# Fake translations of commonplace phrases **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2007, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646 "2007-02-03T07:06:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/21 "2007-02-05T04:55:41Z")
**Deutschland über alles** : Alice got run over by a Volkswagen. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/22 "2007-02-05T05:14:40Z")
walking home from our house Christmas eve ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/23 "2007-02-05T05:14:14Z")
_Scuderia Ferrari_- Your mink coat is on my chair, you’ll have to move it over. _Maserati Quattroposte_- A very fancy bed for mice. _L’etat est moi_- Sometimes, I am just a little child. _Plus ca change_- More Chinese food, please. _Como esta usted_- Old Perry was my favorite singer, too. _Habeus corpus_- The main part of the hot pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/24 "2007-02-05T13:55:37Z")
_in hoc signo vinces_ – That old geek who did the silly impressions on Ed Sullivan is in the pawn shop _semper fidelis_ – shut up with the Bluegrass music _adeste fidelis_ – put the Bluegrass guy in jail _bei mir bist du schoen_ – Shane, buy me another lollipop ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/25 "2007-02-05T14:39:44Z")
[QUOTE=SpectBrain] Bona fide: non-chemically-enhanced erection..Bravo!! [/QUOTE] I bet you will giggle internally every time you hear somebody talking about ‘checking (somebody’s) bona fides’. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/26 "2007-02-05T16:13:20Z")
**Nil sine numine** (Colorado’s state motto) = I just don’t get math. \*\*Sine qua non \*\* = The place is posted, “Don’t drink the water.” **Quid pro quo** = British soccer players make how much!? \*\*Coup de gras \*\* = The car was used to transport marijuana ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/27 "2007-02-05T16:29:04Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] **Agnus Dei** : “Be honest. You chewed the host.” [/QUOTE] For the post-Vatican II crowd, how about: “Be honest. This is all the Latin you know.” ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/28 "2007-02-05T17:56:32Z")
**Cuidado! Piso Mojado** - “Careful, I pissed on the floor.” [QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] From _BTVS_: Willow: Carpe diem! Buffy: Fish of the day? [/QUOTE] Among my friends, this has somehow become _Carpe carp!_, “seize the fish”. I’m surprised by how often it’s appropriate for use… ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/29 "2007-02-05T19:51:33Z")
**Mano a mano:** Hot gay massage. Modus vivendi: My husband likes that stupid album In loco parentis: You must have been crazy when you invited your nephew! ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/30 "2007-02-05T20:45:44Z")
My alma mater’s motto is “Manu et mente.” Students used to translate it as “Manure and Minties” (Minties being a kind of Australian candy), but I thought a more literal translation would be “Act now, think later.” My high school’s motto was “Remis velisque.” My translation of that was “With belt and braces.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/31 "2007-02-05T21:07:26Z")
[QUOTE=Mighty\_Girl] **Mano a mano:** Hot gay massage. [/QUOTE] That one is often a mistranslation, too, at least when you see it in novels and movies. It’s often used as the translation of Hand to Hand (combat) - which in Spanish should be (combate) Sin Armas. Estar mano a mano con alguien: to have a private conversation with someone. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/32 "2007-02-05T23:07:51Z")
**Sotto voce:** drunken lawn bowling ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/33 "2007-02-05T23:13:10Z")
**Mano a mano:** Hot gay massage. Modus vivendi: My husband likes that stupid album In loco parentis: You must have been crazy when you invited your nephew! ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/34 "2007-02-05T23:19:28Z")
{From the _National Lampoon_) **Je me souviens** = “I am soup.” ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/35 "2007-02-06T22:30:56Z")
**uno, dos, tres, catorce** - today’s Sesame Street is brought to you by the letter U and the number 2 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/36 "2007-02-08T13:39:45Z")
\*\*Oye Como Va \*\* – Perry Como rocks! ---
**Author:** ![No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/no_me_ayudes_compadre/32/5224_2.png) [@No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Me_Ayudes_Compadre)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/37 "2007-02-08T16:19:50Z")
_Caveat viator_ - Howard Hughes beware _Quot homines tot sentientiae_ - Why’s the Neandertal crying? _Non omnia possumus omnes_ - I lost my only possum _Coup de maitre_ - Rude waiter _Ex nihilo nihil fit_ - Who’s the fucking nihilist here? ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/38 "2007-02-08T18:34:19Z")
_De Gustibus non disputatum est_ - Dipute things with gusto! ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/39 "2007-02-09T16:29:22Z")
_Caveat lector_ - Danger! This book was written by Harlan Ellison! ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646/40 "2007-02-09T18:58:30Z")
_ **Amor vincit omnia** _ - But sweetie, you were gone for so long, and a man has _needs_. _ **Errare humanum est** _ - So it’s really not my fault after all. _ **Stultorum calami carbones moenia chartae** _ - Lost my wallet and picked up a volcanic case of the clap – worst truck stop men’s room phone number date I ever had. _ **Cave canem** _ - How was I to know they had a dog? The damned sign’s in Latin! _ **Gaudeamus igitur** _ - Mom, Dad, send more money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-translations-of-commonplace-phrases/390646.md?page=3)