From Ursus Nomine Paddington to ‘Deskibus collapsibus’ – readers respond to a letter on learning the language
Our venerable Latin teacher, Mr EA Burnham, was persuaded to help us translate contemporary phrases (Letters, 1 November): the Humphrey-Bogart-style “Dic mel da mihi intermissionem” for “Say, honey, give me a break!”; or “Quis est umbo huius articulum” (“Who’s the boss of this joint?”); or for musical tastes “Fodio saxum volumenque” (“I dig rock’n’roll”). Sorry if the cases are erroneous – but it was more than 60 years ago.
Richard Bullock
Scarrington, Nottinghamshire
• Brenda Grant’s letter on the Sound of Music in Latin reminded me of my own experience in the 1960s. We had a Latin mistress called Miss Mills. We gals thought we were terribly amusing by coming up with: “Millibus satibus on the deskalorum / Deskibus collapsibus / Milli on the floorum.”