Notable idioms and concepts

Updated: 2024-12-25
Created: 2003-12-02

This document is an incomplete draft.

Eventually each idiomatic phrase will have a comment that explains how/why it is used and the concept it conveys.

A posteriori

From the consequences

A priori

From the antecedents

Ab falso quod libet

From false premises one can prove anything

Ab ovo

From the very beginning

Acta est fabula

“The play is over“

Ad Calendas graecas

On to the Greek Calendas

Ad hoc

For the special case

Ad maiora

To greater thing

Ad maiorem Dei gloria

For the greater glory of God

Ad usum Tironum

For the use of an apprentice

Alea jacta est

The dice are thrown

Ars longa, vita brevis

Art lasts, life is but brief

Asinus ad lyram

An ass playing the lyre

Audaces Fortuna juvat

Luck helps the daring

Audita altera parte

Having heard the representations of the other party

Aurea mediocritas

Golden middle

Aut aut

Or else...

Bis repetita placent

What is asked for twice is what people want

Brevi manu

Directly by hand

Busillis

Busillis

Captatio benevolentiae

Obtaining sympathy

Carthago delenda est

Carthagines must be destroyed

Casus belli

The starting point for the war

Cave canem

Beware the dog

Caveat emptor

The buyer be ware

Ceteris paribus

Other things being equal

Compos mentis

Of healthy mind

Compos suis

Master of himself

Contra spem

Against all hope

Coram populo

Before all the people

Cui prodest?

Who's going to benefit

Cuique suum

To each his own

Cuius regio, eius religio

From his king his religion

Cum grano salis

With a pinch of salt

Cum tacent, clamant

Their silence is a scream

Cupio dissolvi

I crave dissolution

De cuius

The deceased

De lana caprina

About goat's wool

De minimis non curat lex

The law does not bother with very small things

De profundis

Funeral march

Deo gratias

Thanks to God!

Docendo discitur

Teaching is learning

Deus ex machina

A God pops up

Dies irae

Day of judgement

Dignus non sum

I am not worthy

Dramatis personae

List of actors

Dulcis in fundo

The sweetness at the bottom

Dum spiro, spero

As I long as breath I'll hold hope

Dura lex sed lex

Harsh law, but it's the law

Ecce homo

Here is the man himself

Ego te baptizo carpam

I christen you carp

Eius regio, cuius religio

The ruled must have the same religion as the ruler

Errare humanum est

To err is human

Est modus in rebus

There should be a method to go about things

Estote parati! Parati sumus!

Be ready! Ready we are!

Et tu, Brute

You too, Brutus

Ex cathedra

From the lectern

Excursus

Wide ranging side argument

Excusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta

An unprompted excuse is an obvious self accusation

Exegi monumentum aere perennius

I created a monument that will last longer than if it were of bronze

Festina lente

Hasten but slowly

Fiat iustitia, pereat mundus

Enforce justice, though the world perish

Fiat iustitia, ruat caelum

Enforce justice, though the heavens fall

Fiat lux

Let there be light

Genius loci

The character of the place

Gutta cavat lapidem

Drops chisel stone

Habemus Papam

We have a new Pope

Hic Rhodus, hic salta

This be Rhodes, so here jump

Hic sunt leones

Here there are lions

Hodie mihi, cras tibi

Today me, tomorrow you

Homo hominis lupus

Man's a predator to another man

Homo novissimus

Self made man

Horribilis dictu

Horrible to say

Hypotheses non fingo

I don't invent assumptions

Impossibilia nemo tenetur

Nobody is bound by impossible commitments

Imprimatur

Authorized for printing

In articulo mortis

As he was dying

In cauda venenum

The sting is in the tail

In memoriam

In memory of

In extremis

At the last minute

In flagrante delicto

Caught in the act

In hoc signo vinces

In this symbol you will win

In loco parentis

As if a parent

In media res

Skipping preliminaries

In partibus infidelium

Among the infidels

In situ

On that place

In toto

Wholly

Inter nos

Between us

Invita Minerva

Minerva is unwilling (without inspiration)

Ipse dixit

Himself said it

Ipsi testudines edite, qui cepistis

Those should eat the turtles who caught them

Ite, missa est

Go, this is the dismissal

Lapsus calami

A lapsus of the pen

Lapsus linguae

A lapsus of the tongue

Longa manus

The far reaching hand

Lupus in fabula

The proverbial wolf

Lusus naturae

A joke of nature

Magnum opus

Great work

Manus manum lavat

Washing one's hands

Mater semper certa, pater nunquam

The mother is always known, the father never

Melium est abundare quam deficere

It is better too much than too little

Mea culpa

I have sinned

Memento mori

Remember that you will die too

Memento vivere

Remember to have time to live

Mens rea

Criminal intent

Mens sana in corpore sano

Healthy mind in healthy body

Mirabile dictu

Amazing to say

Mirabile visu

Amazing to watch

Miserere mihi

Have pity on me

Morituri te salutant

The soon to be dead hail you

More uxorio

As if married

Mors tua vita mea

Your death, my life

Motu proprio

Of his personal initiative

Mutatis mutandis

Changing what's to be changed

Nemo propheta in patria

Nobody is believed to be a prophet in his own town

Nescio vos

I don't know you

Nolens volens

Unwilling or willing

Noli me tangere

Don't touch me

Noli prohicere maccaritas ad porcos

Don't throw pearls to pigs

Nomen omen

This name is destiny

Non plus ultra

Absolutely the best The extreme limit

Non possumus

We cannot

Non sequitur

it does not follow

Nondum matura est

Oh well it's not yet ripe

Oderint dum metuant

They can hate me as long as they are afraid

Odi et amo

I hate her yet love her

O tempora o mores

What times, what behaviour!

Ob torto collo

With a twisted neck

Obiter dictum

Said in passing

Omnia vincit amor

Love overcomes everything

Optimum cibi condimentum fames est

The best sauce for any food is hunger

Ora et labora

Pray and work

Ora pro nobis

Pray for us

Ore rotundo

With blarney

Panem et circenses

Bread and entertainment

Parva spes, sed spes

A small hope, still there is hope

Pax vobiscum!

Peace be with you

Pecunia non olet

Money does not smell

Perinde ac cadaver

Obey as if a zombie

Poma mala bona maculant

The bad apples ruin the good ones

Pons asinorum

Bridge for asses

Post factum

After the event

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Effect follows cause

Post illa verba textus

marginal note

Prima facie

At first look

Primum non nocere

First don't cause harm

Pro domo sua

In pursuit of his interest

Pro forma

For the sake of form

Pro tempore

For the time being

Promoveatur ut amoveatur

Promove to get rid of

Pulsate et aperietur vobis

Knock and the door will be opened for you

Quae sunt Caesaris, Caesari

Give to the emperor what is the emperor's

Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus

Sometimes even Homer dozes

Qui tacet consentire videtur

Who stays silent is seen as agreeing

Quid pluris

A bit more...

Quid pro quo

The price for that

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes

Who watches the watchers?

Quos Deus vult perdere prius dementat

Those that a god wants to destroy they make mad

Rara avis

A rarity

Rari nantes in gurgite vasto

A few figures lost in the immensity of the waves

Redde mihi legiones

Give me back my legions

Redde rationem

The giving of accounts

Repetita iuvant

Repetitions are useful

Requiem aeternam dona eis

Give them eternal peace

Requiescat in pace

May he rest in peace

Rem acu tetigisti

You put the needle on the topic

Res nullius

Nobody's property

Risus abundat in ore stultorum

The mouth of the stupid is full of laughs

Scripta manent, verba volant

What's written abides, talk flies away

Semel in anno licet insanire

Once per year it is acceptable to be mad

Servus servorum

The servant of the servants

Sic transit gloria mundi

Fleeting is fame in this world

Sine qua non

Without which, impossible

Sol lucet omnibus

The Sun gives light for everybody

Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant

They make a desert and call that peace

Solvitur ambulando

Figure it out by walking

Sub rosa

Under the rose

Sub specie veritatis

Speaking of the actual truth

Sui generis

In its own class

Superior stabat lupus

The wolf was upstream

Sursum corda

raise your hearts

Suum cuique tribuere

Give each his own

Tabula rasa

Blank page

Tempus fugit

Time move quickly

Terra firma

Solid ground

Tertium non datur

There is not third possibility

Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes

I am wary of the Greeks even when they bring presents

Ubi maior minor cessat

In the presence of the greater the lesser loses importance

Una tantum

Once in a long while

Unda fert nec regiture

cannot create a wave but ride it

Urbis et orbis

To the City and the World

Usque tandem

Until when

Vade retro Satanas

Go away, Satan

Vae victis

Woe to the vanquished

Vanitas vanitatum

Vanity of vanities

Varium et mutabile semper femina

Women are always of many and variable hearts

Venenum in auro bibitur

It is more likely to drink poisoned wine from a golden cup

Veni, vidi, vici

I came, I saw, I won

Vox clamantis in deserto

A voice shouting in the emptyness

Vox populi, vox dei

Voice of the people, voice from God