By In high school I struggled through 3 years of Latin under the guidance of Mr. Ralph Gavett. He was an exceptional teacher. Under his tutelage, my brothers and sister soared. I was not an exceptional student – at least not as it pertains to Latin. The greatest benefit of these years of studies is mostly being able to better guess at crossword puzzle answers (and originally guess at SAT answers). A side effect is that certain latin phrases are permanently etched on my brain. I’m not sure who was bored in cyberland…but there is a wikipedia page dedicated to latin phrases that you can review at your leisure. Today I will share my four favorites.:
Ubi o ubi est mea sub ubi
The above delightful phrase means where oh where is my underwear. It really is where oh where is my under where…it’s a bad Dad joke. I have no idea when or if Mr. Gavett taught us that. It is more likely that a silly student figured that out. Regardless of its source, I can say it has stuck with me and is my go-to joke as soon as someone mentions classical Latin (which is very rare).
Alea iacta est
Julius Caesar
“The die is cast.” Finally a historical quote that we can really dig into! This quote is attributed to Julius Caesar as he crossed the Rubicon. There’s a lovely wiki page written up on the history behind the quote. I will provide my humorous take…because in my mind I say the dye is cast..same meaning but sillier play on words. Both meanings are that you’re past the point of turning back (Past the point of no return -cue up Phantom of the Opera please). You’re committed to the path you’ve chosen, come what may. The first correct meaning is a reference to throwing dice (singular is die). Mine is in reference to dying of clothes (or hair) – you’re committed to the color!
Veni Vedi Vici
Julius Caesar
Another quote from our friend Caesar. This one is a rather boastful ‘I came, I saw, I conquered.’ In today’s vernacular, the equivalent would be ‘mic drop’. Caesar was a bad ass. He wrote this short sentence to relay his quick victory in a battle. It’s simple, beautiful and boastful.
Carpe Diem
Horace
I’ll conclude with this final quote, to inspire you. It means ‘Seize the day’. Every morning you have a fresh opportunity in life – take it. Take action. Don’t put off to tomorrow what can be done today. My parents learned this the hard way. They held off on their big trip to Europe (mom wanted to go on a tour of Holland during tulip season)…and then it was too late.
Carpe Diem, baby!