Please translate into Latin:

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tullman
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Please translate into Latin:

Post by tullman »

I would like help translating this to Latin:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

vastor
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Post by vastor »

I think that statement is quite idiomatic and metaphorical, and the meaning would be lost in a direct translation.

This is how I would express the meaning of the phrase without the culinary euphemism:
ultio consilio attento bene agitur

A rough translation would be:
Revenge is best conducted with / by careful planning (a careful plan)

Ablative of manner or means. In either case, the preposition is omitted due to the presence of a modifier.

I think the subjunctive mood would be more appropriate, but I haven't covered that yet, so the present passive indicative will have to do.

I suppose you could write a more literal expression using a relative clause (subordinate clause):
ultio est caesna / cibum quod sine igni optume datur / paratur

Essorant
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Post by Essorant »

<pre></pre>
<b>Ultio est patina qae frigida optime datur. </b> "Revenge is a dish that is best given cold."

I hope that is a sound translation.



<br><br>

vastor
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Post by vastor »

Essorant wrote:<pre></pre>
<b>Ultio est patina qae frigida optime datur. </b> "Revenge is a dish that is best given cold."

I hope that is a sound translation.
I don't quite understand your grammar here. 'qae' I assume is meant to be 'quae' ?

Essorant
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Post by Essorant »

Sorry. That was supposed to be <b>quae</b>. <pre></pre>

vastor
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Post by vastor »

You will have to bear with me here. But something about this is stupefying me. Specifically the relative clause:

quae frigida optime datur

For the life of me, I can't remember seeing a predicate adjective used that way with a passive voiced verb. It may be perfectly proper, but for some reason, I can only think of examples where the passive verb is complemented by prepositional phrases. Sorry if my questions are rudimentary.

Essorant
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Post by Essorant »

...I can only think of examples where the passive verb is complemented by prepositional phrases.
<b>Optime</b> is for the verb <b>datur</b>. But <b>frigida</b> refers back to <b>patina</b>.


<b>quae frigida optime datur</b> "That cold (the dish) is best given"


Does that make sense?

<pre></pre>

vastor
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Post by vastor »

Essorant wrote: <b>Optime</b> is for the verb <b>datur</b>. But <b>frigida</b> refers back to <b>patina</b>.
I see that frigida modifies quae, which is an anaphora for patina. I guess it would work ok like that. Perhaps I'm just over-analysing...
Essorant wrote: <b>quae frigida optime datur</b> "That cold (the dish) is best given"

Does that make sense?
It does make more sense like that. Thanks for the explanation.

Alatius
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Post by Alatius »

Another proposal: "Ultio est ferculum frigide fruendum."

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thesaurus
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Post by thesaurus »

Alatius wrote:Another proposal: "Ultio est ferculum frigide fruendum."
I second a use of the gerundive.
Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni, nec praeteritum tempus umquam revertitur nec quid sequatur sciri potest. Quod cuique temporis ad vivendum datur, eo debet esse contentus. --Cicero, De Senectute

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Post by Essorant »

I like that translation as well.
<pre> </pre>

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