Handy Latin Phrases
Paul
(for those planning on seeing The Passion and need a refresher)
Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat.
It's not the heat, it's the humidity.
Di! Ecce hora! Uxor mea me necabit!
God, look at the time! My wife will kill me!
Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?
Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.
When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have catapults.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
The designated hitter rule has got to go.
Sona si latine loqueris.
Honk if you speak Latin.
Vacca Foeda!
Stupid Cow!
Re vera, cara mea, mea nil refert.
Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.
Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur
ad necem.
In the good old days, children like you were left to perish on windswept
crags.
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
If Caesar were alive, you'd be chained to an oar.
Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione.
I'm not interested in your dopey religious cult.
Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem.
Stand aside, little people! I'm here on official business.
(At a poetry reading)
Nullo metro compositum est.
It doesn't rhyme.
Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema.
I don't care. If it doesn't rhyme, it isn't a poem.
Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants.
Tuis pugis pignore!
You bet your bippy!
Quomodo cogis comas tuas sic videri?
How do you get your hair to do that?
Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui.
Bad kitty! Why don't you use the cat box? I put new litter in it.
Romani quidem artem amatoriam invenerunt.
You know, the Romans invented the art of love.
Neutiquam erro.
I am not lost.
Solum potestis prohibere ignes silvarum.
Only you can prevent forest fires.
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
It was that way when I got here.
Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter educatus et nimis
propinquus ades.
If you can read this bumper sticker, you are very well educated and much too
close.
Hocine bibo aut in eum digitos insero?
Do I drink this or stick my fingers in it?
You can't say that in Latin.
Illiud Latine dici non potest.
Harold Rabbie
Non illegitimi carborundum.
Don't let the bastards grind you down.
Oversextus maximus sum.
I'm really horny.
"Paul" <Pa...@nopsam.com> wrote in message
news:BNSXb.5356$9H3....@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
C. Ursinus
Where is my underwear?
Harvey
> "_Amo, Amas, Amat and More_ How to Use Latin to Your Own Advantage and
> to the Astonishment of Others" Eugene Ehrlich, HarperPerennial, ISBN
> 0-06-272017-1
Got it, love it. That was the title in the USA. I found the book in England years
ago, titled "A Dictionary Of Latin Tags And Phrases" ibid, Robert Hale, ISBN
0-7090-3145-9
>
> _Veni, Vidi, Vici_ "Conquer Your Enebies, Impress Your Friends with
> Everyday Latin" Eugene Ehrlich, HarperPerennial, ISBN 0-06-273365-6
I've heard of this one, actually heard him interviewed years ago on NYC pubic
(sic) radio. I don't think I'll buy it, I have no enebies. I'll check tonight in
the shower though.
Dubinse
which is the answer to, "According to the
Bible, what make of car should one own?"
The classical answer is, "Fiat lux."
(lit: "Let there be light.")
A classmate of mine at Gratz College in
the late '50's said there is a Hebrew
answer, "V'Yosef halach b'shevi." If
such a verse existed it would be translated
literally as, "Joseph went into slavery," or
jokingly as "Joseph travelled in a Chevy."
Another illusory verse that I learned at that
time was the answer to, "How do we know
that human skin is the most elastic and
relisiant material knnown?" The answer
was "And Moses tied his ass to a tree
and walked 30 miles to visit Jethro in
Midian." After searching for these last
two verses, I began to wonder how many
other things that were quoted to me were
also reasonable but fabricated. :-)
Stephen Dubin VMD
PSmith9626
Semper ubi sububi= always wear underwear.
best
penny
Harvey
> Don't let the bastards grind you down.
No verb unfortunately.
Better maybe, illegitimi non excedat. (Don't let them wear you out)
Or even, illegitimi non dentibus frendeat. (Don't grind your teeth over them there
pipples)
Something like those, if I knew the vocative case here they might even be right.
Or not.
Harvey
The Old Bear
>Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 18:21:44 EST
>From: Harvey <har...@westnet.com>
>Newsgroups: rec.humor.jewish
>Subject: Re: Handy Latin Phrases
Speaking as a drop-out of the Boston Latin School, there is very little that
I remember of the dead language that almost killed me. However, I do recall
that non-literal translations which more accurately conveyed the meaning and
sentiment of the text were sometimes preferable.
For example, the Latin motto which appears on the seal of the City of Boston
reads "Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis" -- which translates more-or-less to:
"As He was with our forefathers, may God be with us."
However, as Boston has just survived fifteen years of construction
and disruption from the "Big Dig", multiple fiscal crises, and a "pissing
contest" between the mayor and the governor -- and as Boston now prepares
to host the Democratic National Convention -- it's possible that a more
creative and appropriate translation of "Sicut patribus sit deus nobis"
might be:
"God help us like the last time."
Cheers,
The Old Bear
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -
... and with a resounding splash, Noah sent forth from the ark a Dov ... ©
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -
Dubinse
Seeing all of this faux Latin reminds me of
a (allegedly true) story told to me by my
commander, Col. Joe Goldstein, of blessed
memory. During his service as battalion
surgeon to General Dean, in WWII, he was
called upon to check out the medical
condition of German prisoners being
interrogated. He interrupted one rather
intense questioning as the interrigator
screamed at the prisoner, "Zag mir der
Emes!, Der Emes!!!"* Apparently the
squad leader had asked for someone who
knew German and the best he could find
was a Yiddish speaker.
* For the uninitiated, the soldier was
exhorting in Yiddish, "Tell me the truth."
This works OK in German except that
emes is from a Hebrew root and would
be meaningless to the German soldier.
Stephen Dubin VMD
Rick Chappell
that name (with quite a good reputation, though note that I am not
affiliated). The story given to me by one of its employees is that
the founder wanted to call it something like "American Statistics
Corp." (making the words up, but preserving the look and feel here).
His lawyer complained that he couldn't do that, because it sounded
like something out of the previous century. So he asked "What about
EMMES? Is EMMES okay?". That was approved as sounding sufficiently
corporate.
I keep trying to convince them that I have a great logo for them: A
picture out of one of my son's books, showing the gargantuan golem
raging through Prague, with the Hebrew for EMMES incscribed on his
forehead. I guess it would need translating for intelligibility
though. If not, they would need to be very very careful of misprints.
Obhumor: for an interesting take on the word "nice", take a look at all
the meanings given in the Oxford English Dictionary (oed.com). That way
you can say "nice shirt" to anyone you see (who is wearing a shirt).
Rick.
Harold Rabbie
Carpe diem: fish today
Casus belli: gastro-enteritis
Sic transit gloria mundi: the illness will pass, and you'll feel fine by
Monday
Rara avis: no car rental available
De minimis non curat lex: Lexus dealers don't service small cars
Post mortem: Dead mail-man
Gloria in excelsis: very attractive Italian girl
Hic jacet: old-fashioned coat
Ecce homo: gay bar
In loco parentis: railway family compartment
"Harvey" <har...@westnet.com> wrote in message
news:pDO_b.47$_V4....@monger.newsread.com...
Fred Rosenblatt
> >> Non illegitimi carborundum.
> >> Don't let the bastards grind you down.
> >
> >No verb unfortunately.
> >
> >Better maybe, illegitimi non excedat. (Don't let them wear you out)
> >
> >Or even, illegitimi non dentibus frendeat. (Don't grind your teeth over them
> >there
> >pipples)
> >
> >Something like those, if I knew the vocative case here they might even be
> >right.
> >
> >Or not.
> >
>
> Seeing all of this faux Latin reminds me of
All of the phrases posted so far must be taken
"cum grano salis" (with a grain of salt. I
assume that this is legitimate since I read it
in Leaf's introduction to his translation of the
Iliad (in reference to a colleague's theories, of
course).
Fred Rosenblatt
But he would know what language it was,
and be in mortal fear.