inglés
WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS RELATING TO CLASSICAL LITERATURE
ENGLISH WORD: “homeric laughter”.
CURRENT MEANING: eternal, loud and uncontrolled laughing, as of the gods.
ORIGIN: it makes reference to the “unquenchable laughter” (ἄσβετος “unceasing”, γέλως“laughter”) of the gods in Iliad I. 599, Odyssey XX. 346.
Homer. Philipe-Laurent Roland 1746-1816.
ENGLISH WORD: “tacit” and “tacitum”.
CURRENT MEANING: something that it´s not noticed or it´s not said formally, so you can infer or suppose. Some sinonyms are unspoken or silent, not expressed or declared openly, but implied or understood. Other important word connected is tacitum with the meaning of “silent or melancholic”.
ORIGIN: it comes from the Latin word tacitus that, at the same time, comes from de Latin verb tacere, “shut up”, however, at the present time, it would be appropriate linked to narrative style of the Latin historian Tacito (Cornelius Tacitus, from the Imperial Time), who is known by using subtle talking that could be difficult to understand.
Drawing of Tacitus.
"SOUR GRAPES"
ENGLISH WORD: “sour grapes”.
CURRENT MEANING: it is an English idiom that is used to describe someone´s behaviour or opinion who is angry because he has not got or achieved something that they wanted.
ORIGIN: sour grapes are an expression originating from the Aesop Fable The fox and the grapes. In this fable the main character is a hungry fox trying to achive a high bunches of grapes hunging from a vine, but, because they were just out of the reach, she gave up trying and walked away, despising the grapes and saying “too much sour!”.
The Fox and the Grapes. Illustration by Milo Winter for Aesop´s anthology, 1919.
"LESBIAN"
ENGLISH WORD: “lesbian”.
CURRENT MEANING: it´s the term most widely used in the English language to refer to sexual relations between women.
ORIGIN: it´s derived from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos where a group of young women were left in poetess Sapho´s charge for their cultural and educative traininig. It´s also related to Orfeo´s short story in which is said that his head and lyre, still singing mournful songs, were carried on to the Lesbos shore where the poetry was born linked to poetess Sapho.
Sapho of Lesbos contemplating the calendar. 660 a. C.
"CATILINARIAN"
ENGLISH WORD: “catilinarian”.
CURRENT MEANING: this classic term can be used as a noun with the meaning of “conspirator” or as an adjective with the meaning of “conspiratorial”.
ORIGIN: this expression derives from the Lucius Sergius Catilina, the Roman politician and conspirator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the Roma Republic while Cicero was a consul. His conspiracy focused on assassinating Cicero and overthrowing the Roman Republic was prevented by the famous public speaker Cicero. The Cicero´s speeches against Catilina are known as Catiline Orations or Catilinarians. In this literary work we can also find expressions still widely remembered and used after 2,000 years, such as Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? “How long, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?” or the famous O tempora, o mores! “Oh times, oh customs!”.
Cicero denounces Catiline. Cesare Maccari 1819.
"CICERONE"
ENGLISH WORD: “cicerone”.
CURRENT MEANING: cicerone is an old term for a guide, one who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc..., and explains matters of archaeological, historic and artistic interest.
ORIGIN: the word is presumably taken from Marco Tulio Cicero, as a type of learning and eloquence. It appears that the word was first applied to learned antiquarians who showed and explained to foreigners the antiquities and curiosities of the country. This word has been trademarked in the United States for use in a beer sommelier certification program.