency to look at thing only within the bounds of the glass.
For these reasons someone with perfect eyesight would not want to wear glasses. Now, take someone with nearly perfect eyesight in one eye who was nearly blind in the other. The best correction they could get would be to put a monocle in one eye, and nothing at all in the other.
Also,
- Good lenses aren’t cheap even today. 100 years ago, 200 years ago, they probably were even more expensive. Making one lens is half as expensive.
So . . . for certain purposes monocles are both cheaper and better.