Roman & Classical References Vocabulary

a point of no return

“Signing the contract meant crossing the Rubicon.”

a period of relative peace and stability

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

I came, I saw, I conquered

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

expression of betrayal by a trusted person

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

superficial appeasement of the public

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

a brutal peace that destroys the defeated party

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

a deal sacrificing integrity for power or success

“Accepting the funding was a Faustian bargain.”

taking an irreversible step

“Announcing the merger meant crossing the Rubicon.”

won at too great a cost to be worthwhile

“The hostile takeover was a Pyrrhic success.”

a novel with real people disguised as fictional characters

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