Questions tagged [idiom]
For questions concerning expressions, word-plays, symbolic language, metaphors and the likes.
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What is "cold war"?
How should I translate "cold war" in Latin?
I can see two ways to approach this, using a classical phrase for a similar hostile political situation, or finding a suitable adjective for "cold" to go ...
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Is "scholaris opus, scholaris vox" a correct translation of "student work, student voice"?
Some students of mine are creating a school publication featuring student work, and the proposed subtitle of their publication is:
Scholaris Opus, Scholaris Vox
The intended meaning is "student ...
6
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1
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Quid velit "Quid tibi vidétur dé [aliquó]" dícere?
Epistólió in electronicó quídam mihi sic scrípsit: "Quid tibi vidétur dé Epistuliís Leónínís?" (Epistulæ Leónínæ acta sunt hebdomadália ab eó missa, quás nóndum vídí.)
Sententia (síve phrasis) "Quid ...
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Parsing pro rata temporis
Recently when reading some material related to research grants, I came across the Latin phrase pro rata temporis in English text.
It was easy enough to understand in the context.
For example, a 600&...
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How to say that it rains on something?
How can I say in Latin that it is raining on something?
I can find ways around like pluvia rem tingit, but I would like something more literally "it rains on something" than "the rain makes something ...
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Translation of "trumped up charges"
There was a Greek play translated to Latin wherein a term was translated then to English as "trumped up charges".
Might somebody know the play and more particularly the term itself?
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How do I welcome someone in Latin?
When someone comes to visit me at my villa, I would like to greet them and welcome them in. I know how to welcome English ("welcome"), German ("wilkommen"), and French ("bienvenue") guests in a single ...
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Is there a Latin idiom for a set date for an event?
Suppose I have a meeting, a court hearing, or any event that is set by some authority at a specific time in the future.
Is there a word for such a "due date"?
I don't mean a deadline (see the separate ...
3
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How to say by/on the basis of?
In mathematics, the following phrase is common:
By Theorem 5.6, the function is differentiable.
How do I say 'by' in Latin? I don't think 'ab' is appropriate to use here. One way is to put '...
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Latin for "worth a hundred times its weight in gold"
I'm trying to figure out how to say something is "worth a hundred times its weight in gold" in Latin, and everything I come up with feels cumbersome, unLatinate, and unclear. Hoc textīle centuplex ...
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Quōmodo v. Quā ratiōne
I'm looking at a Latin translation of the Apology of Socrates by Marcellus Ficinus and I'm puzzled by the very first clause.
Quā vōs quidem ratiōne, Ō virī Athēniēnsēs, affēcerint accūsātōrēs meī, ...
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(Loose) Translation of "seize the loyal"
I'm considering getting a tattoo with the phrase "Seize the loyal" in Latin, but I'm not 100% how to translate it. I am trying to get at something like "keep the loyal close" but it can be a very ...
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With which verb can I park a car?
What would be a good Latin translation for the verb "to park"?
I mean contexts like "I parked my car in front of his house".
I would prefer to have a classically attested verb, so my main question is ...
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How do you show something from a window?
Suppose, for example, that a child is watching his dad come home from work.
She can't wait any longer to show what she's got, so she goes to the window and shows her new teddy bear to her dad.
How can ...
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Walking "hand in hand"
How can I translate the sentence "We are walking hand in hand" in Latin?
I am not sure how to render "hand in hand".
A direct translation would be Ambulamus manus in manu.
But can I use a nominative ...
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How to say 'For a [period of time]'
How would I say that something won't end for a period of time, for example:
Dinner isn't over for another hour.
I considered Cena non finet ante hora, but that didn't quite sound right.
Update:
I'm ...
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Is there a more emphatic version of posse?
If I want to say "I can" in Latin, I will usually use posse.
But what if I want something stronger and more emphatic, like "I am capable of", "I am able to", or similar?
I am not aware of a Latin ...
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Peace and Good Will in Latin
I want to engrave "Peace and Good Will" on my ring in Latin. I have less then a quarter available for the engraving so it can't be too big.
I originally wanted to use something from the Bible (even ...
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(Heart) White/Bright and Absit Invidia
I want to engrave a Latin phrase on a necklace for a family friend with the surname Whiteheart.
I'm came up with "A Heart White/Bright and Without Malice", which in Latin I'm thinking might be ...
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Mistaking something for something
How do I phrase "mistaking something for something" idiomatically in Latin?
There is always a way around if one wants to explain (eg. "I mistook the cat for a dog" > Felem canem esse falso putabam), ...
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How to translate "continued" into Latin when referring to pages in a book?
I'm formatting some letters we're reading this semester in my Latin class in Word so I have more space to annotate. I need to keep track of which text in my Word doc is on which page of the book the ...
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French and Latin "s'il te/vous plaît"
The phrases si tibi placet and si vobis placet can be found in Latin literature, but they are not particularly common.
At least superficially they correspond to the French "s'il te plaît" and "s'il ...
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Is there a Latin equivalent for "All talk but no action"?
There was a discussion about the phrase "Blowing your own trumpet" which according to some means same. But when translated to Latin idioms it steered more towards just being "too proud" or "praising ...
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How to distinguish Julian and Gregorian calendars in Latin?
In some contexts it is important to express whether a given date (for example October 25 and November 7 in 1917) is according to the Julian or the Gregorian calendar.
Are there established Latin ...
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How would you say, "How beautiful!"
I am eating a hot dog in a beautiful courtyard right around dusk, and I would like to exclaim in Latin, "How beautiful!"
I thought of saying "Quam pulchra!" which can't be far off, but I am wondering ...
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Two birds with one stone?
In English you kill two birds with one stone when you achieve two goals in one action.
In Finnish or Dutch you get two flies in one hit.
Is there a similar saying in Latin?
I prefer classical Latin, ...
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"Without further ado"
Suppose I have invited some friends for dinner and I want to say something before we eat.
But I don't want to give a long speech.
If I do this in English, I might start my last sentence with "without ...
7
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Is there a Ancient Greek or Latin equivalent to "steely eyed"?
I'm looking for parallel idioms related by vocabulary and/or meaning.
This is in reference to a question on Mythology regarding the "gray eyed" translation of an epithet of Athena: Why is Athena “...
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Latin for "Freedom through strength"?
How would one say "freedom through strength" in Latin?
The word vis means strength and libertas is liberty/freedom.
So would one say vis libertas?
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Help your friends, harm your enemies
"Help your friends, harm your enemies."
I have heard this was a motto of Roman life and foreign policy. It is the definition of justice that begins the discussion in Plato's Republic. I believe that ...
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Semper Veritas, Semper Veritatem, or something else?
I'm considering getting a tattoo with the phrase "Always Truth" or "Always the Truth" in Latin, but I'm not 100% how to translate it, because I don't really understand Latin noun declension. My first ...
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An idiom for disclosing a secret
I am looking for a Latin idiom for disclosing a secret.
In English one can spill the beans, but I am not aware of a similar idiom in Latin.
Is any idiom or colorful expression for this attested in ...
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How to refer to reserve military?
What would be an idiomatic Latin way to refer to reserve military?
I mean troops that have previously served and have returned to civilian life but can be called back on duty.
I would much prefer ...
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Saying "thank you"
I have only ever been taught one Latin translation for "thank you", and it is gratias agere (conjugated in a suitable way).
I just checked in L&S that this is indeed an attested use of gratia, ...
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How would one say "Pardon me," in the sense of not understanding or hearing, in Classical Latin?
Especially when speaking a second language, I am forced to frequently say something like "Pardon me?" or "What was that?" or "Excuse me?" when I fail to understand or hear what a speaker says. I'd ...
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"With respect to" in mathematics
The expression "with respect to" is common in mathematics.
Consider these example sentences:
The derivative of x^2y with respect to y is x^2.
Let us reflect the point A with respect to the line L and ...
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A good Latin word for "point"
I am looking for a Latin word for "point" to be used like this:
I see your point.
I hope this example gets the point across.
There is no point in peeling a banana.
Good point!
There probably is no ...
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What is touché in Latin?
What would be a good translation of "touché" from English to Latin?
Translating the French participle gives tactus, but I doubt that will convey the same idea.
Is there an idiomatic Latin expression ...
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Quo modo Latine redditur "fool proof"?
Quo modo expressio Anglica "fool proof" Latine reddi potest?
Nullum idioma Latinum significatione simile scio.
Eandem rem Latine exprimere possum, exempli gratia dicendo "perbene munitus", sed malim ...
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"vel" in Tusculan Disputations V.iii
In the Tusculan Disputations V.iii, Cicero writes about Pythagoras declaring that life seems to him like the great Greek games:
Nam ut illic alii corporibus exercitatis gloriam et nobilitatem ...
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How to say "suit yourself"?
How to translate "suit yourself"? I'm curious as to how it translates to Latin. In certain contexts, it can come off as rude or sarcastic, even though, it's used in formal conversations and is not ...
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En Marche ! in Latin
Macron's victory in France has got me wondering what would be the best way to capture the phrase "En Marche" in Latin?
My first thought was to use the incedere with perhaps prorsus, but the English ...
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How to say "Luke, I am your father" in Latin?
I have found very diverse translations online:
Luke, sum ipse patrem te
Luca, pater tuus sum (or in a different order)
Luke, ego patrem tuum sum
My guess
First, the Latin name Luke seems to be ...
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Parsing "quod Deus optime vertat"
I want to understand a diploma text:
DIPLOMA
QVOD DEVS OPTIME VERTAT
EX LEGIBVS
VNIVERSITATIS JYVÄSKYLÄENSIS
ATQVE EX DECRETO
FACVLTATIS (…)
If I consider Diploma as a ...
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"Let's wait and see"
Is there a Latin idiom for deciding to sit back and wait instead of acting immediately?
If I want to let things evolve for a little more before taking any action, I could use the phrase "let's wait ...
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What are the different ways to say "lonely"?
The English word "lonely" has at least a couple different uses. A person can be lonely — we all know, and have probably felt, this meaning of the word. But also a place can be lonely. A lot of people ...
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Indirect question vs. relative clause
In circumstances where the same meaning can be expressed by an indirect question depending on a verb of speech, or by a relative clause modifying an (implicit or explicit) object of that verb, which ...