This is a question for those who know Latin.
It is an off-the-wall question, but it was something I thought of during the hour of workout (that I couldn't haul myself out of bed to do this morning, but did this afternoon because I realized the vague aches and not-feeling-rightness were probably the result of having not exercised). You need something to think about during that time. (And I don't own an iPod onto which I can download podcasts, and I'm too cheap to go out and buy books on tape and can never seem to remember to stop off at the university library to see what they have).
Anyway. I remembered in high school, some of the Latin students came up with what they thought was a clever slogan (it was to replace "Lux et Veritas" - which, yes, I know, was cribbed from Yale - that was in our school's crest). It was supposed to be a translation of "Always wear underwear" but what they came up with was "Semper ubi sub ubi." Which even I know doesn't work, as "ubi" is "where" and not "wear" and it's not a homonym in Latin.
(And if gender matters here - just assume it's a group of males being told not to go Commando.)
I'm guessing the "wear" part is going to have a port- root, because if I were saying the same in French, it would be something along the lines of "Portez toujours les sous-vetements" (with an accent circumflex on the first e of vetements but I'm too lazy to look up how to do that in html.). Which, yeah, isn't nearly as funny as something that rhymes (and it's not short - and there wasn't a lot of space to cram in the slogan on the shield). But anyway, I'd kind of like to know. Just for old times' sake. (They had boxer shorts made up with the modified crest, but it was so small you couldn't really read the new slogan).
And I don't know. Maybe "Semper ubi sub ubi" wasn't original, maybe it's something generations of Latin students have (mis)stated to be funny. But I don't know many Latin mottoes, besides the one about no accounting for taste (which I can never remember the correct order of gustibus, disputandum, and est for) and one that contains the words "carborundum" and "illegitimi" which is probably as faked-up Latin as the "semper ubi sub ubi."
If I had but world enough and time, I'd LEARN Latin. Because it seems interesting. But I'm finding that my times becomes increasingly short (I mean, free time) with each passing month. I must learn to say no to doing things for other people.
5 comments:
Semper ubi sub ubi is one of the traditional things to say in Latin; as you said, it's gibberish in Latin, but sounds silly in both languages.
Hmm. There's a letter from a soldier's parents in which he's being sent warm underwear and socks, but there isn't mention of wearing. I'll dig around and see if I can come up with something that sounds nice.
For mottoes, I have a calendar that has a Latin saying for every day, with the translation and the Roman dates, which is sort of fun.
"Cum docemus, discimus." (While we teach, we learn.)
Ut ager, quamvis fertilis sine culturā fructuosus esse non potest, sic sine doctrinā animus. (Just as a field, however fertile, cannot be fruitful without cultivation, so the mind cannot be productive without education.
Anguillam caudā tenes. You are holding an eel by the tail.
I should have known Lydia would get in there first! Yes, semper ubi sub ubi is a well-known (to Latin students!) chestnut... but I'm ashamed to say it still makes me giggle, even after all the years of education that should make me more sophisticated!
The "correct order of gustibus, disputandum, and est" matters less than you think, since Latin syntax is based on suffixes rather than word order. (That said, I usually hear it rendered "De gustibus non disputandum est.")
My favorite bit of fake Latin:
O sibili si ergo
Fortibus es in ero
O nobili themis trux
Sivat sinum causan dux.
mea culpa, lol.
In high school, I was in Latin Club, and I'm embarrassed and slightly proud to say that we used to go cheer at the less populated school sports contests (e.g. women's volleyball). Of course, our cheers were along the lines of "Hic, Haec, Hoc! Bump, Set, Spike!" and "Sem-per UBI! Sub UBI!"
I was also in French Honor Society, German Club, and Math Club! Nope, no boyfriends... ;-)
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