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I spove loonerisms for the wantasy forlds they upen op.
Try Bastity Chelt by Jasper Carrot at:
http://www.worldofyak.com/flops/flops.cgi?page=lyrics&for=bastity-chelt
Quite unintentionally I uttered a spoonerism at my wedding, vowing "with all my goodly worlds I thee endow" which I think is more romantic than the real words. Of course I try to maintain that it means my wife doesn't get my money, but she reckons until I actually provide a goodly world my money will do!
Rod Ward
Aut numquam testes, aut perfice.
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Dear rodward: I looked at the site you gave. Some of it was amusing, but strung out a bit too far. Only word I had not heard recently was "subfusc" clothing not suitable for having his picture taken. But do mention any sites you find interesting, because I would never find them otherwise. Bill Hunt
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Aut numquam testes, aut perfice
i googlized this and came up blank, and my latin word list translates this directly to "EITHER NEVER MARTYR, OR ACCOMPLISH", which obviously is incorrect. Bob, Scribbler, Faldage etc. (or Rod?) would you please translate this for me?
TIA
b
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please translate this for me?
This request was made in another thread and bears repeating.(thanks Bridget96)
Since the members of the Board are scattered around the world, many languages and dialects, translations of any phrases would be greatly appreciated especially by those, like me, who have little fluency in any language other than English.
wow
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The phrase "Aut numquam testes, aut perfice" is listed in Fairbairn's Book of Crests (1897- 1926 editions) as the family motto of the Ward family, untranslated. It is a one letter corruption of the more common Latin motto "Aut numquam teNtes, aut perfice". Literally "Either never attempt, or complete", more loosely - "If you do something, do it properly". I translate the one letter corruption as
"If you balls it up, balls it up thoroughly".
The 1933 edition of Fairbairn's no longer includes this motto!
Rod Ward
Aut numquam testes, aut perfice.
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Dear rodward: you seem to have invented a new genre, the shaggy family motto. To bad so few of us can compete in this field. I spent quite a few hours in Latin sites trying to find translation of the motto as you gave it. Now I know why I couldn't find it, but at least serendipitously I did find quite a few interesting things, so I am far from bitter.
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the shaggy family motto
Ohmigawd, how funny!
Oh, you-all, there have to be more!
Hmm--Onward and downward;
The neverending downslope;
on to anonymity.
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Subfusc - my dictionary defines this as " of a dull or sombre colour". My only exposure to its use was when my daughter at Oxford had to wear "subfusc" for meals and exams. In that case it seemed to refer specifically to a black mini acedemic gown, rather than anything dark.
Rod Ward
Aut numquam testes, aut perfice.
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So the character in the site you gave, when he said that his subfusc would spoil the tourists' pictures meant they would have preferred to have him in the full length formal gown. That makes more sense.
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[drab]his subfusc would spoil the tourists' pictures meant they would have preferred to have him in the full length formal gown. That makes more sense.[/drab] can't agree, bill; most tourists like their photos colorful, rather than drab and dusky.  here's another cite: "It was thanks to the Ratty-and-Mole affection between Sir Darius Cama and V.V. Merchant -- the older man a flamboyant, blazered sportsman and bon vivant, the younger one of life's subfusc burrowers -- that an opportunity for making amends was given...." - Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet
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from the Wadham College (Oxford UK) online glossary:
Subfusc : formal Oxford academic dress worn for exams and university ceremonies: for men - white shirt, white bow-tie, dark suit, dark shoes, gown, mortar-board; for women - white shirt, black ribbon-tie, dark skirt, dark shoes, gown, mortar-board.
wwh - where on the site I posted (Bastity Chelt) did you find subfusc? I did a webferret and found a wonderful range of entries, but no pointer back to the Bastity Chelt site.
Rod Ward
Aut numquam testes, aut perfice.
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old hand
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the shaggy family motto
Ohmigawd, how funny!
Oh, you-all, there have to be more!Well, Jackie, as you know, I come from a long line of losers, crackpots, dreamer/schemers, ne'er-do-wells, charlatans and bloomin' idiots. My family's ancient motto was "Ex Lax Diarrhea." 
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My family's ancient motto was "Ex Lax...So, Geoff, these things run in your family? 
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Pooh-Bah
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The Los Angele Airport area -- extending to parts of Venice -- is known to some as EX LAX
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