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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Foenum in cornu #117274 12/07/2003 10:58 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 The Admiral has been tempted to borrow from a usurer, but a friend dissuades him and takes him to a lawyer, who says of the usurer FOENUM HABET IN CORNU Il a du foin aux cornes. Dans les campagnes romaines, les bouviers avaient l'habitude d'entourer de foin les cornes des taureaux dangereux, non pour atténuer les coups qu'ils pouvaient porter, mais pour avertir de loin les passants. De là le proverbe : Il a du foin aux cornes. Horace (liv. I, sat. IV, v. 34) parle du poète satirique et s'écrie en plaisantant : « Romains, voilà l'homme dangereux, fuyez-le, fuyez ; il a du foin dans les cornes, prenez garde ! » Roman farmers used to attach hay to tips of bulls' horns to warn that the bull was dangerous. So the lawyer is telling the Admiral that the userer showed signs of being dishonest. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Foenum in cornu #117275 12/09/2003 5:57 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta Bingley Carpal Tunnel Bingley Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta It's a quotation from Horace's Satires 1.4.34: 'faenum habet in cornu, longe fuge; "He has hay on his horn, keep away; ..." See footnote 6 on this page: http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hor.+S.+1.4 And Plutarch's discussion of the custom in his Roman Questions: http://makeashorterlink.com/?B29A111C6 Bingley Bingley Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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