3 ms·
barely related, but it's funny to me how in anglosaxon countries you use the locution "quid pro quo", while here in italy we use "do ut des" to mean "a favor fo
by _ZeD_ 3y ago
barely related, but it's funny to me how in anglosaxon countries you use the locution "quid pro quo", while here in italy we use "do ut des" to mean "a favor for a favor".
And that "qui pro quo" - in italy - means just a misunderstanding.
It's one of the funniest false friends that I've encountered while studying English
- ithkuil 3y agoYeah, quid pro quo literally means "one thing for another thing". The ambiguity of the "for" led to divergent evolutions. The "pro" (for) can be either mean "instead of", "in the place of" (One thing in the place of another thing). This is where the interpretation currently used in Italy and possibly other places settled on. But "pro" (for) also means "for the benefit of" and that's the interpretation that caught on in the Anglosphere.
- paulddraper 3y agoThat is bizarre indeed.
- the_af 3y agoHannibal Lecter, being anglosaxon, uses it for "a favor for a favor". When in doubt, I always side with the cannibal.
- andrewem 3y agoI liked that when a major person in Italian organized crime was arrested, US newspapers called him a “capo dei capi” while Italian newspapers called him a “boss dei boss”. For example, here’s a book using that title https://m.libreriauniversitaria.it/amp/product/BIT/9788879289160 https://m.libreriauniversitaria.it/amp/product/BIT/978887928...
- dfxm12 3y agoThe subject of the book is also featured in an Italian TV show using the title Il Capo Dei Capo: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_capo_dei_capi https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_capo_dei_capi