20 latin phrases you should be using _ mental floss.pdf

8/19/2019 20 Latin Phrases You Should Be Using _ Mental Floss.pdf

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20 Latin Phrases You Should Be Using

You’d probably be surprised by how much Latin you actually already know. Hundreds of words

—like memo , alibi , agenda , census , veto , alias , via , alumni , affidavit and versus— are all usedin everyday English, as are abbreviations like i.e. (id est , "that is") and etc. (et cetera , "and the

rest"). Even some entire Latin phrases have become so naturalized in English that we use

them, in full, without a second thought—like bona fide (literally "in good faith"), alter ego

("other self"), persona non grata ("unwelcome person"), vice versa ("position turned"), carpe

diem ("seize the day"), cum laude ("with praise"), alma mater ("nourishing mother"), and quid

pro quo ("something for something," "this for that").

Besides fairly commonplace examples like these, however, English has adopted a number of

much less familiar Latin phrases and expressions that go criminally underused—20 examples

of which are listed here. So next time you spot a misbehaving child, or you want to seize the

night rather than the day, you’ll have the perfect phrase at hand.

1. AURIBUS TENEO LUPUM

It might seem odd to say that you’re "holding a wolf by the ears," but auribus teneo lupum— a

line taken from Phormio (c.161BC), a work by the Roman playwright Terence—was once a

popular proverb in Ancient Rome. Like "holding a tiger by the tail," it is used to describe an

unsustainable situation, and in particular one in which both doing nothing and doing

something to resolve it are equally risky.

2. BARBA TENUS SAPIENTES

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2/15

A man described as barba tenus sapientes is literally said to be "wise as far as his beard"—or,

in other words, he might look intelligent but he’s actually far from it. This is just one of a

number of phrases that show how the Romans associated beards with intelligence, alongside

barba non facit philosophum , "a beard does not make a philosopher," and barba crescit caput

nescit , meaning "the beard grows, but the head doesn’t grow wiser."

3. BRUTUM FULMEN

Apparently coined by the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, a brutum fulmen is a harmless or

empty threat. It literally means "senseless thunderbolt."

4. CAESAR NON SUPRA GRAMMATICOS

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3/15

In a speech to the Council of Constance in 1414, the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of

Luxembourg happened to use the Latin word schisma , meaning "schism." Unfortunately for

him, he muddled up its gender—schisma should be a neuter word, but he used it as if it were

feminine. When the error was pointed out to him, Sigismund angrily proclaimed that because

he was Emperor, even if the word was neuter (which it was) it would be feminine from now on,at which point one member of the Council supposedly stood and replied, "Caesar non supra

grammaticos" —or "the Emperor is not above the grammarians." The phrase quickly became a

popular proverbial defence of the importance of good grammar and spelling.

5. CARPE NOCTEM

Carpe noctem is essentially the nocturnal equivalent of carpe diem and so literally means

"seize the night." It too is used to encourage someone to make the most of their time, often in

the sense of working into the early hours of the morning to get something finished, or else

enjoying themselves in the evening once a hard day’s work is done.

6. CARTHAGO DELENDA EST

N W L T T R

A u p e r - k i m m a l e d a i l d i g e t

E M A I L A D D R E S S

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4/15

At the height of the Punic Wars, fought between Rome and Carthage from 264-146BC, a

Roman statesman named Cato the Elder had a habit of ending all of his speeches to the

Senate with the motto "Carthago delenda est ," or "Carthage must be destroyed." His words

quickly became a popular and rousing motto in Ancient Rome, and nowadays can be used

figuratively to express your absolute support for an idea or course of action.

7. CASTIGAT RIDENDO MORES

Literally meaning "laughing corrects morals," the Latin motto castigat ridendo mores was

coined by the French poet Jean de Santeul (1630-97), who intended it to show how useful

satirical writing is in affecting social change: the best way to change the rules is by pointing

out how absurd they are.

8. CORVUS OCULUM CORVI NON ERUIT


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5/15

Picture a politician sticking up for a colleague even in the face of widespread criticism—that’s

a fine example of the old Latin saying corvus oculum corvi non eruit , meaning "a crow will not

pull out the eye of another crow." It’s essentially the same as "honor amongst thieves," and

refers to complete solidarity amongst a group of likeminded people regardless of the

consequences or condemnation.

9. CUI BONO?

Literally meaning "who benefits?," cui bono? is a rhetorical Latin legal phrase used to imply

that whoever appears to have the most to gain from a crime is probably the culprit. More

generally, it’s used in English to question the meaningfulness or advantages of carrying

something out.

10. ET IN ARCADIA EGO

Arcadia was a rural region of Ancient Greece, whose inhabitants—chiefly shepherds and

farmers—were seen as living a quiet, idyllic life away from the hustle and bustle of nearby

Athens. The Latin motto et in Arcadia ego , "even in Arcadia, here I am," comes from the title of

a painting by the French Baroque artist Nicholas Poussin (1594-1665) that depicted four

Arcadian shepherds attending the tomb of a local man. Although precisely what Poussin

meant the title to imply is hotly debated, but it’s often interpreted as a reminder that no matter

how good someone else’s life appears to be compared to your own, we all eventually sufferthe same fate—the "I" in question is Death.

11. EX NIHILO NIHIL FIT


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6/15

Supposedly a quote by the Roman philosopher Lucretius, the Latin motto ex nihilo nihil fit

means "nothing comes from nothing," and is used as a reminder that hard work is always

required in order to achieve something.

12. FELIX CULPA

Originally a religious term referring to consequences of the Biblical Fall of Man and the sins of

Adam and Eve, a felix culpa is literally a "happy fault"—an apparent mistake or disaster that

actually ends up having surprisingly beneficial consequences.

13. HANNIBAL AD PORTAS


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7/15

Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Hannibal was a Carthaginian military commander during the Punic Wars who, in the early 2nd

century BC, led numerous devastating attacks against the Roman Empire. To the people of

Rome, the threat of an attack from Hannibal soon made him something of a bogeyman, andas a result Roman parents would often tell their unruly children that Hanniabl ad portas

—"Hannibal is at the gates"—in order to scare them into behaving properly.

14. HIC MANEBIMUS OPTIME

When the Gauls invaded Rome in 390BC, the Senate met to discuss whether or not to

abandon the city and flee to the relative safety of nearby Veii. According to the Roman

historian Livy, a centurion named Marcus Furius Camillus stood to address the Senate and

exclaimed, "hic manebimus optime! "—or "here we will stay, most excellently!" His words soon

came to be used figuratively of anyone’s unfaltering and dedicated intention to remain in

place despite adverse circumstances.

15. HOMO SUM HUMANI A ME NIHIL ALIENUM PUTO

Homo sum humani a me nihil alienum puto is another line lifted from one of the works of the

Roman dramatist Terence, in this case his play Heauton Timorumenos , or The Self-

Tormentor . Originally in the play the line was merely one character’s response to being told to

mind his own business, but given its literal meaning—"I am a human being, so nothing humanis strange to me"—it has since come to be used as a motto advocating respect for people and

cultures that appear different from your own.

16. IGNOTUM PER IGNOTIUS


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8/15

Also known as obscurum per obscurius ("the obscure by the more obscure"), the phrase

ignotum per ignotius ("the unknown by the more unknown") refers to an unhelpful explanation

that is just as (or even more) confusing than that which it is attempting to explain—forinstance, imagine someone asking you what obscurum per obscurius meant, and you telling

them that it means the same as ignotum per ignotius .

17. IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO

Meaning "an empire within an empire," the Latin phrase imperium in imperio can be used

literally to refer to a self-governing state confined within a larger one; or to a rebellious state

fighting for independence from another; or, more figuratively, to a department or a group of

workers in an organization who, despite appearing to work for themselves, are still answerable

to an even larger corporation.

18. PANEM ET CIRCENSES

Panem et circenses , meaning "bread and circuses," refers to the basic needs and desires—

i.e., food and entertainment—required to keep a person happy. It is taken from the Satires , a

collection of satirical poems by the Roman poet Juvenal written in the 1st-2nd century AD.

19. VELOCIUS QUAM ASPARAGI COQUANTUR


9/15

December 17, 2015 - 10:51am

According to the Romans, when something happens quickly it happens velocius quam

asparagi conquantur —or "faster than you can cook asparagus." Some sources attribute this

phrase to the Roman Emperor Augustus, but there’s sadly little proof that that’s the case.

20. VOX NIHILI

While vox populi is "the voice of the people," vox nihili is literally "the voice of nothing." It

describes an utterly pointless or meaningless statement, but can also be used for the kind of

spelling mistake or textual error in which one word is mistakenly substituted for another—likean Autocorrect mistake.

All images courtesy of iStock unless otherwise noted

Paul Anthony Jones

Paul Anthony Jones is a writer and musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. He is theauthor of word origins guide Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons , and he runs

@HaggardHawks.

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10/15

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Laudelau •

Number 12 was echoed by Bob Ross.

Rex Kwon Do •

Bub Ross got pwned by Picasso who would have said Number 11.

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11/15

• •

• •

Robyn McIntyre •

Carpe actually means 'pluck' rather than 'seize'. But 'seize' is a more masculine verb,

which makes the phrase more dynamic.

• •

donny •

Funny cuz in Dutch the phrase is translated as: ''Pluk de dag''.

• •

Angela Wilkinson •

Ahh #6. My friends and I actually spent a couple of weeks in high sc hool ending every

discussion with "Carthage must be destroyed". We Latin geeks are wild and crazy bunch.

• •

dgalt •

I always read that phrase as meaning, "Carthage is destroyed." It certainly makes

more sense that way, at least if spoken after the event.

• •

Angela Wilkinson •

It's actually the gerundive (?) so I think the most literal translation is

'Carthage is to be destroyed' but he it hadn't been and he was using it as a

call to do so. Sort of the ancient equivalent of 'Bomb 'em all and turn it into

a parking lot!'

• •

ust_some_guy •

Angel, the fact that y ou just pulled out the tense like that makes me

want to declare my love and adoration for you. Now, are you also a

Firefly fan?

• •

Another Guy •

Be careful, just_some_guy...it's a gerundive working within a

passive periphrastic construction, which indicates necessity, so ittranslates "Carthage MUST be destroyed." And I have it on good

authority that Miss Wilkinson watches Big Bang Theory.

(Sorry, Angela. Are you free later?)

• •

ust_some_guy •

I will consider myself warned. And if I remember correctly the

MUST part of Carthage must be destroyed was the point of the

statement wasn't it? Wait... are you asking if I am free later or if

Angela is free later. Angela, it is possible people are vying for your

attention due to your linguistic prowess. In this case it's not even a

double entendre. I love the internets...

• •

Crape Diem •

You're like a character from a Donna Tartt novel.

Austin Gag •

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12/15

• •

Yeah its not "(Carthago) (delenda) (est)" as three distinct aspects of the

sentence its "(Cathago) (delenda est)" as two aspects.

• •

ust_some_guy •

Sorry Austin but you're just being a show off... :)

• •

Gunilla Leavitt •

The way I recall it from Latin class, he ended every speech with

"Praeterea censeo Carthaginem esse delendam", which means "and

furthermore I am of the opinion that Carthage should be destroyed."

Carthago delenda est (Carthago is destroyed) is what was said once that

had happened.

• •

Jeremy J. •

Indeed he did, the silly bugger.

• •

Bjorn •

'Carthago delenda est' still contains the gerundive and therefore still

means 'Carthage must be destroyed.' The part 'Carthaginem

delendam esse' is part of an accusative plus infinitive, also

containing the gerundive of deleo, but in the accusative.

Instead, 'Carthago deleta est' would translate to 'Carthage is

destroyed'.

• •

Mom_In_High_Heels •

I've been to Carthage. It has, in fact, been destroyed. Perhaps we should

use it with 'is,' or 'was.'

• •

Steve Redding •

Isn't the implied meaning here something like "look guys, let's talk about the

crucial thing, and stop dealing with extraneous details" After all, Carthago delenda

est, right?

• •

Sillius Soddus •

Why you always be buggin' on Carthage? Is it that thing from what happened in

the bathroom? We gots the pictures you know -- can't make them just disappear

like no rabbit on a hat.

• •

Ted_Fontenot •

How about the latin phrase Jeeves taught Bertie: rem acu tegisti. And Bertie is always

issuing a nolle prosequi to something he is asked to do (usually by an aunt or young

blister), then doing it anyway.

• •

Xio Gen •

You hit the nail on the head?

• •

Ted_Fontenot •

Yes.

• •

Doz Altair •

Right-o Teddie old boy!

• •

Levi Löwenherz •

But please, do me a favor and pronounce it correctly (as in "not english")

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13/15

• •

aco s_ •

As the word "nihil" is indeclinable in Latin, and as such would have no genitive ending, I

would like to see a citation on "vox nihili." Although, its entirely possible that it's a form in

Medieval Latin and not Classical.

• •

Xio Gen •

Probably Vulgar.

• •

Jacobs_43 •

Good point, Xio. That's very likely.

• •

Doz Altair •

Do you mean Latina vulgaris or cussing in Latin? :)

• •

Xio Gen •

Latina vulgaris.

• •

Pedantphile •

*partially indeclinable. You see "nihilo" as an ablative and occasionally "nihilum" as

an accusative in classical Latin.

• •

Kennon Gilson •

Ex nihilo nihil fit.

• •

HITOMI KENNEY •

Incorrect. It acts like a 2nd declension neuter noun if it needs to take a case other

than the nominative/accusative which uses "nihil". So: nihil est, nihil video, plus

nihili, da nihilo, de nihilo.

• •

Jacobs_43 •

Hitomi - That is (mostly) incorrect. Any of the declined forms of 'nihil' are

from vernacular and are not considered to be grammatical. Classical Latin

will very seldom employ these forms. This blog does a nice job of

explaining it:

"The genitive nihilī or nīlī and ablative nihilō are rare constructions, from an

imagined noun nihilum.

Nihilī and nīlī appear in statements that describe a genitive of value.

Their use is colloquial, and rare."

https://latinforaddicts.wordpr...

• •

allis Lane •

ROMANI ITE DOMUM !

• •

Paul •

Romanus eunt domus...

• •

allis Lane •

People called Romanes, they go, the house?

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14/15

• •

_ _ _

Romans go home.

• •

dgalt •

This.

• •

Joe Lynn •

You only told half the story for "Panem et Circenses."

It actually means giving people the basics of food and entertainment to distract them from

the nastiness that a governing body is doing. The phrase has become quite useful and

poignant in the last few decades.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...

• •

Xio Gen •

But then that becomes the point of debate: if the government is providing for the

citizenry, are they really so evil?

• •

Esther Barnett •

It's down to motive and track record.

• •

bicyclebill •

But then you must ask yourself cui bono?

-"BB"-

• •

gvanderleun •

Would that be Bono or Sonny Bono?

• •

Old Hippie • And why did "Bono" pick that word, of all things, to describe

himself? Unless he just wanted all the benefits.

• •

Xio Gen •

...the people, that's the point.

• •

sgk1212 •

Yes they are!!

• •

Mom_In_High_Heels •

If they're doing it to keep the people too happy to really pay attention to the

other things the government is doing.

• •

Esther Barnett •

Yup. Quite familiar, isn't it?

• •

Madeleine •

Exactly. Panem et circenses has a distinctnegative connotation. It refers to

keeping the people dumb, fat and happy (or their own willingness to be distractedby the panem et circenses and remain ignorant).

• •

sgk1212 •

Today's professional politicians have subscribed to this dogmatic ideology

and embrace it gleefully!

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15/15

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