500 Foreign Words and Phrases You Should Know to Sound Smart (15 page)

When I told you I was getting married, your response of, “We had spaghetti at our house three times last week,” confused me, since it was a NON SEQUITUR
.

Nosce te ipsum
(Latin) (NOS-keh tay IP-sum) (phrase)

Know yourself. Used by Thomas Hobbes (1558–1679) in his book
Leviathan
; its pedigree stretches back to ancient Greece. The American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) made it the title of a poem, in which he suggested that to know oneself was to know God.

nota bene
(Latin) (NO-tah BEN-ay) (interjection)

Note well. Pay attention.

I’m going to give you a piece of very good advice. NOTA BENE: When someone asks you to give an opinion on a book they’ve written, run. Run far
.

nouveaux riche
(French) (NOO-voh REESH) (noun)

Newly wealthy. The term carries a strong implication that newly earned money is less classy than old money and that the Nouveaux riche as a social class are vulgar and tasteless.

We don’t believe in inviting the NOUVEAUX RICHE to our Christmas parties; they’d probably come wearing fake fur or some other tacky thing. If you haven’t inherited your fortune, you’re not welcome in our home
.

nouvelle cuisine
(French) (NOO-vell kwe-ZINE) (noun)

Literally, “new dining.” A culinary movement that arose in the 1970s, first among French chefs such as Michel Guérard (1933–). The principles of the movement were that food should be simple, cooked less to preserve the natural flavors, and that there should be a strong “artistic” element in the presentation.

In practice, this led to chefs putting a prawn and six peas on a plate with two paintbrush strokes of white sauce and a sprig of parsley, then charging $36 for it. Fortunately, most chefs came back from the Dark Side, and
nouvelle cuisine
is largely only a horrid memory.

novus ordo seclorum
(Latin) (NO-vus OR-doh sek-LOH-room) (phrase)

New order of the ages. This phrase appears on the dollar bill beneath a pyramid topped with an all-seeing eye—a fact that has stimulated all sorts of conspiracy theories about the Freemasons, the Illuminati, the New World Order, and the Trilateral Commission. For a novel based on these theories, see Dan Brown’s
The Lost Symbol
. For a
good
novel based on these theories, see Umberto Eco’s
Foucault’s Pendulum
.

nudnik
(Yiddish) (NUD-nik) (noun)

A stupid, boring oaf.

I can’t believe your mother seated me next to Cousin Mordecai. He’s such a NUDNIK; I was asleep at the table halfway through dinner
.

nunc dimittis
(Latin) (nunk DIM-i-tis) (phrase)

Now let him depart. The phrase, which appears in Luke 2:29, is the title of a Christian hymn.

Nunc scio quid sit amor
(Latin) (nunk SKEE-oh kwid sit AH-mor) (phrase)

Now I know what love means. A line from the
Eclogues
by Virgil (70
B.C.
–19
B.C.
). The line can be romantic or ironic, depending on your need. On the chance that the person you’re talking to doesn’t know Latin, it’s as well to have a translation handy.

“Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.”

—Roger Bacon

O

obiter dictum
(Latin) (OH-bit-tur DIK-toom) (adv.)

Said in passing.

My good friend is entirely mistaken in his argument, OBITER DICTUM one that I have heard many times before from others more educated than he, that the property lines of our town intersect with those of our neighbors
.

objet d’art
(French) (ahb-ZHAY dart) (noun)

A work of art. Usually not a painting or sculpture but something that has other uses but can be considered a work of art.

The museum has recently acquired a fine collection of silver urns, cups, spoons, and other OBJETS D’ART that are now on display in the main gallery
.

objet trouvé
(French) (ahb-ZHAY troo-VAY) (noun)

Something that has been found. In this context, it refers to a type of art made from non-art-related objects. For example, a sculpture made of popsicle sticks might reasonably claim to be an objet trouvé.

Nota Bene

One of the leaders of the “Found Art” movement was Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968), one of the originators of Dadaism. This school of art attempted to parody existing styles and to push art out of its standard boundaries. Duchamp, for instance, shocked the art world in 1917 when he exhibited a urinal, titling it “Fountain.”

Oktoberfest
(German) (ahk-TOH-ber-fest) (noun)

A festival in Bavaria, Germany, characterized by large amounts of drinking. Since this is Germany we’re talking about, we perhaps should say larger amounts of drinking. Traditionally it runs from late September through the first part of October. It has spread to many other parts of the world, and in the United States many craft brewers bring out Oktoberfest beers in celebration.

Omnia mutantur, nihil interit
(Latin) (OHM-nee-ah moo-TAHN-toor NI-hil IN-tare-it) (phrase)

Everything changes but nothing is completely lost. A comment, appropriately enough from the
Metamorphoses
of Ovid (43
B.C.
–
A.D.
17).

Nota Bene

The Romans may have tried to project an image of puritan dedication to emperor and state, but they liked a dirty story as well as anybody. Ovid got in a good deal of trouble with the first Roman emperor, Augustus (63
B.C.
–
A.D.
14) and was banished in
A.D.
8, almost certainly because some of his poems were deemed “immoral.” The not-
surprising result was that Romans—and legions of schoolboys up through the nineteenth century—read Ovid’s poetry eagerly, searching for salacious meanings.

omnia praesumuntur legitime facta donec probentur in contrarium
(Latin) (AHM-nee-ah pry-zu-MUNT-oor lay-GIT-i-may FAK-tah DON-ek pro-BEN-toor in kon-TRA-ree-um) (phrase)

A legal term, meaning all things are legitimately done until proven otherwise. In other words, if something is not explicitly forbidden by law, it can be presumed to be legal.

omnium gatherum
(Latin) (AHM-nee-um GA-ther-um) (noun)

A miscellaneous collection; a hodge-podge.

My study is an OMNIUM GATHERUM of detritus, accumulated from the different stages of my intellectual development
.

opus citatum
(Latin) (OH-pus ki-TAH-tum) (phrase)

Literally, “The work having been cited.” Usually abbreviated
op. cit
. in footnotes and bibliography, it refers the reader to the previous citation of the work in a different place in the book or article.

O tempora, o mores
(Latin) (oh TEM-por-ah oh MOR-ayz) (phrase)

Our dreadful times! Our horrible customs! This gloomy sentiment is from a speech by Cicero (106
B.C.
–43
B.C.
) denouncing his rival Catiline (108
B.C.
–62
B.C.
). Catiline was, in Cicero’s view, attempting to overthrow the Roman Republic, and Cicero’s speech, in consequence, dealt with the decline of Roman virtue from the Good Old Days to his time. The expression can be employed by anyone wishing to suggest that things used to be much better than they are now.

oy gevalt
(Yiddish) (OY gh-VAHLT) (interjection)

Literally, “Oh, pain!” This expression is meant to suggest negative surprise or dismay.

You mean we’re going to Uncle Seymour’s for Chanukah this year? OY GEVALT! He drives me crazy!

oy vey
(Yiddish) (OY VAY) (interjection)

Another Yiddish comment that means pretty much the same as
oy gevalt
and can be used interchangeably. The Jewish people have had a lot to be dismayed and exasperated about in their history, so it’s understandable that Yiddish is full of expressions like this.

What do you mean, you didn’t make the maror for the Seder? OY VEY! How could you forget something like that?

“A different language is a different vision of life.”

—Federico Fellini

P

panem et circenses
(Latin) (pan-em et keer-KEN-seez) (phrase)

Literally, “bread and circuses.” Generally, any large spectacle staged by the state in order to distract the masses of people from more important issues. The phrase was first used by the Roman writer Juvenal (first century
A.D.
).

Because the senator knew his marital problems would create an electoral problem for him, he tried to woo people away from the camp of his opponent with PANEM ET CIRCENSES such as a giant barbeque
.

Nota Bene

The word “circus” in the context of Roman society does not mean something involving elephants and trapeze artists and so on. Rather, it refers to the circular or oval arenas in which races were staged. Thus “circus” is from the same root as our word “circular.” This can be seen in modern London, where traffic roundabouts are called circuses (e.g., Piccadilly Circus).

papier-mâché
(French) (PAP-ee-ay MA-shay) (noun)

A sculpted form made by covering a wire frame with strips of paper soaked in a paste solution. The structure, when dry, can be painted or additionally carved. The process dates back at least to ancient Egypt.

We made masks for the ball out of PAPIER-MÂCHÉ and painted them in garish colors, as well as decorating them with feathers
.

par avion
(French) (par ah-vee-OHN) (adv.)

By air. A stamp placed on the outside of airmail envelopes to ensure proper sorting. This, of course, was back when there
was
such a thing as air mail instead of the ubiquitous e-mail.

par excellence
(French) (pahr eks-sell-AHNS) (adv.)

To perfection. Literally, “by excellence.” This can be applied to a person, place, or thing that embodies the spirit of something.

Paris Hilton is the empty-headed socialite PAR EXCELLENCE. In fact, that’s really the only thing she’s excellent at
.

pari passu
(Latin) (PAH-ree PAS-soo) (adv.)

On equal footing. Sometimes, it is used in investing circles to refer to two or more assets that are considered equally.

Although George and I trained in two different events for this meet, we are PARI PASSU in the eyes of the spectators. That said, I plan to win my event; I’m not so sure about him
.

passe-partout
(French) (PAHS-par-too) (noun)

A pass key. Something that provides universal entry or passage.

Although I’ve forgotten my room key, the concierge has been good enough to supply a PASSE-PARTOUT to enable us to gain entrance
.

Nota Bene

The novel
Around the World in Eighty Days
by Jules Verne (1828–1905) includes a French character named Passepartout, the assistant to the intrepid English hero, Phileas Fogg. While Fogg marches unmoved through perils that include an angry Hindu mob, political brawlers in San Francisco, and a band of rampaging Indians in the American west, it is Passepartout who usually fixes problems and in the end enables Mr. Fogg to successfully complete his quest.

passim
(Latin) (PAS-sim) (adv.)

Here, there, and everything. In citations, this means that a particular term is found throughout the cited text.

pastiche
(French) (pahs-TEESH) (noun)

A hodge-podge. A collection of things, randomly assembled. It can also refer to an imitation of something, usually not intended to be taken seriously.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of PASTICHES of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but none comes close to the genius of the original tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
.

pater familias
(Latin) (PAH-tare fah-MEE-lee-ahs) (noun)

Literally, “father of the family.” More generally, a figure of authority, both by blood and by custom.

My grandfather considered himself the PATER FAMILIAS and was never happier than when his children and grandchildren gathered around his chair to listen to him lay down the law about something
.

pax
(Latin) (paks) (noun)

Peace. We say it in Latin because there’s some faint possibility of it being taken more seriously in that language than in English.

The two sides, after months of fighting, decided to declare PAX and go home—though without any measure of good feeling between them
.

pax vobiscum
(Latin) (PAKS wo-BIS-koom) (phrase)

Peace be with you. Although this is a salutation in the Catholic Mass, there’s no reason why people from other religions—or no religions at all, for that matter—shouldn’t say it to one another. They might even mean it.

per annum
(Latin) (per AN-oom) (adv.)

Per year. Usually in reference to a sum of money to be paid or received once a year.

Tuition at our university is $75,000 PER ANNUM, but rest assured that your son or daughter will receive the finest education in return for this trifling sum. Of course, we can’t make any guarantee that he or she will have a job afterward
.