
Quid Pro Quo and Other Things I Learned in School
I can remember my mother urging me to learn Latin when I was in high school. Latin! It would help me with my bona fides. Not to mention I might graduate cum laude. Etc. etc.
Thanks, mom, for the nudge.
My two years of high school Latin have come in handy in recent days. One of my favorite Latin phrases is Quid Pro Quo. A favor for a favor.
As in …. You dig up dirt on my political rival and I will give you what you want.
Quid (Blankety Blank!) Pro Quo.
Now that’s not the original Latin version. It’s the modern American translation when the Quid and the Quo turn out to be something Really Big. Like when the White House releases a summary of a telephone conversation with a foreign government and a US diplomat interprets what happened as withholding security assistance in exchange for investigating a political rival.
Quid (Blankety Blank!) Pro Quo.
It’s sort of like saying, “Russia, if you are listening, I hope you can find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”
Quid (Blankety Blank!) Pro Quo.
It’s like the acting White House chief of staff saying the President withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine to investigate the 2016 election and then walks back the statement.
Quid (Blankety Blank!) Pro Quo.
It’s like the president suggesting to China that they investigate a political rival during trade negotiations.
Quid (Blankety Blank!) Pro Quo.
Here is another timely Latin word:
Emolument.
It is from Emolumentum meaning profit or gain. Our Constitution prohibits the President from profiting from his office. This is such a big deal they put it in twice.
· The Foreign Emoluments Clause “[N]o Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, King, Prince, or foreign State.” (art. I, § 9, cl. 8)
· The Domestic Emoluments Clause “The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.” (art. II, § 1, cl. 7)
The word “emolument” originally was used to describe payments for grinding corn — from the Latin Emolere meaning “grind out.” I am not touching that definition.
Now ask yourself:
What if the United States asked the G7 to meet at the President’s hotel resort for a summit. What if the US air force increased stop-over flights to Scotland and folks on those planes just happen to stay at the President’s resort.
Emoluments. Emoluments.
Now there are other Latin phrases we also can put to good use these days.
Ad nauseum. This would be an unending repetition of the Quid (Blankety Blank!) Pro Quo and Emoluments.
Mea Culpa. Not likely to be part of this national debate but it is a nice little phrase for kids to learn so they can use it when they grow up. “I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
Impeach. Impeach comes from the Latin impedicare, meaning “catch, entangle.”
And why are people considering this?
Pro Bono — for the public good.
One more Latin phrase:
Qui tacet consentire videtur. He who is silent appears to consent.
By Carol Kocivar copyright 2019
