Latin for All Occasions
Encyclopedia
Latin for All Occasions (Lingua Latina Occasionibus Omnibus) is a 1990 book by Henry Beard
Henry Beard
Henry N. Beard is an American humorist, one of the founders of the magazine National Lampoon and the author of several best-selling books.-Biography:...

, and Latin for Even More Occasions (Lingua Latina Multo Pluribus Occasionibus) is a 1991 sequel. Both contain translations of modern English phrases into mostly literal Latin equivalents.

Beard is known as a humorist but studied Latin for eight years at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

. He wrote the Latin himself, but had it checked and polished by scholars Mark Sugars and Winifred Lewellen. The idea for the books was from John Boswell
John Boswell (publishing-business figure)
John Boswell is a book packager, literary agent, and author in New York City.He was the subject of a New York Times article on book packaging, which described it as coming up with the idea for a book, writing a proposal, and finding a writer....

. The illustrations are by Mikhail Ivenitsky and both books were published by Villard Books, a division of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...

.

The translations are mostly direct, so an English expression like "Get your ducks in a row" is translated as Anates tuas in acie instrue. The significance of having ducks lined up would presumably be a mystery to an ancient Roman, or indeed to a non-American.

Latin for All Occasions

  • You're fired. Ego te demitto.
  • Look out, I'm going to barf! Cave, vomiturus sum!
  • Oh! Was I speaking Latin again? Vah! Denuone Latine loquebar?
  • Your fly is open. Braccae tuae hiant
  • You're beautiful! Pulcher es! (masculine), Pulchra es! (feminine)
  • Honey, I'm home! Melita, domi adsum

External links

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