Magna Carta or Charta
The prime minister, David Cameron, recently quizzed on an American TV
show, seemed to have fumbled or stumbled over the meaning of Magna
Carta or Magna Charta. Unlike his Tory compatriot,Boris Johnson, the
Mayor of London,who has a classics background,the prime minister has
not been privileged to have studied Latin and understandably
faltered.
However with or without Latin,there are citizens from the
Commonwealth who know the meaning of Magna Carter or Charta as the
Great Charter obtained from King John in 1215 and is the basis of
English political and personal liberty.Among the associates of the
top toffs would they not have come across their American
counterparts from the Ivy Leagues universities, who may have
graduated with magna cum laude i.e.with great distinction? Champayne may flow easily in all political parties celebrating victories or
defeats, may it not possibly be magnum? Is Magna that terribly
foreign?
What about Plebs?
A quote from Harry Mount on the use of pleb allegedly used by Andrew
Mitchell, the conservative's chief whip.
Pleb is the short form for plebeian(Latin) which means low born,
common people what the Americans refer to as blue collar.
"By classical standards, Andrew Mitchell's alleged use of the word
pleb in an altercation with Downing Street police officers this
month was incorrect as well as disgusting. In the terms of the
ancient world, not only is the policeman a pleb but also the
Conservative chief whip himself , his fellow MPs and most of the
house of Lords. Perhaps only a few dukes and the Queen and her
immediate family are not plebs-although they are far too grand to
use such a horribly de haut en bas term...
Through the 20th century, the word was employed as derogatory
slang-James Joyce and HG Wells used it that way in their books.In
his 1962 novel, A Murder of Quality, John le Carre wrote "Mrs.
Rode's quite decent...in a plebby sort of way: doyleys and china
birds." - "Latin lessons for latter-day plebs", Financial Times 28th September 2012
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