Because
you weren’t going into botany, the priesthood, or coin manufacturing,
you thought you were safe to dismiss Latin as a dead language.
Obviously, you didn’t graduate
cum laude. Latin is about as
dead as Elvis (who, by the way, made $54 million in 2004). Whether
you’re deciphering a cryptic state seal or trying to impress your
Catholic in-laws, knowing some Latin has its advantages. But the
operative word here is “some.” The ability to translate
The Aeneid
probably isn’t going to come in handy anytime soon, so we’ll start you
off with ten phrases that have survived the hatchet men of time (in all
their pretentious glory).
1. Caveat Emptor
(KAV-ee-OT emp-TOR): “Let the buyer beware”
Before money-back guarantees and 20-year warranties,
caveat emptor
was indispensable advice for the consumer. These days, it’d be more
fitting to have it tattooed on the foreheads of used-car salesmen,
infomercial actors, and prostitutes. For extra credit points, remember
that
caveat often makes solo appearances at cocktail parties as a fancy term for a warning or caution. Oh, and just so you know,
caveat lector means “let the reader beware.” (not that you’ll ever,
ever need to know that!)
2. Persona Non Grata
(puhr-SOH-nah non GRAH-tah): “An unacceptable person”
Remember your old college buddy, the one everybody called Chugger?
Now picture him at a debutante ball, and you’ll start to get a sense of
someone with
persona non grata status. The term is most
commonly used in diplomatic circles to indicate that a person is
unwelcome due to ideological differences or a breach of trust.
Sometimes, the tag refers to a pariah, a ne’er-do-well, a killjoy, or an
interloper, but it’s always subjective. Back in 2004, Michael Moore was
treated as a
persona non grata at the Republican National Convention. Bill O’Reilly would experience the same at Burning Man.
3. Habeas Corpus
(HAY-bee-as KOR-pus): “You have the body”
When you wake up in the New Orleans Parish Prison after a foggy night at Mardi Gras, remember this one. In a nutshell,
habeas corpus
is what separates us from savages. It’s the legal principle that
guarantees an inmate the right to appear before a judge in court, so it
can be determined whether or not that person is being lawfully
imprisoned. It’s also one of the cornerstones of the American and
British legal systems. Without it, tyrannical and unjust imprisonments
would be possible. In situations where national security is at risk,
however,
habeas corpus can be suspended.
4. Cogito Ergo Sum
(CO-gee-toe ER-go SOME): “I think, therefore I am”
When all those spirited mental wrestling matches you have about
existentialism start growing old (yeah, right!), you can always put an
end to the debate with
cogito ergo sum. René Descartes, the
17th-century French philosopher, coined the phrase as a means of
justifying reality. According to him, nothing in life could be proven
except one’s thoughts. Well, so he thought, anyway.
5. E Pluribus Unum
(EE PLUR-uh-buhs OOH-nuhm): “Out of many, one”
Less unique than it sounds, America’s original national motto,
e pluribus unum,
was plagiarized from an ancient recipe for salad dressing. In the 18th
century, haughty intellectuals were fond of this phrase. It was the kind
of thing gentlemen’s magazines would use to describe their year-end
editions. But the term made its first appearance in Virgil’s poem
“Moretum” to describe salad dressing. The ingredients, he wrote, would
surrender their individual aesthetic when mixed with others to form one
unique, homogenous, harmonious, and tasty concoction. As a slogan, it
really nailed that whole cultural melting pot thing we were going for.
And while it continues to appear on U.S. coins, “In God We Trust” came
along later (officially in 1956) to share the motto spotlight.
6. Quid Pro Quo
(kwid proh KWOH): “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”
Given that
quid pro quo refers to a deal or trade, it’s no
wonder the Brits nicknamed their almighty pound the “quid.” And if you
give someone some quid, you’re going to expect some quo. The phrase
often lives in the courtroom, where guilt and innocence are the
currency. It’s the oil that lubricates our legal system. Something of a
quantified value is traded for something of equal value; elements are
parted and parceled off until
quid pro quo is achieved.
7. Ad Hominem
(ad HAH-mi-nem): “To attack the man”
In the world of public discourse,
ad hominem is a means of
attacking one’s rhetorical opponent by questioning his or her reputation
or expertise rather than sticking to the issue at hand. Translation:
Politicians are really good at it. People who resort to
ad hominem
techniques are usually derided as having a diluted argument or lack of
discipline. If pressed, they’ll brandish it like a saber and refuse to
get back to the heart of the matter. Who said the debate team doesn’t
have sex appeal?
8. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
(ad-MA-yor-em DAY-ee GLOR-ee-um): “All for the Greater Glory of God”
Ad majorem dei gloriam is often shortened to AMDG. In other
words, it’s the WWJD of the Jesuits, who’ve been drilling the mantra
into their followers since (Saint) Ignatius of Loyola founded the
Catholic Order in 1534. They believe all actions, big or small, should
be done with AMDG in mind. Remind your Jesuit-educated buddies of this
when they seem to be straying from the path. (Best used with a wink and a
hint of irony.)
9. Memento Mori
(meh-MEN-toh MOR-ee): “Remember, you must die”
Carpe diem is
so 20th century. If you’re going to
suck the marrow out of life, trying doing it with the honest,
irrefutable, and no less inspiring
memento mori. You can
interpret the phrase in two ways: Eat, drink, and party down. Or, less
hedonistically, be good so you can get past the pearly gates. Naturally,
the latter was the one preferred by the early Christian Church, which
would use macabre art—including dancing skeletons and snuffed-out
candles—to remind the faithful to forgo temporal pleasures in favor of
eternal bliss in heaven. The phrase also served to prevent swelling
heads. Some historians say that victorious, parading Roman generals
would have servants stand behind them and whisper “memento mori” in
their ears to keep their egos in check.
10. Sui Generis
(SOO-ee JEN-er-is): “Of its own genus,” or “Unique and unable to classify”
Frank Zappa, the VW Beetle, cheese in a can:
Sui generis
refers to something that’s so new, so bizarre, or so rare that it defies
categorization. Granted, labeling something “sui generis” is really
just classifying the unclassifiable. But let’s not over-think it. Use it
at a dinner party to describe Andy Kaufman, and you impress your
friends. Use it too often, and you just sound pretentious.
Saunders
previously had been cleared of pointing a gun at a McDonald's employee
in Aurora in 2009. The employee said Saunders, an officer assigned to
Denver International Airport, grew impatient when his order wasn’t
filled fast enough. He was in the drive-thru with another off-duty
officer when he pulled the gun on them on May 2009, according to the
McDonald's workers.
Say
your prayers! An ancient "cursing stone" used by Christian pilgrims
to curse their enemies has just been found in the island of Canna, Scotland:
You
may have heard that law schools are currently cranking out more
graduates than the market can handle. But those with law degrees have
gone on to careers outside their area for a long time. Can you believe
some of the folks who have a degree in law?
"Three huts and a house were flattened last Sunday, while people are
occasionally being pelted with stones by unseen things, believed to be
goblins at a Chisumbanje homestead in Chipinge South where mysterious
occurrences are haunting the Sithole Family," reports 
