Economic statistics often describe large populations, national budgets, and entire industries. These totals are useful, yet they can conceal important…
“Panem et circenses” is one of the most recognizable Latin expressions about political manipulation. Usually translated as “bread and circuses,” the phrase…
Few Latin phrases carry as much theatrical force as O tempora, O mores! Usually translated as “Oh, the times! Oh, the morals!”, the expression compresses…
A non sequitur is a statement, conclusion, or reply that does not logically follow from what came before it. The phrase comes from Latin and translates…
Some circumstances leave little room for genuine choice. A contract may impose a duty, a medical emergency may demand immediate action, or a difficult family…
Few Latin phrases have traveled so successfully from the ancient world into modern visual culture as memento mori. Usually translated as “remember that you…
The Latin phrase modus operandi means “mode of operating” or “method of working.” In modern English, it commonly describes the characteristic way a person,…
Criminal law often turns on more than what a person did. It also asks what that person knew, intended, believed, or consciously disregarded at the time. The…
Few Latin expressions have traveled so easily from formal religious language into everyday speech as mea culpa. Literally translated, it means “through my…
Some Latin expressions survive because they name an idea with unusual precision. Magnum opus is one of them. Literally translated, the phrase means “great…