Naming and Symbolism

The society was named at the suggestion of Frank Podmore in honour of the Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, nicknamed Cunctator, the "Delayer". According to the author Jon Perdue, the logo of the Fabian Society, a tortoise, represented the group's predilection for a slow, imperceptible transition to socialism, while its coat of arms, a 'wolf in sheep's clothing', represented its preferred methodology for achieving its goal. The wolf in sheep's clothing symbolism was later abandoned, due to its obvious negative connotations. No date is supplied for the adoption of these symbols.