The alt.usage.english FAQ   

• "Illegitimis non carborundum"

  (Phrase Origins)
  
  

  
     Yes, this means "Don't let the bastards grind you down", but it
  is not real Latin; it is a pseudo-Latin joke.
  
     "Carborundum" is a trademark for a very hard substance composed
  of silicon carbide, used in grinding.  (The name "Carborundum" is a
  blend of "carbon" and "corundum".  "Corundum" denotes aluminium
  oxide, and comes to English from Tamil _kuruntam_; it is related to
  Sanskrit _kuruvinda_ = "ruby".)  "The "-ndum" ending suggests the
  Latin gerundive, which is used to express desirability of the
  activity denoted by the verb, as in _Nil desperandum_ = "nothing to
  be despaired of"; _addendum_ = "(thing) fit to be added";
  _corrigendum_ = "(thing) fit to be corrected"; and the name Amanda,
  from _amanda_ = "fit to be loved").
  
     _Illegitimis_ is the dative plural of _illegitimus_ =
  "illegitimate"; the gerundive in Latin correctly takes the dative to
  denote the agent.  _Illegitimus_ could conceivably mean "bastard" in
  Latin, but was not the usual word for it:  _Follett World-Wide Latin
  Dictionary_ (Follett, 1967) gives _nothus homo_ for bastard of known
  father, and _spurius_ for bastard of unknown father.
  
     The phrase seems to have originated with British army
  intelligence early in World War II.  It was popularized when U.S.
  general Joseph W. "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell (1883-1946) adopted it as
  his motto.  Various variant forms are in circulation.

  
  
  Source: [Mark Israel, 'Phrase Origins: "Illegitimis non carborundum"', The alt.usage.english FAQ file,(line 4970), (29 Sept 1997)]
  
  
  
  

Navigation

This is a temporary page for the development of aue FAQ material and the testing of scripts.

Please do not bookmark this page.