Illegitimi non carborundum

A gravestone inscribed with the Latin phrase

Illegitimi non carborundum is a mock-Latin aphorism interpreted as "Don't let the bastards grind you down".

Latin meaning

The word illegitimi (i.e., the plural of illegitimus, actually translates to "unlawful" or "outlaw" but resembles the English "illegitimate") is sometimes given in the plural dative case (that is, illegitimīs), a case that follows the Latin gerundive and denotes agency. Non negates activity. Carborundum is an industrial abrasive material also known as silicon carbide, but its name resembles a Latin gerundive, a grammatical construct that expresses desirability of whatever the verb denotes. So carborundum can be mock-translated to mean "fit to be ground". Thus "illegitimi[s] non carborundum" would mean "not fit to be ground by the illegitimate", or "Don't let the bastards grind you down".^[1]

History

The phrase originated during World War II. Lexicographer Eric Partridge attributes it to British army intelligence very early in the war (using the dative plural illegitimis). If carborere had been an actual Latin word meaning "to grind down", that version of the phrase would actually be correct Latin for "It must not be ground down by the bastards" (with carborundum as a gerundive).

The phrase was adopted by US Army General "Vinegar" Joe Stilwell as his motto during the war, in the form Illegitimati non carborundum.^[2][3] It was later further popularized in the US by 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.^[4]

The phrase is also used as the first line of one of the extra cod Latin verses added in 1953 to an unofficial school song at Harvard University, "Ten Thousand Men of Harvard". This most frequently played fight song of the Harvard University Band, is, to some extent, a parody of more solemn school songs like "Fair Harvard thy Sons to your Jubilee Throng". The first verse goes:

Illegitimum non carborundum;

Domine salvum fac.

Illegitimum non carborundum;

Domine salvum fac.

Gaudeamus igitur!

Veritas non sequitur?

Illegitimum non carborundum—ipso facto!^[5]

The phrase is also used as part of a student painted crest on the bottom floor of Hodge Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary.

A wooden plaque bearing the phrase sat prominently on the desk of former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner.^[6]

Variants

There are many variants of the phrase, such as Illegitimis non carborundum, Noli illegitimi carborundum and Nil illegitimi carborundum. No version using carborundum as a verb is legitimate Latin, as carborundum is a noun and not a gerundive of any verb, although it does look like a gerundive. Also the word bastard in Latin is spurius^[7] or, much less commonly, nothus.^[8] The two most common variations translate as follows: illegitimi non carborundum = the unlawful are not silicon carbide, illegitimis non carborundum = the unlawful don't have silicon carbide.

Bastards is often used in English as a generic derogatory term, not necessarily relating to the marital status of one's parents.^[9]

See also

• Dog Latin
• List of Latin phrases

References

External links

• Two alternative explanations