In staff meetings and singles bars, on freeways and fairways, there are aggravating people lurking everywhere these days. But bestselling humorist Henry Beard has the perfect comeback for all prickly situations, offering a slew of quips your nemesis won't soon forget . . . or even understand. Beard's gift is his ability to make fun of popular culture and the current zeitgeist. In X-Treme Latin he provides Latin with an attitude, an indispensable phrasebook that taps the secret power of Latin to deliver, in total safety, hundreds of impeccable put-downs, comebacks, and wisecracks. Within its pages you will learn how to insult or fire coworkers; blame corporate scandals on someone else; cheer at a World Wrestling Entertainment match; talk back to your computer, TV, or Game Boy; deal with your road rage; evade threatening situations; snowboard in style; talk like Tony Soprano; and much more. With dozens more zingers for quashing e-mail pranks, psyching out your golf opponent, giving backhanded compliments, and evading awkward questions, X-Treme Latin is destined for magnus popularity and will have readers cheering, "Celebremus "
Highbrow humor that often requires a bit if historical knowledge concerning the Roman Empire
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
The humor in this book is a bit highbrow; each statement is accompanied by the supposedly equivalent phrase in Latin. Therefore, some of it is not all that funny, although I did find most of it amusing. Since I know no Latin, I could not be sure how accurate the translations were. Some of the statements required knowledge of the history of Rome and its conquests and governmental structure, lacking that; the humor would largely be lost on you. However, if you are looking for some smart responses to standard situations, there is some of that here. For example, there are 15 different ways to tell someone to "go f*** yourself." Each one of which will get the point across. If you are looking for some intellectual humor to spice up your interactions with others, this book will provide it.
Very funny
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
i found this book very funny my friend memorized a few phrases to use on the teachers he doesnt like and best of all even if they look it up they wont know what he meant... (its complicated... kind of)
Henricus Barbatus alium callidum libellum scripsit
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Woe to this world if Henry Beard ever had to get a desk job. He is a brilliant humorist, who, in recent years, has allowed those of us who slogged through Cicero's speeches, Virgil's Aeneid and Caesar's Gallic Wars to enjoy a hearty laugh. X-Treme Latin is the third in the trilogy of Latin for All Occasions and Latin for Even More Occasions. Now, we are finally able to learn some really useful phrases and lines that would have been unthinkable (not to mention unvocabulariable) 21 centuries ago. Where else would you find snow-boarding lingo, country music song titles, and sushi bar discussions - all in Latin. If this is not proof that the language should have been allowed its respectful last gasps, I don't know what is. Of course, those of us who are corporate desk jockeys will also enjoy Caesar's PowerPoint Presentation. Until you see this book, you don't know how you could have lived without it (probably, pretty nicely, but that is really beside the point). Nevertheless, no longer will doctors, lawyers, and the Vatican have the upper hand when it comes to clever retorts in Latin after you read this book.
a very funny introductory text
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
This book is great fun: a wildly anachronistic introduction to Latin for C.21. It's very small and would make a handy minor present. It also has unusual illustrations that seem appropriate.
I love this book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I love it before i even bought it (i still dont know if i will get it yet) But this book is very good and it made evryone in my latin class listen for when he would pull it out. From the moment my teacher had it out in the intro to the class i have been hunting it down for months now i finaly can get it YAY (im only 12 so i will talk weird or how i have been. Mental age=M=16 Acual age=A=12 M=A=Me LOL) well i rambled enough i say buy it
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