c'est la vie

From French, literally "that's life." Used to indicate resigned acceptance of something that one dislikes but cannot change. I know you're annoyed to have gotten another parking ticket, but c'est la vie. I had hoped to get home early enough to cook dinner, but that didn't happen, so we ordered pizza instead—c'est la vie. A: "I was supposed to go to the beach today, but it's raining." B: "Oh well, c'est la vie."

expressio unius est exclusio alterius

From Latin, literally "the expression of one is the exclusion of another," a legal rule of construction holding that any words not contained in a particular list must be considered to have been excluded from the list on purpose. The company argued in court that, under the expressio unius est exclusio alterius rule, the fact that the contract made express provisions for the types of damage for which the customer could make a claim, then anything outside of those provisions was inherently excepted. A: "No, you can't bring a child in here—children are not allowed." B: "Would it be OK to bring a cat then—by the logic of expressio unius est exclusio alterius?" Was that perk listed in the membership benefits? No, so based on expressio unius est exclusio alterius, it does not apply to members.

in the strict(est) sense

Following the narrowest and most precise interpretation (of something). While not correct in the strictest sense, the word has been widely accepted among most English speakers. I wouldn't call her a socialist in the strict sense, but some of her beliefs definitely lean that way. It's not a dictatorship in the strictest sense, but it's definitely worrisome.

n'est-ce pas

cliché From French, literally, "Is it not?," used in English as a tag question to emphasize the veracity of one's previous statement. Of course, when doing such important work as ours, it's critical that we be given ample time off in order to recuperate, n'est-ce pas? It's tough these days, n'est-ce pas, old friend?

non est factum

From Latin, literally, "it is not one's deed," a defense in contract law that seeks to allow the signing party to avoid performing the agreement within the contract because it was substantially misrepresented to the defendant or misrepresentative of their intent. Mr. Daniels, you cannot invoke a non est factum plea simply because you failed to read all relevant documents pertaining to your loan agreement with the bank. It was subsequently discovered that the primary signatory had been unduly coerced to sign the financial guarantee, and in normal circumstances would have no business being involved in such an agreement. This is why we're pursuing a non est factum defense.

plus ça change (plus c'est la même chose)

From French, meaning "the more things change, the more they remain the same." In English, the phrase is used in reference to problems or bad situations that remain the same, even when people or things involved in them are different. We move into a fancy new office, and still the servers crash all the time. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Plus ça change, eh? Even with the so-called champion of the working man in office, it's still the wealthy elite getting all the tax breaks.

Roma locuta est, causa finita est

From Latin, literally "Rome has spoken, the cause is ended," the notion that the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome (another title of the Pope) holds the ultimate authority in matters regarding the Catholic faith. When asked why they still followed the archaic rule, the priest of the small parish simply replied, "Roma locuta est, causa finita est."

scientia potentia est

A Latin phrase meaning "knowledge is power." Renaissance scholar Sir Francis Bacon is usually credited with popularizing the phrase. A successful life starts with a good education—after all, scientia potentia est.

verbum sapienti (sat est)

dated From Latin, literally, "a word to the wise (is sufficient)," meaning a wise or prudent person does not or should not require any further explanation. Typically used to emphasize the advice implied by one's statement. Sir, verbum sapienti. Your efforts in the senate would be better served were you to focus on issues directly pertaining to your field of expertise. Repeating the same weak, debunked arguments won't make them true, you know. Verbum sapienti sat est.

verbum sat sapienti (est)

dated From Latin, literally, "a word to the wise is sufficient," meaning a wise or prudent person does not or should not require any further explanation. Typically used to emphasize the advice implied by one's statement. Sir, verbum sat sapienti. Your efforts in the senate would be better served were you to focus on issues directly pertaining to your field of expertise. Repeating the same weak, debunked arguments won't make them true, you know. Verbum sat sapienti est.

EST