Roman & Classical References Vocabulary

a point of no return

“Signing the contract meant crossing the Rubicon.”

Origin: From Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon River, starting civil war

a period of relative peace and stability

“The post-war era brought a Pax Americana to the Western world.”

Origin: Latin `Roman Peace`, the 200-year period of stability under Roman rule

I came, I saw, I conquered

“She walked in, presented her case, and won—veni, vidi, vici.”

Origin: Julius Caesar's report of his swift victory at Zela in 47 BCE

expression of betrayal by a trusted person

“When his partner voted against him, he could only say, 'Et tu, Brute?'”

Origin: Shakespeare's version of Caesar's last words to his friend Brutus

superficial appeasement of the public

“Critics dismissed the tax rebate as bread and circuses.”

Origin: From Juvenal's panem et circenses, describing Roman political strategy

a brutal peace that destroys the defeated party

“The treaty imposed a Carthaginian peace on the losing nation.”

Origin: From Rome's total destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE

a deal sacrificing integrity for power or success

“Accepting the funding was a Faustian bargain.”

Origin: From Faust, who sold his soul to the devil for knowledge

taking an irreversible step

“Announcing the merger meant crossing the Rubicon.”

Origin: Caesar's illegal crossing of this river with his army in 49 BCE

won at too great a cost to be worthwhile

“The hostile takeover was a Pyrrhic success.”

Origin: From King Pyrrhus's costly victories against Rome

a novel with real people disguised as fictional characters

“The bestseller was a roman à clef about Silicon Valley.”

Origin: French `novel with a key` to decode the real identities