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Jan 13, 2015 · SWEAR WORDS & INSULTS: “Es stultior asino” – You are dumber than an a**. “Es scortum obscenus vilis” – You are a vile, perverted whore. “Te futueo et caballum tuum” – Screw you and the horse you rode in on. “Es mundus excrementi” – You are a pile of sh*t. “Es stercus!”.
- Vincit Qui Se Vincit.
- Carthago Delenda Est.
- Non Ducor, Duco.
- Gladiator in Arena Consilium Capit.
- Aqua Vitae.
- Sic Semper Tyrannis.
- Astra inclinant, Sed Non obligant.
- Aut Cum Scuto Aut in Scuto.
- Igne Natura Renovatur Integra.
- Flectere Si Nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo.
He conquers who conquers himself. Used as a motto by many schools, this phrase speaks to the importance of first getting yourself under control, mastering your urges and temptations, before trying to control the outside world. Also, fun fact, it can be seen on a stained glass window at the beginning of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Carthage must be destroyed. The Second Punic War, fought between 218 and 201 BC, was a rough one for Rome, as they initiated it only to get spanked in a very real way by Hannibal and his elephants. Following the war, noted hardass Cato the Elder would end his speeches with this phrase, which these days can be used to add emphasis and vehemence to a...
I am not led, I lead. The motto of São Paulo, Brazil, this phrase is a great, albeit somewhat aggressive way to assert your dominance while also letting folks know that you’ve read a few books. It corrects anyone under the mistaken assumption that you aren’t the absolute boss and/or innovator of any given situation.
The gladiator is formulating his plan in the arena. This one comes to us from the philosopher, statesman and dramatist Seneca the Younger. It refers to the time just prior to a gladiator’s battle, when the warrior is already in the arena preparing to fight. Basically, it’s a more badass way to say “We’re already pregnant,” or, in other words: You’r...
Water of life. Most of the phrases listed here have at least some kind of connection to war, combat, and struggle, but this one is a little different. Aqua vitae can be used to refer to any kind of liquor, whether it’s done sincerely while talking about that single barrel scotch you’ve been saving, or more ironically for a case of PBR.
Thus always to tyrants. These days, this phrase is mostly known as what John Wilkes Booth may or may not have shouted out while assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. That association is a shame, however, as it’s a much older phrase, with a far less problematic, but equally murderous history. Prior to its debated use by Booth, the phrase was plac...
The stars incline us, they do not bind us. I love this one because it’s about as bold a one-line refutation of fatalismas you can imagine. The phrase means that while fate — whether determined by the stars, the gods or something else entirely — might nudge us in a certain direction, we are never forced in it. Free will exists, and the decision of w...
Either with shield or on shield. This is actually a Latin version of an earlier Greek phrase. In Sparta, mothers were said to tell their war-bred children to either come back carrying their shield or on it. At first, that might not make a lot of sense, but when you acknowledge the size and weight of a Spartan shield, the tendency of deserters to le...
Through fire, nature is reborn whole. So this one’s a little confusing. First up, you need to know about INRI, an acronym for Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, which means "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews," a phrase that was said to have been inscribed on the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. Later, as part of alchemical and occult studies, ...
If I can not bend the will of Heaven, I shall move Hell. Originally spoken by Juno in Virgil’s Aeneid, this phrase is perhaps best-known today for appearing as a dedication in Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams. But as for how to use it, it kind of works as a piece of all-purpose badassery, something to utter or growl when you’ve been sty...
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- Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? How it translates: Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me? What it means: Just like the old Mae West quote about the gun in the pocket, the scroll in the toga refers to a phallic protrusion from under the clothes.
- Mater semper certa est. How it translates: The mother is always certain. What it means: Roman courts often used the phrase “the mother is always certain” as a sort of declaration of incontrovertible evidence.
- Vincit qui se vincit. How it translates: He conquers who conquers himself. What it means: Just like the old adage “know thyself,” the phrase refers to the power of self-knowledge and control.
- Non ducor, duco. How it translates: I am not led, I lead. What it means: In this case, the literal translation actually qualifies as the best one. It’s a statement of defiance and self-reliance.
Latin obscenity is the profane, indecent, or impolite vocabulary of Latin, and its uses. Words deemed obscene were described as obsc (a)ena (obscene, lewd, unfit for public use), or improba (improper, in poor taste, undignified). Documented obscenities occurred rarely in classical Latin literature, limited to certain types of writing such as ...
- Bustirape. Use this insult (from Plautus’s play Pseudolus) to accuse someone of being a “grave robber,” a criminal occupation thought to be among the lowest of the low in the ancient world.
- Carnifex. This term for an executioner (literally a “meat maker”) further demonstrates the Romans’ love for insulting terms associated with crimes and brutal punishments.
- Demens. It simply means “crazy,” and is the root of the English word dementia, but E.M. Forster once translated it in a short story as “silly ass.” “I always brighten the classics,” the narrator of the story, Mr. Inskip, explains.
- Excetra. It looks and sounds like et cetera (“and so on”) but excetra actually means “water snake” and was a term of insult used against “wicked, malicious” women.
Oct 9, 2015 · Ascendo tuum. — Up yours. Te odeo, interface te cochleare. — I hate you. Kill yourself with a spoon. Qualem mulericulam! — What a bimbo! Es mundus excrementi! — You are a pile of shit.
Jun 11, 2014 · Any student of Latin lyric poetry will tell you that Catullus' poems get pretty raunchy, obsessed with genitalia, semen, and sex in general. But one of his poems is so vulgar that an uncensored ...
