I think I might have figured out the origin of "May Day" as an expression of distress in vernacular English... I haven't looked it up cause I haven't the time just now (right in the middle of critical school work), but I have to write it down or it will drive me crazy...
I think "May Day" is a corruption of the French "m'aidez," which means "help me!" in French.
Anybody reading this know for sure? I'm really curious...
(Told you it was random.)
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Found it!
"Illegitimi non carborundum" is supposedly something like "Don't let the bastards grind you down", but since I don't speak Latinish, I wouldn't know. :P
LOL! Yeah, that looks about right... maybe... without looking it up... as long as the words weren't made up...
I'll ask my prof to be sure...
I know Margaret Atwood makes use of it in "The Handmaid's Tale", but I agree. Probably better to check with Professor M. Not McGonagal, by any chance? :P
If it's actually uses it in a book like "The Handmaid's Tale," then I'm sure it's correct.
LOL! Yeah, not McGonagal. Manolaraki.
Well, this is a surprise! LOL! Here's what my prof said:
"Ha! Not this again!
"I cannot tell you how many people have come to me asking if this phrase is correct, or even if it is Latin. And, of course it is not (how could my beloved Romans come up with something crass like that?!! They have infinitely more subtle ways to abuse....) Here is the link to wikipedia, the bible of pop culture research! See y' all tomorrow,
"EM.
" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegitimi_non_carborundum "
How interesting! I guess this further proves the "Don't believe everything you read" thing. :P Thanks for asking your professor.
Oh, you're welcome! ;D I think things like that are very interesting so I was glad to do it...
Yeah, I was surprised... she went on to say:
"I don't mind it at all that you ask, it just offends me personally when people aspire to the grandeur and the authority of the Latin language without having put in the hard work that you all put every semester to understand it. If there is *anyone* who has the right to dog-Latin it's you guys, not the marines (no offense to the marines, but they took 'semper fidelis'---and now this??!!!)
In arms,
EM."
LOL! My prof is such a hoot!!
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