[nilesfunnies] LATIN and its modern equivalent:

LATIN and its modern equivalent:

Although the use of Latin is now officially discouraged by our courts, it
has not escaped attention that lawyers still like to pepper their writing
with phrases such as 'caveat emptor', 'ex turpi causa', 'de minimis non
curat lex', and so on.

Unfortunately, with the decline of classics teaching in our schools and the
abandonment of Latin in the courts, there must be a real risk that lawyers
will soon forget these useful phrases and, more importantly, what they mean.

(Clients, of course, never understood the phrases in the first place, which
explains why they are used so frequently.)

May I commend this admirable and erudite lexicon which contains many helpful
translations of Latin tags and phrases.

1. Quid pro quo The sterling exchange rate

2. Post hoc propter hoc A little more white wine wouldn't hurt us

3. Ad hoc Wine not included

4. Adsum Small extras on the bill

5. Exempli gratia Token tip

6. Infra dig Terrible accommodation

7. Primus inter pares The stove has fallen in the fire

8. Compos mentis Nora's making mint sauce

9. Carpe diem Fish frying tonight

10. Non anglii, sed angeli Fishing absolutely prohibited

11. Curriculum Indian restaurant

12. Casus belli Gastro-enteritis

13. Sic transit gloria mundi The nausea will pass away, and
you'll be fine by Monday

14. O tempora o mores! The Times is no more, alas!

15. Quis custodiet custodes ipsos Do you keep the Guardian?

16. Post meridiem The mail does not arrive until midday

17. Fiat lux Car wash

18. Rara avis No car hire available

19. Volenti non fit injuria The accident was caused by a badly fitted
steering wheel

20. Reductio ad absurdum Road narrows

21. Nil obstat River Nile impassable

22. Nil desperandum River Nile overflowing

23. De minimis non curat lex Lex garages cannot undertake to service small
cars

24. Terminus ad quem Bus station for Quem (small
Romanian town)

25. Caeteris paribus Restaurant facilities are
available on the Paris coach

26. Post mortem Mail strike

27. Expostfacto Not known at this address

28. Sub rosa Rather unattractive Italian girl

29. Sal volatile Rather attractive Italian girl

30. Gloria in excelsis Very attractive Italian girl

31. Noli me tangere I do not wish to dance with you

32. Ars longa, vita brevis Unsuitable bathing costume (literally: big
bottom, small briefs)

33. Hic jacet Old-fashioned coat

34. Ecce homo Gay bar

35. Timeo Danaos et Dona Ferentes That nice couple we met in Portugal

36. Mens sana Male massage parlour

37. Ex libris Dirty books

38. Ex cathedra Ruined church

39. Inter alia An Italian airline

40. Summa cum laude Peak holiday period

41. In loco parentis Railway family compartment

42. Quondam Part of Holland reclaimed from the sea

43. Dum spiro Stupid Greek person

44. Festina lente Shops shut on Continent
(literally: Lenten holiday)

45. Aut Caesar aut nihil An Italian football result

46. Tertium quid 33p

47. Nil illegitimes carborundum Don't let the bastards grind you down



--
Niles, Nottingham | "instead of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on
ICQ UIN 12724766 | compulsory ID cards [...] let that money provide
outpages.com/nilex | thousands of extra police officers on the beat in
www.niles.org.uk | our local communities" -- Tony Blair, 1995


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