Latin Recipe: In vino veritas.

In vino veritas.

(from a German restaurant)

The phrase "in vino veritas" playfully alludes to the idea that when people get drunk, they might admit to things they would never admit to when sober. Notice also the nice alliteration: vino...veritas. That is part of the charm of the Latin saying. The saying has its own Wikipedia article, which includes parallels from other cultures also.

Dictionary:

in. from in (preposition): in

vino. from vinum, vini: wine

veritas. from veritas, veritatis: truth

Some easy variations:

Change the pair of nouns.

Expand the proverb with another pair.

Change the word order to lead with the noun.

Modify the statement with an adverb.

Modify the statement with adjectives.

Add a verb to the statement.

See if you can identify the types of variations below, and then you can try making your own variations. The noun is marked in bold to help you notice the changes in word order. Extra words beyond the original prepositional phrase + noun are underlined.

1. In vino verum.
2. In vino verba verissima.
3. Veritas in vino invenitur.
4. In vino veritas revelatur.
5. In aqua sanitas.
6. In vino veritas, sed in aqua sanitas.
7. In aqua pura sanitas secura.
8. In vino feritas.
9. In minimis maximum.
10. In parvo magnum.
11. In cauda venenum.
12. In cauda venenum: cave!
13. In herba anguis.
14. In amore dolores.
15. Dolores in amore abundant.
16. In sterculino margarita.
17. In legibus libertas.
18. In libris libertas.
19. In labore decus.
20. In cineribus scintilla.
21. In tenebris lux.
22. In concordia victoria.
23. In silentio securitas.
24. Securitas in silentio.
25. Saepe in silentio securitas.
26. In lacrimis aliquando voluptas.
27. In nocte consilium.
28. In mora periculum.
29. In varietate voluptas.
30. In oculis animus.

Divers Proverbs

This book is a fun way to get a sense of proverbs that were circulating in England in the 18th century (this is a reprint of a book first published in 1721): Divers Proverbs by Nathan Bailey. The book features one of those very VERY long titles, as you can see here on the title page:

As promised, each saying has a brief explanation, often with comparative material from other languages. Here's the explanation for the saying A cat may look at a king (made newly famous by its use in Alice in Wonderland).

You can read more about the author, Nathan Bailey, at Wikipedia; he was one of the first English lexicographers. As often, there is a lot of overlap between the making of dictionaries and the collection of proverbs. You can see his An Universal Eymological English Dictionary at the Internet Archive too.

Here are some of my favorites from Bailey's book:

A burnt child dreads the fire.

It is an ill wind that blows nobody good.

One bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

A cat may look upon a king.

I talk of chalk and you of cheese.

Cut yoru coat according to your cloth.

What can't be cured must be endured.

Cursed cows have short horns.

He who has a mind to beat a dog will easily find a stick.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Out of the frying pan into the fire.

He sets the fox to keep his geese.

Every man thinks his own geese swans.

Many hands make light work.

Penny wise and pound foolish.

Reckon not your chickens before they are hatched.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

It is good to make hay while the sun shines.

The more haste, the worse speed.

When the sky falls we shall catch larks.

'Tis too late to spare when all is spent.

One swalllow does not make a summer.

Too much of one thing is good for nothing.

One good turn deserves another.

He steals a goose and gives the giblets in alms.

If you trust before you try, you may repent before you die.

Nothing venture, nothing have.

Many words will not fill a bushel.

Internet Archive Book: The Night Has Ears

Well, it's May, so I'm ready to start posting a proverb book every day now, along with some proverbs from each one. Today's book is The Night Has Ears: African Proverbs by Ashley Bryan.

Each proverb has its own illustration by the author, and you can find out more about Bryan's work in my Bookshelf blog. As Bryan explains in the introduction, he began finding proverbs in his research on African tales for his other books. In addition, as a child, Bryan's mother instilled a love of proverbs in him. Hence this book!

Here are a few of my favorites :-)

• If you cannot dance, you will say: The drumming is poor. (Ashanti)
• However long the night, the dawn will break. (Hausa)
• Patching makes a garment last long. (Yoruba)
• A log may lie in the water for ten years, but it will never become a crocodile. (Songhai)
• Treat your guest as a guest for two days; on the third day, give him a hoe. (Swahili)
• The goat is not big in a cow town. (Vai)
• You may grow taller, but no taller than your head. (Bassa)
• Take the drowning child from the water before scolding it. (Grebo)
• No one tests the depth of the river with both feet. (Krahn)
• No one knows the story of tomorrow's dawn. (Ashanti)

Here's the illustration for the log who wants to be a crocodile:

The proverbs are fascinating on their own, and even better with the illustrations!

The Night Has Ears:
African Proverbs
by Ashley Bryan