Illegitimi non carborundum
Illegitimi non carborundum is a mock-Latin aphorism jokingly taken to mean "don't let the bastards grind you down". There are many variants of the phrase, such as
- Non illegitimis carborundum.
- Illegitimi nil carborundum.
- Non illegitimi carborundum.
- Nil bastardo carborundum.
- Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
- Illegitimis non carborundum.
- Illegitimus no carborundum est.
None of the above is correct Latin. Carborundum is not a Latin word but the name of a mineral which is extremely hard and used for grinding. (see silicon carbide article). The ending -undum suggests either a Latin gerund or gerundive form--and the idea of obligation ("Don't let ...") is more suggestive of the gerundive--but the word is actually a portmanteau of "carbon" (from Latin), and "corundum" (from Tamil kurundam).
Illegitimi suggests illegitimate to the English speaker, or bastardo likewise, but the Latin for bastard is actually nothus (from the Greek word notho (νόθο) meaning not-pure, and used when referring to a bastard whose father is known) or spurius (for a bastard whose father is unknown). The forms with nil may be formed partly on the pattern of the genuine Latin phrase Nil desperandum.
The phrase originated during World War II. Lexicographer Eric Partridge attributes it to British army intelligence very early in the war (in the plural illegitimis). The phrase was adopted by US Army general "Vinegar" Joe Stillwell as his motto during the war.[1] It was later further popularized in the US by 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.[2] The United States Submarine the USS Tunny (SSN-682) Ships Motto see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Tunny_(SSN-682)
Henry Beard in his 1991 book Latin for Even More Occasions (chapter I) offered some correct Latin for the sentiment, but did so in a section Dopey Exhortations Are More Forceful in Latin, which might be his comment on the merit of the expression.
- Don't let the bastards wear you down.
Noli nothis permittere te terere.
- The correct Latin word for 'bastard', often used as a cognomen for those of illegitimate birth is 'spurius'. The correct Greek is 'nothos' not 'notho'. 'Illegitimus' is a typical use of Later latin to make the language look more like English. It is noble idea, but erroneous.
Other uses
- Nil Carborundum, title of a 1962 play and TV comedy by Henry Living [1].
- Nil Carborundum Illegitimo, in Principia Discordia (eg. [2]) from 1965
- Nolite te bastardes carborundorum, in The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood.
- "Illegitimi non carborundum", in Lucifer's Hammer (1977) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, page 29.
- "Illegitimi non carborundum" was the motto of the (now decommissioned) submarine USS Tunny (SSN 682).
See also
References
- ^ Why Do We Say ...?, Nigel Rees, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1944-3
- ^ Illegitimi Non Carborundum page, at Santa Cruz Public Libraries ready reference, quoting William Safire, Safire's New Political Dictionary