Idioms

[Pacifica]

Alicui vitam reliquam facere or aliquem reliquum facere: to make life remaining to someone/to make someone remaining = to leave someone alive.

I read the first one in Cicero, ad Atticum, book3, 8.2.

It can also be said of things other than life: aliquid reliquum facere = to leave something, to let it remain.

 

[Pacifica]

Loreolam in mustaceo quaerere: to look for a laurel branch in a "cake made with must and baked on laurel leaves" = to look for fame where it is most easily found.

Found in Cicero, Ad Atticum, book 5, 20.4

 

[Pacifica]

E re nata: from the born thing/situation = on the spur of the moment.

 

[Pacifica]

Lupus in fabula/sermone: the wolf in the conversation = something you say when you were talking about someone/something and it comes. "Talk of the devil and he's sure to appear".

We've got a similar thing in French: quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue) = when you talk of the wolf (you see his tail). A thing you say when you're talking of someone and just one second later they turn up or such things.

 

[Pacifica]

Morem gerere alicui: to carry on the conduct to someone = to behave in accordance with someone's wishes.

 

[Matthaeus]

in other words, to humor him/her

 

[Pacifica]

I didn't know that verb. Strange. You'd asked me to guess what "to humor someone" meant, I'd have said it probably meant to make fun of someone.

 

[Pacifica]

Culcitam gladium facere: to make the sword a cushion (like to lie down on one's sword) = to kill oneself.

 

[Matthaeus]

talking about humoring ... there's also the verb morigerari

 

[Pacifica]

Interesting. Etymologically descending in straight line from morem gerere, it seems.

 

[Matthaeus]

yupp

 

[Pacifica]

Furcilla aliquem extrudere: to expell someone with a pitchfork = well, seems like virtually the same expression exists in English: to pitchfork someone out, drive them out brutally.

 

[Aurifex]

well, seems like virtually the same expression exists in English: to pitchfork someone out, drive them out brutally.

I've never heard anyone use "pitchfork" as a verb in this way. I suspect it is rather dated now.

 

[Pacifica]

Possible, that's what's written in the OLD, which dates from 1968.

 

[Pacifica]

Clipeum post vulnera sumere: to take the shield after the wound = to do something when the harm is already done, while you should rather have done something to prevent it before it happened. "To lock the door after the horse is stolen".

 

[Pacifica]

Qui asinum non potest, stratum caedit: he who can't beat the donkey, beats the saddle = one always finds a scapegoat.

Colubra restem non parit: a snake doesn't give birth to a rope = "like father, like son" or sim.

Manus manum lavat: the hand washes the hand = one good turn deserves another.

In Petronius.

 

[Matthaeus]

navigare in portu, to be in safety, to be safe
Ter. And III, 1 , 22

 

[Pacifica]

In alio peduclum videre, in se ricinum non videre: to see the louse on another, not to see the tick on oneself = to see (and criticize) others' flaws but not one's own.

Similar to Luke, 6:41: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Quid autem vides festucam in oculo fratris tui, trabem autem quae in oculo tuo est non consideras?

 

[Matthaeus]

fallacia alia aliam trudit, one lie begets another
Ter. And IV, 4, 39

 

[Pacifica]

Animam ebullire: to spout out (one's) soul = to give up the ghost, to die.

Petronius.