acetabula et calculi

[Dave Hause]

Calculi comes straight into English through medicine - stones.  My 
Latin-English dictionary says "pila" for a ball to play with, "lapis" for 
one thrown by a ballista.
Dave Hause, dwhause at cablemo.net
Waynesville, MO
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Mullins" <amcombill at HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2014 8:37 PM
Subject: acetabula et calculi


Forgive an off-topic question=2C but I'm betting someone on the list knows =
more about this than I do.
"Acetabula et calculi" is generally taken=2C within the conjuring community=
=2C to be Latin for the classic routine "cups and balls" (from a reference =
in the writings of Seneca).  I don't speak/read/write Latin=2C but I believ=
e a more literal translation would be "cups and dice".
So I stick "cups and balls" into Google translate in hopes of finding out h=
ow to say "cups and balls" in Latin.  It spits out=20
"et cyathos balls".  I stick "balls" into GT=2C and it gives "balls".  Goog=
le Translate believes that "balls" is Latin for "balls".
Surely this isn't correct.  What is the Latin word for "balls"?      =

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org