Latin Via Proverbs: Home - Previous - Next

 

Group 29: Latin

 

387. Canis in praesepi.

388. Anguis in herba.

389. Simia in pelle leonis.

390. Sicut oves in medio luporum.

391. Anulus aureus in naribus suis.

392. Equus in quadrigis, in aratro bos.

393. In pace leones, in proelio cervi.

394. In praetoriis leones, in castris lepores.

395. A fronte praecipitium, a tergo lupi.

396. Non est fumus absque igne.

397. Nunc tuum ferrum in igni est.

398. A mari usque ad mare.

399. Procul a Iove, procul a fulmine.

400. Oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente.

401. Pro vehiculo est in via comes facundus.

 

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Study Guide

 

387. Dog in the manger. (This is a proverb derived from the famous fable which later became part of the Aesopic tradition about the dog who sat in the manger and, even though he did eat hay himself, prevented the cattle from being able to feed. You will find links to Latin and English versions of this fable at the aesopica.net website.)

 

388. Snake in the grass. (A fuller form of this saying including a verb would be latet anguis in herba, a snake is hiding in the grass, i.e., you are facing a lurking danger, something which cannot be immediately seen, but which is potentially fatal nonetheless. You can see this motto used in one of Whitney's emblems.)

 

389. A monkey in the skin of a lion. (There is a famous Aesop's fable about the donkey in the skin of a lion, and this saying expresses the same idea: a foolish monkey has donned the apparel of a mighty beast that is hardly appropriate to his station or powers. You can also find a similar saying, Simia in purpura, "a monkey on royal robes.")

 

390. As sheep in the midst of wolves. (You can read a brief essay about this proverb at the AudioLatinProverbs.com blog.)

 

391. A golden ring in the nostrils of a pig. (You can read a brief essay about this proverb at the AudioLatinProverbs.com blog.)

 

392. Horse in the racing chariot, in the plow an ox. (This is another proverb about right things being in the right place. You would not want to use your racing horse to plow the field, and you would not yoke an ox to a four-horse team pulling a racing chariot. Imagine Ben Hur trying to race his chariot with three horses and an ox!)

 

393. In peace, lions; in time of war, deer. (The deer was a proverbially timid and cowardly animal. So when there is no danger, people might boast as big as lions, but when the battle arrives, they are cowards at heart, like the deer, ready to take flight rather than fight.)

 

394. In the governor's palace, lions; in the battlefield camp, rabbits. (This expressed much the same idea as the preceding proverb. When they are back at home planning the war in safety, they are brave as lions, but when they go out into the field to do battle they become as timid as rabbits.)

 

395. A precipice in front, and from behind - wolves! (In other words, between the devil and the deep blue sea!)

 

396. There is no smoke without fire. (In other words, as we say in English: where there is smoke, there's fire.)

 

397. Now your iron is in the fire. (This is the moment of opportunity, because the iron can only be worked in the red heat of the flame. The English proverb then urges: strike while the iron is hot! )

 

398. From sea all the way to the sea. (This saying is the motto of Canada!)

 

399. Far from Jupiter, far from the thunderbolt. (A variant form is found in Erasmus's Adagia, 1.3.96, who explains: "This advises us not to get involved with people who are extremely powerful, who can with a mere nod destroy us whenever it pleases them.")

 

400. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. (This infamous principle of Biblical justice is expressed in Exodus 21, among other Bible passages: Oculum pro oculo dentem pro dente manum pro manu pedem pro pede; adustionem pro adustione vulnus pro vulnere livorem pro livore, "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot; burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow.")

 

401. On a journey a talkative companion is as good as a ride. (I really like this saying! It suggests that if you are walking a long way, having someone to talk with as you make the journey by foot is even better than the speedy journey by vehicle made in silence. I always think about this saying when I ride in an airplane. It used to be that people in airplanes regularly introduced themselves to their traveling companions, but silence has become more and more the norm, so that we manage to journey at hundreds of miles an hour, but without anyone to talk to, if you are traveling alone.)

 

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