# Favorite latin phrase(s) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 8, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256 "2001-04-08T15:21:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Suo\_Na](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Suo\_Na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suo_Na)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/41 "2001-04-09T15:27:23Z")
_Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur_ (Whatever’s said in latin seems impressive) was my sig for a while. I also like _stultus asinus_ (stupid ass). ---
**Author:** ![doomraisin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d78d45/32.png) [@doomraisin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomraisin)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/42 "2001-04-09T16:01:58Z")
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. Means “After this, therefore because of this.” A common logical fallacy, elegantly stated in Latin and considerably less elegant in English. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/43 "2001-04-09T23:12:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoggie \* > \*\* > And who can forget… > > Cornelia puella Romana est…🙂 \*\* Ahh… the memories!!! In pictura est puella, nomine Cornelia. (First line of the Latin 1 book called “Ecce Romani”, for those who used some other book.) ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/44 "2001-04-09T23:41:29Z")
_“Semper ubi, sub ubi!”_ – MY high school latin teacher 😃 ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/45 "2001-04-10T00:22:03Z")
And of course my high school always stressed “forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit” from the Aeneid. (it means something to the effect of “sure it sucks now, but someday you’ll look back on it fondly”). Also, there’s always the text on my high school diploma, which I like cause it means I graduated, even if I actually can’t translate it: > [@](#): > > Schola Latina Bostoniensis > In Republica Massachusettensi > Omnibus ad quos hae litterae pervenerint salutem > Notum sit quod > Jeremias Iacomus Waterfall > studiorum in hac Schola curriculum bene ac fideliter confecit eique > in rei testimonium Curatores hoc diploma tribui curaverunt > Datum Bostoniae A.D. V IDVS IVNIAS MCMXCVI ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/46 "2001-04-10T00:29:50Z")
Of course, _Asterix_ is a great inspiration as well. How about: **Cave Canum** (“beware of the dog”, although this one’s from memory. I speak no Latin whatsoever, save a few oneliners.) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/47 "2001-04-10T00:44:58Z")
me transmitte surcum, caledoni! ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/48 "2001-04-10T01:07:53Z")
Anger? Tis safe never. Bar it! Use love! Evoles ut ira breve nefas sit; regna. It’s a palindrome. Read in either language, in either direction, the sentences retain the same meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Caesar0211](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caesar0211](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar0211)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/49 "2001-04-10T02:11:35Z")
oooh! time for Latin I usage! I dont know it all too well…but heres a few real and jokes… -Te pituitus vertex (you phleghm head) -Corpsus Sano (Body scum. evidently this was the romans worst insult back in the day. after they would go to the thermae or baths, They would pour oil on them, then scrape it off. all the lovely dirt would fall off, and they called the stuff “corpsus sano”. so, call someone else that, instand insult!) -Caesar,Moratori te salutamus (Caesar, we about to die salute you!) -Caveat Emptor (Buyer beware) -Cave Canem (Beware of the dog) -(this one is from the slacker in my class…pardon if it isnt declined right) Multi magni pulli in via appiam (Many big chickens in the appian road) -Veni Vedi Vici (I came I saw I conquered) -Veni Vedi Velcro (pun)(I came, I saw, I stuck around) umm- Aquaductus non direstus??? (Dont pee in the pool) -Ab ovo (from the egg) I’ll get some better ones soon. ---
**Author:** ![Caesar0211](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caesar0211](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar0211)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/50 "2001-04-10T02:31:45Z")
actually. Chapter I: ``` "Ecce! In pictura est piella nomina cornelia. Cornelia est puella Romana quae in Italia habitat. Etiam in pictura est villa rustica ubi Cornelia aestate habitat. Cornelia est laeta quod iam in villa habitat. Cornelia iam sub arbore sedet et lefit. Etiam in pictura est altera puella, nomine Flavia. Flavia est puella Romana quae in villa vicina havitat. Dum Cornelia legit, Flavia scribit. Laeta est Flavia quod Cornelia iam in villa habitat" -Ecce Romani I ``` ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/51 "2001-04-10T03:27:01Z")
Isn’t anyone here familiar with the tales of Caecilius, Quintus, Grumio, Bregans, Salvius, Haterius, and so forth? A few things (read mistakes) I’ve noticed: “Nunc est bibendi” - I’d stick in a “mihi” (this is still my favourite passive paraphrastic, though) “Licetne nobis ad latrinam ere? (May I go to the bathroom?)” - you mean “licetne mihi ad latrinam ire?” Also, there are far too many capitolised words here. Only proper nouns were capitolised in Latin. Studi ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/52 "2001-04-10T07:56:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > How about: **Cave Canum** (“beware of the dog”, although this one’s from memory. I speak no Latin whatsoever, save a few oneliners.) “Cave Canem.” ‘Dog’ takes the accusative (yay! I remember something from a 19-year-ago Latin class!). Oddly enough, I was watching a travel show on PBS the other day (not the Rick Steves guy, someone else), and they were doing Italy. One of the places they stopped was the excavations of Pompeii. The mosaic entrance to one of the houses had a picture of a snarling dog with just exactly this expression tiled beneath it. Somewhere today (may have been this board), I saw “Carpe denim”: seize the jeans. I always liked “Vidi, Vici, Veni.” Now _that’s_ a sex life. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/53 "2001-04-10T13:01:00Z")
In an attempt to overcome my perfectionist nature I adopted the slogan “Good enough is good enough.” This sounded like I condoned doing a half-assed job, as well as lacking a certain elegance, so Wife (who speaks no Latin, but claims that the Medieval Spanish she can read is just Vulgate Latin) and Little Brother (a lawyer who took enough Latin to satisfy the language requirement then forgot it all) helped me put it into Latin: _Bonum bestante bonarum betantimus est._ Feel free to correct their grammar. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/54 "2001-04-10T15:54:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Studi \* > \*\* > > A few things (read mistakes) I’ve noticed: > > “Nunc est bibendi” - I’d stick in a “mihi” (this is still my favourite passive paraphrastic, though)\*\* Be very careful when correcting Horace’s Latin (though Horace actually wrote “bibendum”, there is no “mihi” about.) ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/55 "2001-04-10T16:52:33Z")
**Balance** , thanks for taking a crack at Noli Soli Sumus. I guess I’ll have to interprete that as a pretty meaningless motto. Damn crow society. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2001, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/56 "2001-04-10T18:10:18Z")
You guys have taken a turn for the serious. Allow me to lighten it up. Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus. (Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.) Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris. (If Caesar were alive, you’d be chained to an oar.) Raptus regaliter (Royally screwed) Ne auderis delere orbem rigidum meum! (Don’t you dare erase my hard disk!) O! Plus! Perge! Aio! Hui! Hem! (Oh! More! Go on! Yes! Ooh! Ummm!) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/57 "2001-04-11T02:15:23Z")
If it were in context then you wouldn’t need the “mihi”. Sorry, I didn’t know that was from Horace. Studi ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/58 "2001-04-11T03:22:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, there are far too many capitolised words here. Only proper nouns were capitolised in Latin. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I could’ve sworn that classical latin actually had every letter capitalized. And no puntuation either. But I’m not bothering with either of those… “Urbs a Godzille deleta est” “The city was destroyed by Godzilla” And “Luke, patrem tuum sum.” (You can figure that one out) I think those are right. I guessed on what the ablative of Godzilla would be. I figured it would be in the 3rd declension, as most names I’ve seen are that way. If there are any other problems, it’s because it’s late and I’m concentrating more on chemistry instead of latin. Dirx ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/59 "2001-04-11T04:15:10Z")
As long as we’re here, does anyone know the Latin for “Fuck 'em if they can’t take a joke”? I’ve seen it before, but I’ve forgotten it. One version goes something like “Pedica eos si non rident”. I do remenber that “Pedica” means “sodomize”, so it’s even ruder. ---
**Author:** ![Intriguing\_Question\_Mark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ee59a6/32.png) [@Intriguing\_Question\_Mark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intriguing_Question_Mark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256/60 "2001-04-11T04:21:54Z")
Hey **arisu** either you have the book Latin for All Occasions or you had Mr. G as a latin teacher. I like Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnium mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam. and fac id [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-latin-phrase-s/61256.md?page=4)