The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1873-02-26
THE ORIGIN OF CLASSICAL
PHRASES.
TO PASS THE RUBlCON

an enterprise with m irrevOcable decis-
ion. The Rubicon was a little river
which separated the Roman empire
from Gaul. The expression has refer
ence to Caesar, who crossed this bOun-
! Diary line and marched against the Ro-
man Senate, after that body had order
ed him to disband his army, which he
had in Gaul. On arriving at the famous
stream. Caesar hesitated, being impress
ed with the awful consequences that
would follow, and said to one of his
Generals, eff | pass this river what
miseries [ shall bring on my country, if
! do not [ am undOne." Soon after he
exclaimed, "The die is cast, and rush
ed across the RubicOn.
| SUB-ROsA
Under the rose. What is said or done
privately and secretly among confden-
tial friends. The origin of this term is
said to be the following Cupid it is
said, gave a rose to Hippocrates, the
God of Silence, and from this legend
arose the practice of suspending a Erose
from the ceiling over the table while
eating, when it was intended that the
conversation must be kept secret. This
custom gave rise to the phrase satb-rOSG.
ULTIMA THULE,
Ahr,, F,1fn Iyv
the extremity of the earth. 3 Ultima
Thule" was the most remote island in
the Northern parts known to the Ro-
mans.
RARA AVIS,
"a rare Bird is term used by Juvenal
to signify prodigy or something Won
derful. To say of a man that he is a
,ura avj8, means that he is singular,
eccentric, &c.
BRUTUM FULMEN,
Empty thunder. When any one deliv-
ers a speech full of sound and fury, hav-
ing nothing i'll it, it is called Brutum
Fulmen. A boastful threat, or an obso-
lete law which no one respects, is also
called Brutum Fulmen.
PUN1CA FIDEs.
Punic faith. This phase was used by
the Romans to denote the treachery of
the Punics, or Carthagenians. 1t now
means bad faith in a national sense.
RECTUs IN CURlA,
Upright in the Courts. When any one
came into the courts of justice with
clean hands, he was said to be "rectus
in curia."
Ps AND o's.
The origin of the phrase, " Mind your
P's O's," is not generally known. In
ale houses where chalk scores were for
merly marked upon the wall, it was GUS
tomary to put these initial letters at the
head of every mans account, to show
the number of pints and quarts for
which he owed and when one was in
dulging too freely in drink, friend
would touch him on the shoulder, and
point to the score on the wall, saying:
"John, mind your P's and Q's." That
is, notice the pints and quarts now
charged against you and cease drinking.
NovUs HOMO.
" A new man." A man who arises to
distinction without family aid by his
own efforts. Cicero uses mOUi h0n1ine8,
the plural of the above, to signify, 'the
first nobleman Of their families A man
springing out of an obscure family and
becoming famous, would be called by
the Romans n0uu8 homo The noOj
ho61i7aes Of America are quite numerous.
LABOR oMNA yINCIT.
Labor conquers all things. There
are few difficulties which will not yield
to persevering labor. Continuous toll
gurmounts every difficulty. 1t makes
the wilderness of nature blossom as the
rose.
HURBAH.
The origin of this Slavonian word, used
from the coast of Dalmatia to Behring's
Straits, belongs to the primitive idea,
that every man dying heroioally for his
country, goes straight to Heaven. 1t is
derived from Has-rg, which means
Heaven, Ht1rah, i. E., to Paradise
You viii go, if you fight brayely. In
the shock of battle, the Turks cry
q Allah, which has similar meaning.
Hurrah has degenerated to mean no
more in common use than to hurry, or
an exclamation of Joy or triumph.
ESPRIT DE CORPS.
"The spirit Of the body, !" is a French
term meaning that brotherly feeling,
which pervades professional bodies,
such as the gentleman Of the bar, sol
tliers of an army, clergymen, SC,