Proverbs and foreign phrases

English (Précis and Composition) · Vocabulary · Idioms and phrases. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

A proverb is a short traditional saying that gives advice or states a general truth. Like an idiom it has fixed wording, and its lesson is wider than its picture: Make hay while the sun shines is about using any good chance, not about farming. Questions ask you to complete a proverb or to choose its lesson.

English also uses a number of Latin and French phrases, mostly in law, government and formal writing. They are short labels for exact ideas, and the paper asks what they mean.

Do not guess a foreign phrase from an English word that it resembles. In camera has nothing to do with photography; it means in private.

Rules to remember

A stitch in time saves nine = act early and you avoid more work later. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush = keep what you have instead of risking it for more.
Rome was not built in a day = great work takes time. All that glitters is not gold = appearances deceive.
ad hoc = for this particular purpose; bona fide = genuine, in good faith; status quo = the existing state of affairs.
per se = in itself; de facto = in fact, in practice; de jure = by law; prima facie = at first sight.
sine qua non = an essential condition; vice versa = the other way round; in camera = in private; inter alia = among other things.
French: faux pas = a social mistake; fait accompli = a thing already done; en route = on the way; coup d'état = a sudden seizure of power.

Common mistake

Candidates explain a proverb by its picture alone, or guess a Latin phrase from a similar English word. Give the general lesson of a proverb and the learnt meaning of a phrase.

Worked example

The judge decided to hear the witness in camera. What does in camera mean? A on video, B in private, C in a hurry, D in public.

Camera is the Latin word for a room or chamber, so the phrase means in the judge's chamber.
A hearing in a chamber is closed to the public and the press.
A is the trap: it uses the modern English meaning of camera.
D is the opposite: a hearing in open court.

Answer: B, in private.

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