Velocius Quam Asparagi Coquantur


The phrase I chose for this topic is “velocius quam asparagi coquantur”, which is translated as “faster than you can cook asparagus”. It is claimed that this phrase is accredited to Augustus, but there is little evidence that this is actually true. I believe this phrase is as stated, it just means that something can or needs to be done in a short time. Historically, everyone has cooked asparagus the same. It’s something that only takes a few minutes, so “faster than you can cook asparagus” also means exactly that. I would like to see this make a comeback in modern culture because I think it’s funny and more accurate. Every time people are asked to do a small task, we’re told, “It’ll only take a minute!” Usually, these tasks often take up to three minutes, which isn’t an inconvenience at all; a minute just isn’t accurate. Using this ancient phrase would make more sense, as it could take 1 minute, or it could take 4 minutes. This would mostly be used by adults, because let’s be honest: people my age would never use it.

-Cole Hudson

Mental Floss

No comments:

Post a Comment