Strange phrases and quotations

Ciao - word history

{ 10:26 AM, 22/10/2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Ciao first appears in English in 1929 in Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, which is set in northeast Italy during World War I. It is likely that this is where Hemingway learned the word, for ciau in Venetian dialect means “servant, slave,” and, as a casual greeting, “I am your servant.” Ciau corresponds to standard Italian schiavo; both words come from Medieval Latin sclavus, “slave.” A similar development took place with servus, the Classical Latin word for “slave,” in southern Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Poland, where servus is used as a casual greeting like ciao. At the opposite end of the world, in Southeast Asia, one even sees words meaning “slave” or “your slave” that have developed into pronouns of the first person, again to indicate respect and humility.

Timendi causa est nescire

{ 11:46 AM, 15/9/2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Timendi causa est nescire - Ignorance is the cause of fear.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca - Roman stoic philosopher.

Bon chasseur

{ 10:53 AM, 19/7/2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Un chasseur sachant chasser sans son chien est un bon chasseur.

This is a French tongue twister which means:

A hunter who can hunt without his dog is a good hunter.

Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit

{ 10:31 AM, 25/2/2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

It means: nothing may come from nothing. This phrase is from Lucretius who was a Roman poet. Its original meaning is 'work is required to succeed', but its modern meaning is a more general 'everything has its origins in something' (cf. causality). It is commonly applied to the conservation laws in philosophy and science. Ex nihilo often used in conjunction with the term creation, as in creatio ex nihilo, meaning 'creation, out of nothing'. It is often used in philosophy or theology in connection with the proposition that God created the universe from nothing.

Deus ex machina

{ 1:31 PM, 12/1/2008 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Deus ex machina is a Latin phrase that is used to describe an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (e.g., having the protagonist wake up and realize it was all a dream or an angel suddenly appear to solve all the plot problems of a story that won't resolve itself by the characters). The phrase has been extended to refer to any resolution to a story which does not pay due regard to the story's internal logic and is so unlikely it challenges suspension of disbelief; allowing the author to conclude the story with an unlikely, though more palatable, ending. In modern terms the deus ex machina has also come to describe a person or thing that suddenly arrives and solves a seemingly insoluble difficulty. While in storytelling this might seem unfulfilling, in real life this type of figure might be welcome and heroic.

Dieu et mon droit

{ 12:32 PM, 25/11/2007 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Dieu et mon droit (French for God and my right) has been used as the motto of the British monarch since it was adopted by Henry V (1413-1422). Originally it was spelled Dieut et mon droict, the early Modern French spelling, but later the 'c' in "droict" was taken out in accordance with present French orthography. To this day, this motto is emblazoned on the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.

A French motto rather than English was chosen because the English language had only recently replaced French as the language of the English ruling classes. Henry spoke French and had been crowned King of France as well as of England. The motto of the Order of the Garter Honi soit qui mal y pense is also in French.

The phrase was allegedly first used as a password by King Richard I in 1198 at the Battle of Gisors, when he defeated the forces Philip II of France. Its meaning was that Richard owed his royalty to no power other than God and his own heredity, and was therefore subject to no earthly power or other monarch. This can be taken as a direct reference to the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings.

Partir para Paris

{ 11:03 AM, 16/5/2007 } { 0 comments } { Link }

Pedro Perez Pedroza Pintor Puertorriqueno Pinta Preciosos Paisajes Para Personas Pudientes Porque Pronto Piensa Partir Para Paris.

This is a Spanish tongue twister which means:

Pedro Perez Pedroza, Puerto Rican painter, paints precious landscapes for wealthy people because he is thinking of leaving to Paris.

The Green Man

{ 9:36 AM, 15/9/2006 } { 1 comments } { Link }

The Green Man motif has many different faces and variations. Found in many cultures around the world, the Green Man is often related to natural vegetative deities springing up in different cultures throughout the ages. Primarily it is interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, or "renaissance", representing the cycle of growth being reborn anew each spring. Speculatively, the mythology of the Green Man developed independently in the traditions of separate ancient cultures and evolved into the wide variety of examples found throughout history.

Based on a book written in 1969, The Green Man is a ghost story by the noted British author Kingsley Amis, referring to not only the name of the inn owned by the philandering, alcoholic protagonist, but also his haunting by this spirit, among others.

The Green Man was filmed as a BBC TV movie in 1990, starring Albert Finney. Amis later wrote a short story (title unknown at this time; originally published in Playboy magazine), wherein he and his wife may or may not have had their own visitation by The Green Man.

In flagrante delicto

{ 9:32 AM, 5/8/2006 } { 0 comments } { Link }

In flagrante delicto or sometimes simply in flagrante (Latin: "while the crime is blazing") is a legal term used to indicate that a criminal has been caught in the act of committing an offense (compare corpus delicti). The colloquial "caught red-handed" or "caught in the act" is an English equivalent.

The Latin term has come to be used far more often as a euphemism for a couple being caught in the act of sexual congress; in modern usage the intercourse need not be adulterous or illicit. May imply coitus interruptus.