diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss
index 1617e3a35..a44139c5e 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss
@@ -12,13 +12,16 @@
 }
 
 big {
-  font-size: 2em;
+  font-size: 28px;
 }
 
 small {
-  font-size: 0.714em;
+  font-size: 9px;
 }
 
+//setting a static limit on big and small prevents nesting abuse
+
+
 blockquote {
   background-color: scale-color-diff();
   border-left: 5px solid darken(scale-color-diff(), 10%);
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/base.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/base.scss
index 37b6d220b..f8e044ade 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/base.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/base.scss
@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@ html {
   color: $primary;
   font-family: $base-font-family;
   font-size: $base-font-size;
-  // font: #{$base-font-size}/#{$base-line-height} $base-font-family;
-  // this does not work, see https://meta.discourse.org/t/x/23193/11
+  line-height: $base-line-height;
   background-color: $secondary;
   overflow-y: scroll;
 }