The motto

Wandering past a London shop the other day, I spied a sign in the window which took me rather aback:

“For inspirational, corrective and educational practice.”

Apparently they were after models who’d let trainee hairdressers loose on their hair – but you can see why I jumped to other conclusions. Actually, as a summary of rationales for good spankings, it’s really rather neat!

Translated into Latin, it’d be the ideal motto for the sort of establishment that Mr Jenkins might run in some future scene. “For inspiration, correction and education”:

Enim inspiratione, correctio et educationem

Anyone out there with a degree in the Classics? It’d be nice not to have to rely entirely on Google Translate.

A crest of a cane crossed with a birch, surmounted with a tawse, would set it off nicely. Oh, how I wish I was good at graphic design…

13 thoughts on “The motto

  • 19 February, 2013 at 7:21 am
    Permalink

    Aww how sad. For a moment im sure your naughty sensor was screaming. Sorry you were let down:(

    Reply
  • 19 February, 2013 at 12:39 pm
    Permalink

    “Enim inspiratione, correctio et educationem”

    Something’s wrong here because “inspiratione” is ablative, “correctio” is nominative and “educationem” is accusative case.

    For a literal translation I’d say “pro correctione et educatione et inspiratione”, but frankly it doesn’t sound that well. I’d go with “ex correctione inspiratio” (inspiration from correction).

    Svetlana
    (totally blown away that some Latin sunk in after all)

    P.S.: I adore some of the stories on this site.

    Reply
  • 19 February, 2013 at 12:44 pm
    Permalink

    Macy – further inspired, rather than let down!

    Svetlana – love hearing from a Latin geek! So what would “Inspiration and education from correction” be – “Ex correctione inspiratio et education… – o??”

    Reply
  • 19 February, 2013 at 4:00 pm
    Permalink

    A Latin geek ?!? I’ll be teased without mercy if I dare to show this to anyone who knows me.

    Seriously, I lacked both passion and patience for the subject, but after six years of torture, something was bound to stick, so I think it should read: “Ex correctione inspiratio et educatio”

    Now I better go hide before a real Latin geek shows up and exposes me for the fraud I am. :)

    Reply
  • 19 February, 2013 at 4:24 pm
    Permalink

    Ah well in that case congratulations?:)

    Reply
  • 19 February, 2013 at 9:33 pm
    Permalink

    Invicta!
    All six strokes taken.
    The Headmaster was taken aback.
    But she was a Maid of Kent!

    Reply
  • 20 February, 2013 at 3:21 pm
    Permalink

    Macy – LOL :-)

    Svetlana – oh, how I like the thought of a girl being teased (gently), almost as much as the thought of “six years of torture”. And as for what might happen to girls who are found guilty of fraud…!

    Reply
  • 24 February, 2013 at 6:43 pm
    Permalink

    Ok, if my Latin isn’t too rusty, that motto in Latin should be: ” Ad inflatum, correctionem et educationem”

    Ad is a preposition that goes with accusative.
    Inflatus, us, m. – nadahnuće (Serbian), ispiration
    Correctio, onis, f. – correction
    Educatio, onis, f. – education

    So, “For inspiration, correction and education”. This way it is more like Latin. I had most trouble finding a word for inspiration. I tried numerous synonyms but the only one I found was ‘inflatus, us, m.’ and it means both inspiration and inflated.

    So, do I get a reward or something? 😀 Yes, I think I (and the rest of the readers) do deserve a new story! Maybe with belt, scolding, father/guardian…

    Reply
  • 24 February, 2013 at 7:11 pm
    Permalink

    See what I meant? Oh, of course I agree Alias deserves a reward. :)

    “Invicta” … now, there’s a demanding motto!

    Reply
  • 24 February, 2013 at 8:06 pm
    Permalink

    “Ad inflatum correctio educatioque” probably – the -que construction sounds classier Latin, though the use of ‘et’ seems more natural to English speakers.

    Did anyone else come across the mnemonic for remembering the formation of irregular imperatives:

    “Dic, Duc, Fer, Fac,
    Remember this or get a whack!”

    [If they had followed the usual rule, they would have been Dice, Duce, Fere and Face]

    I can remember a boy being (gently and humourously) slapped on the bottom when his exercise showed that he had forgotten one of these exceptions. (1965 or so)

    Reply
  • 19 March, 2013 at 3:33 pm
    Permalink

    That’s great fun, Sveltana. Thanks! Just wish they had a few more *interesting* words to choose from!

    Reply
  • 20 March, 2013 at 6:57 am
    Permalink

    I knew you’d say that! … but I didn’t want to keep it for myself.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *