# Simpsons 05/10/2009

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-05-10-2009/495980>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 11, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-05-10-2009/495980 "2009-05-11T00:31:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-05-10-2009/495980/21 "2009-05-13T16:53:26Z")

</div>

Catus amat piscem, sed non vult tingere plantas.

Cat lufat visch, ac he nele his feth wete.  
[c 1225 in Englische Studien (1902) XXXI. 7]

For ye be lyke the sweynte cat That wolde have fissh; but wostow what? He wolde nothing wete his clowes.  
[c 1380 Chaucer House of Fame iii. 1783]

But you lust not to do, that longeth therto. The cat would eate fyshe, and wold not wet her feete.  
[c 1549 J. Heywood Dialogue of Proverbs i. xi. B8V]

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-05-10-2009/495980/22 "2009-05-13T17:33:17Z")

</div>

Looked it up before I posted. 😉 It’s still a difficult line, to the point I was happy she stopped talking after “I would.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-05-10-2009/495980/23 "2009-05-13T19:21:35Z")

</div>

I just want to say thank you to **TWDuke** for that post. It’s awesome, seeing the progression of the language so neatly summarized in 3 simple (sort of) lines…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-05-10-2009/495980/24 "2009-05-14T00:53:06Z")

</div>

> [@TWDuke](#):
>
> Catus amat piscem, sed non vult tingere plantas.
> 
> Cat lufat visch, ac he nele his feth wete.  
> [c 1225 in Englische Studien (1902) XXXI. 7]
> 
> For ye be lyke the sweynte cat That wolde have fissh; but wostow what? He wolde nothing wete his clowes.  
> [c 1380 Chaucer House of Fame iii. 1783]
> 
> But you lust not to do, that longeth therto. The cat would eate fyshe, and wold not wet her feete.  
> [c 1549 J. Heywood Dialogue of Proverbs i. xi. B8V]

Yeah, like Homer I would’ve killed myself too to not have to read anymore of that.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-05-10-2009/495980.md?page=1)