How can I use "quippe" properly?

Question

Lewis & Short gives the following definition:

surely, certainly, to be sure, by all means, indeed, in fact
certainly, indeed, forsooth
for, for in fact
for, because, inasmuch as
for indeed, since in fact, inasmuch as
as one in fact who, which, that, since or inasmuch as I, thou, he, it

which, to be frank, I find completely unhelpful when trying to write in Latin.

The best I can come up with is that "quippe blah blah blah" is generally used to mean something like "since, of course, blah blah blah."

Eum reliqui, quippe in Tartarum intrare non poterat.
I left him behind, since of course he couldn't enter Tartarus.

Mansi, quippe qui eum in Tartarum comitari non possem.
I stayed, since of course I couldn't accompany him into Tartarus.

That seems like it would work with all the examples given in Lewis & Short, even the ironic speech of Juno's from the Æneid.

Is this the right way to think about what quippe means and how it's used? If not, what would be a better way? Does it have any additional meanings/uses?

Answer 1

I have typically encountered quippe with relative pronouns. It strengthens the relative pronoun in a way that is often best translated with something other than a relative structure. The word quippe emphasizes that the relative clause contains an explanation. Artificial examples:

• Amicus meus non cantat, quippe qui ne loqui quidem potest. "My friend does not sing, for he can't even speak."
• Ille mihi auxiliari non poterat, quippe qui ipse quoque inops erat. "He could not help me, because in fact he was broke, too."

This is not the only possible use of quippe, but this is the one I feel most comfortable with (and have seen most often).

Note added later: Is used the indicative above, but conjunctive may be preferable in relative clauses with quippe. Both moods are possible. See this separate question about this issue.