Latin question

[Jacques Melot]

>Taxacomers,
>
>Can anyone translate this latin phrase for me?
>
>"Treguna mekoides trecorum satis dee."
>
>I won't reveal its source but I will say that it has nothing
>to do with taxonomy.  Just a little brain teaser for all the latin
>scholars out there (which I definitely am not).  My 3 year old son will
>be excited to see the answer.
>
>Jerry Bricker

Cher Jerry,

Tres intrigue par votre question, j'ai consulte des specialistes, sur une
autre liste (LATIN). Voici les reponses a votre question:

X-Sender: melot at rvik.ismennt.is
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Date:   Mon, 17 Jun 1996 11:17:02 +0000
Reply-To: Latin and NeoLatin discussions <LATIN-L at PSUVM.PSU.EDU> Sender:
Latin and NeoLatin discussions <LATIN-L at PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
From: Jacques Melot <melot at ISMENNT.IS>
Subject: Treguna mekoides...
To: Multiple recipients of list LATIN-L <LATIN-L at PSUVM.PSU.EDU>

Cher Latinistes,

une personne, sur autre liste n'ayant aucun rapport avec le latin, demande
une traduction de la phrase suivante:

Treguna mekoides trecorum satis dee

Merci d'avance pour vos propositions et commentaires.

Jacques Melot, Reykjavik
melot at ismennt.is

From: Ginny Lindzey <ginnytca at MAIL.UTEXAS.EDU>
Subject: Re: Treguna mekoides...

To: Multiple recipients of list LATIN-L <LATIN-L at PSUVM.PSU.EDU>

>Treguna mekoides trecorum satis dee

My apologies for knowing no French. But as a big fan of Disney movies, I
can safely say that this phrase comes from _Bedknobs and Broomsticks_
starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson (?). It is supposed to be a
magical phrase that brings inanimate objects to life. In the movie, this
incantation was used to bring medieval armor to life in order to fight back
a Nazi invasion on the coast of England during WWII.

I have assumed all this time that this was some sort of befuddled
Latin/Greek/Medieval phrase that sounded good in the song in the movie.

Is there anything more to this phrase than just that?

gin

Ginny Lindzey, Editor   T * C * A
Texas Classical Association     Supporting the classics
2321 Westrock Dr.       in Texas since
Austin, TX 78704        1 * 9 * 2 * 2
ginnytca at mail.utexas.edu


From: Bill Thayer <petworth at SUBA.COM>
Subject: Treguna mekoides..., plusieurs approches
To: Multiple recipients of list LATIN-L <LATIN-L at PSUVM.PSU.EDU>

Cher Jacques,


A la page Web (parmi nombreuses autres du meme auteur dans le meme repertoire)
http://www.cs.uwm.edu/public/krieg/links/pretenders.discog

l'on trouve la signature de
Andrew Krieg - Software Engineering Consultant E-mail: krieg at execpc.com
http://www.cs.uwm.edu/public/krieg/index.html
========================================================== Treguna Mekoides
Trecorum Satis Dee - Astoroth

M. Krieg se dit aussi aux adresses suivantes:
krieg at ct.med.ge.com
krieg at point.cs.uwm.edu
et son adresse postale se trouve a la page susindiquee.

Remarquer le cote abraxique revele par "Astoroth"



A la page
http://thoth.stetson.edu/users/Bill_Sawyer/Disney/Text_Files/Trivia.txt

la question est posee,
(dans un film de Disney)"Who said:
'Treguna, Mekoides, Trecorum, Satis Dee' (la forme tronquee que vous avez citee)

a laquelle la reponse est apportee:
"172. In Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Mrs. Price, Professor Brown, Charlie,
Carrie, and Paul."



Plus outre, meme idee, a la page
http://www.uwm.edu/people/radcliff/d/master.html

la question est posee,

44.In "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," the "Substitutiary Locomotion" spell is
"Treguna,
Mekoides, Trecorum, Satis...."



Arrive la, je crois qu'on peut se dire que la citation ne signifie *rien*,
et que c'est un amalgame mamamouchique cree par l'auteur d'une scene de
film, en imitation de la magie alexandrienne; toute tentative d'elucidation
appartenant plus au psychisme de l'interprete qu'autre chose.

Ceci dit, il est facile de voir
tre-guna: trois femmes (les furies, par exemple) mekoides: a quoi
ressemblent-elles? (je n'ai pas de Bailly!) trecorum: trecentorum? precor?
satis: effectivement, c'est assez!
dee:    deae?
dee(st): trop autoreferentiellement subtil je crois....


ChairH dia tHs charabias characias...


From: Francisco Loaiza <floaiza at IDA.ORG> Subject:
Re: Treguna mekoides...
To: Multiple recipients of list LATIN-L <LATIN-L at PSUVM.PSU.EDU>

On Jun 17, 10:25am, Ginny Lindzey wrote:
>Subject: Re: Treguna mekoides...
>>Treguna mekoides trecorum satis dee

>My apologies for knowing no French. But as a big fan of Disney movies, I
>can safely say that this phrase comes from _Bedknobs and Broomsticks_
>starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson (?). It is supposed to be a
>magical phrase that brings inanimate objects to life. In the movie, this
>incantation was used to bring medieval armor to life in order to fight
>back a Nazi invasion on the coast of England during WWII.

>I have assumed all this time that this was some sort of befuddled
>Latin/Greek/Medieval phrase that sounded good in the song in the movie.

>Is there anything more to this phrase than just that?

***************************************

Neat! Assuming that this is some kind of phonetic transliteration of what
was actually said in the movie, how about the following matches with real
Greek/Latin words:

treguna <---- (Gr.) traXunein (to become/make rough) mekoides <---- (Gr.)
mHkas, mHkados>> dat. pl. mHkadois (the bleating goats) trecorum <----
(Lat.) gen. pl. of triga>>trigarum (of the teams of three horses) satis
<---- (Lat.) enough, sufficient
dee     <--- (Lat.) deesse

Put all this together, (add the required poetic licenses) and presto:

<The rough making of the teams of three horses by the bleating goats
(is) sufficient to leave (you) in the lurch>
:-) :-)
(just an opinion)

Francisco


From: Ginny Lindzey <ginnytca at MAIL.UTEXAS.EDU>
Subject: Re: Treguna mekoides...
To: Multiple recipients of list LATIN-L <LATIN-L at PSUVM.PSU.EDU>

These are the words as seen printed in the comic book one of the boys has
of the Island of Naboomboo (I think that's right--I can check tonight, if
anyone really cares...) and also on the island King's amulet worn around
his neck which was supposed to have belonged to a magician Asteroth (I
think that's the name). So, not just phonetic--it is what is actually used.
ha!

gin

(Eglantine, Eglantine, Oh how you shine! Your luck, and my luck have got to
combine....
It's lovely bobbing along, bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful
briny sea. What a chance to get a better peek, at the plants and creatures
of the deep...
Portabello Road, Portabello Road, happy things are happening on Portabello
Road...)

sigh. I can't get these songs out of my head now!


>Neat! [...]

>Francisco

Ginny Lindzey, Editor   T * C * A
Texas Classical Association     Supporting the classics
2321 Westrock Dr.       in Texas since
Austin, TX 78704        1 * 9 * 2 * 2
ginnytca at mail.utexas.edu





Formidable l'Internet!

Jacques Melot, Reykjavik
melot at ismennt.is