Is there a short phrase (one to three words), Latin or otherwise, that conveys "but consider the source"?
For example, "I heard that pigs fly on television (your phrase here)."
I'm thinking perhaps a phrase that begins with the Latin word "caveat".
asked May 10, 2015 at 2:03
Amazon Dies In Darkness
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Caveat auditor means 'Let the hearer beware'; any Latin verb can be made into an agentive noun by adding -tor to the infinitive stem.John Lawler– John Lawler2015-05-10 02:22:39 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 2:22
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@JohnLawler Thanks. What would the appropriate phrase be for 'Let the reader beware'?Amazon Dies In Darkness– Amazon Dies In Darkness2015-05-10 02:54:03 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 2:54
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Legere is the infinitive of 'to read'; its agentive form is lector -- the final /ɡ/ of the athematic infinitive stem leg- devoices to /k/ (spelled C in Latin) by assimilation with the /t/ of -tor. So Caveat Lector in the singular, and Caveant Lectores if you want to say 'readers'.John Lawler– John Lawler2015-05-10 14:46:37 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 14:46
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I would say "Sez who?"Hot Licks– Hot Licks2020-07-03 18:50:49 +00:00Commented Jul 3, 2020 at 18:50
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2 Answers
You are probably thinking of caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.
Merriam-Webster
This is reported as new Latin, dating back to the 16th century.
While it literally refers to purchases, it often is used more generally to mean, be wary.
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That's the one that keeps popping in mind, but I was concerned I would be laughed out of here if I mentioned it. Doesn't that Latin phrase really apply to buying things and not to the more general "consider the source"?Amazon Dies In Darkness– Amazon Dies In Darkness2015-05-10 02:09:37 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 2:09
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1Consider the source is a pretty good phrase.bib– bib2015-05-10 02:12:56 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 2:12
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In this SE question ( health.stackexchange.com/questions/919/… ) would it have been appropriate to include "caveat emptor" after the words "television show"?Amazon Dies In Darkness– Amazon Dies In Darkness2015-05-10 02:13:17 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 2:13
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Well, advertising based TV is in constant sell mode, whether it is promoting products or points of view. They want you to buy in to the offered wisdom.bib– bib2015-05-10 02:15:31 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 2:15
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Very true, but the average reader won't make that connection. Let's say it wasn't advertising-based TV (I don't recall where or how it was broadcast); would "caveat emptor" be appropriate?Amazon Dies In Darkness– Amazon Dies In Darkness2015-05-10 02:17:56 +00:00Commented May 10, 2015 at 2:17
You can also use the figurative phrase "take it with a grain of salt," if you adjust the original sentence slightly:
"I heard that pigs fly, but the report was on television, so take it with a grain of salt."
The idiom is defined in Christine Ammer, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (1997) as follows:
with a grain of salt Also, with a pinch of salt. Skeptically, with reservations. For example, I always take Sandy's stories about illnesses with a grain of salt—she tends to exaggerate. This expression is a translation of the Latin cum grano salis, which Pliny used in describing Pompey's discovery of an antidote for poison (to be taken with a grain of salt). It was soon adopted by English writers.
