dare pondus idonea fumo – Fit only to give weight to smoke
Latin Insults
dare pondus idonea fumo
Fit only to give weight to smoke (Persius)
ab asino lanam
Wool from an ass (blood from a stone)
Latin Tell-Offs
delphinum natare doces
You are teaching a dolphin to swim
adversus solem ne loquitor
Don’t speak against the sun (i.e., an obvious fact)
age quod agis
Do what you are doing (i.e., stop looking around/bugging me and pay attention to what you are doing)
brutum fulmen
Harmless thunderbolt (a vain and empty threat)
dolium volvitur
An empty cask is easily rolled (e.g., in response to a boast of a work done super-perfectly)
