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Showing posts with label Latin words and phrases. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latin words and phrases. Show all posts

Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Meaning of Ad nauseam



Ad nauseam

I was chatting to a chap one day
And watched the minutes fly away
As I spoke incessantly about
Ducks and how the small birds are
My favorite type of bird by far,
A fowl the planet could not do without...

Little did I know that he
Was quite bored apparently
For I had gone on and on
Repeatedly and tiresomely
To an excessive degree
Or in other words ad nauseam!


Friday, August 8, 2014

What is the Meaning of Ad-lib?


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Ad-lib

Way back when I went to school
I was a rather little fool
And often told my teacher the tall tale
That my canine was the sort
To gobble up my book reports
Or that my homework was eaten by whales!

But then she'd say, "What happened next?"
Leaving me a little vexed
And having to make up there on the spot
A story all about how my
Doctor told me I would die
If I did homework more oft than not…

"Really?" She would say to me
"Tell me more!" So I would be
Forced again so quickly to ad-lib
About how aliens came down
And took my homework out of town
But somehow she knew I was telling fibs!

And although I was bad that way
To save face I would like to say
I learned one thing from committing that sin
That ad-lib is a word shortened
From the word ad libitum
Which means "to the desire" in old Latin!

Copyright 2014


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Thursday, August 7, 2014

What is the Meaning of Vex?


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To bring trouble or to distress
Like if you tore your favourite dress
Or found yourself being chased by a T-Rex,
Or anything that irritates
Annoys you or exasperates
Illustrates the meaning of to vex.

Something worth to know also
It used to be vexareto
Back when Latin commanded our tongues,
Said of things that agitate
Bug and burn or aggravate
Like accidentally stepping on some dung!

Especially if that dress you had
Cost more money than you had
Or if the dinosaur had a Segway,
I daresay that I would be vexed
To find myself in that context
And something’s number two got in my way!

Copyright 2014


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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

What is the Meaning of Invidious?


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It was invidious of me
One night when I went to tea
And I said to the maker of the meal,
“That was OK, but not as great
As the food that your sister makes!”
The comment did not go down well I feel.

I caused in her some discontent
When I made that mean comment
Making her no doubt feel some envy,
It wasn’t a nice thing to hear
Obnoxious too so now I fear
That was the last time that she will feed me!

Invidiosus in Latin
Which did mean when then spoken
“Envious” which sums up how she felt
About her sister’s cooking skills
And how it gave my taste buds thrills,
When she threw a fork at me I had not doubt!

Copyright 2014


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What is the Meaning of Sedition?


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Sedition

Once we had a naughty King
Who did a lot of silly things
And made a lot of people feel bad,
In fact he was such a bad chap
I could say quite simply that
He was the worst King that we’d ever had!

So I wrote to all the land
And spoke to every willing man
Telling all to rise up and take arms
Against the King of silly things
But when my words and my writings
Reached his ears he was rather alarmed…

And so he sent his soldiers out
To stop me for the King did shout
“This scallywag is guilty of sedition!”
And now it is true of my head
It now lives somewhere else instead
And on his wall makes quite a nice addition.

Which is ironic I would think
Were my brain not out of sync
With life I would consider it a laugh,
For in Latin “seditio”
Means separation don’t you know
And here I am so not quite cut in half!

Copyright 2014


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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

What is the Meaning of Ad hominem?


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Ad hominem

Once upon a grand debate
About the shape of dinner plates
My opponent filled me with disgust
He did not address what I said
But attacked my character instead
Saying I was not someone he could trust.

Arguing ad hominem
He said the state my life was in
Disqualified me from a point of view
"Sir," Said he, "It's clear to me
"You have the brain of a monkey
And clearly should be living in a zoo!"

But I argued back again
Not attacking but ad rem
Sticking to my guns and argument
Said I, "Have you nothing to say
About the shape of plates today?
What say you sir and make it relevant!".



Copyright 2014


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Monday, July 28, 2014

What is the Meaning of Ad infinitum?


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Ad infinitum

Something hard to comprehend
Is that numbers have no end
They just keep going for eternity;

It's true to say no one could ever
Succeed in counting to forever
Ad infinitum – to infinity!



Copyright 2014


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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

What is an Abscess?

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Abscess


A pus filled blister, boil or bump
Pimply bulbous, filled with gunk
Is the bubbly lumpy taut abscess
I hate to say it but it's true
Squeezing them is fun to do
Just keep a tissue handy for the mess!

The word derives in history
From the word abscedere
Which is Latin for "to go away"
Used by doctors who believed
Squeezing sores could cure disease
Such was the pseudo science of the day...

Copyright 2014



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Saturday, July 12, 2014

What is the Meaning of Ibidem?

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Ibidem

Next time that you read a book
Take the time to take a look
In the footnotes for the word – ibidem


It is a word that simply means
“In the same place” it would seem
And comes to us of course from Ancient Latin.

Copyright 2014



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Monday, July 7, 2014

What is the Meaning of Hic et Ubique?




Hic Et Ubique

Here’s a useful Latin phrase
That isn't heard often these days
Which I came across in old Shakespeare,

 “Hic et ubique” which was said
By Hamlet of his father dead
And means in English “here and everywhere”!

(Click here for the definition of hic et ubique!)


Copyright 2014




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Friday, February 28, 2014

What is the Meaning of Ad hoc?

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Ad hoc
A group of lads and I were shocked
One day when walking by the loch
You won't believe what we saw near the dock
The monster there known as Nessie
Munching on a fish or three
So scared we were we hid behind a rock.

And so we had a most ad hoc
Meeting there behind the rock
That is to say we spoke over one purpose
With only one agenda we
Quarreled over how to flee
And get away before Nessie could hurt us!

We huddled there for quite some time
Myself and those scared friends of mine
"Have you the time?" I asked the one called Scott
"No!" He said, "I have no phone,
Or watch, I've left them both at home!"
And so we made a clock there on the spot

Using what we had at hand
A toothpick and a rubber band
We engineered a new way to tick tock
Using a sock, a wedding ring
And string, a spring and other things
We made ourselves a useful ad hoc clock!

And by it we could see that we
Were going to be late for tea
Our monster wait just simply had to end
And so we leapt out from the rock
Where Nessie waited with a wok
Which is why today I have no friends!




















By Kerin Gedge
Copyright 2014



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Wednesday, December 25, 2013

What Does Gloria In Excelsis Deo Mean?



In Excelsis Deo

In latin we sometimes say
Normally on Christmas Day
Gloria in excelsis deo
In English so exemplified
By “Glory be to God Most High”
For giving us his Son some time ago

Copyright 2013









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Monday, December 23, 2013

What is Habeas Corpus?




Habeas corpus

Allow me now please to explain
That if a prisoner is detained
It must be ascertained before the court
Whether his detention's fair
And whether he should remain there
And so before a judge the suspect's brought,

So Liberty is not abused
We call the writ then that is used
Habeas corpus terming the concept
The legal process that ensures
A persons rights are not ignored
And that one can not be unfairly kept!