a non-denial denial
A statement that seems or is intended to act as a direct denial to an allegation, but which, when taken literally or examined closely, does not deny the allegation at all. The phrase is most commonly associated with evasive answers of politicians facing scrutiny or accusations of misconduct. When pressed by journalists over certain large, undisclosed expenditures he had recently made, the senator gave a classic non-denial denial of any wrongdoing, stating ambiguously that any such spending was simply associated with the running of his campaign. Talk about a non-denial denial. He clearly had a relationship with this woman—now, what exactly was the nature of it? Look, if you don't comment on this, but you also don't deny it, it'll come off like a non-denial denial, and people will think it's true.
de minimis non curat lex
From Latin, meaning "the law does not care about the smallest things," a legal principle asserting that trivial matters are not worthy of judicial scrutiny. They want to drag our entire company to court because of a scratch on their car that they allege was caused by one of our machines. I implore the court to acknowledge that this clearly falls under the doctrine of de minimis non curat lex. A: "I'm going to take them to court for consistently filling my bags of pretzels halfway with air." B: "You know, de minimis non curat lex comes to mind." Can't you two come to some agreement about the hedges on your own? If you sought to involve the legal system, my guess is that your squabble would fall under the doctrine of de minimis non curat lex.
go non-linear
To become energetic or agitated by something, often an interest that one has. You know Grandpa loves talking about the weather, so don't ask him about it unless you want to hear him go non-linear. Why would you ask Uncle Harry about his collection of antique binoculars? You know he'll go no-linear now unless you want to hear him expatiate on it for hours on end. Dad always seems to find something in the news to go non-linear about.
ignorantia juris non excusat
Latin for "ignorance of the law does not excuse," the legal principle that being ignorant of a law does not excuse a person from liability should they break it. The defendant claims that he made the payments without realizing they constituted embezzlement. The prosecution is expected to put forward an ignorantia juris non excusat argument in response. I know you didn't think you were doing anything seriously wrong, but that defense won't hold up in court. "Ignorantia juris non excusat," as the law textbooks say. My defendant thinks he'll avoid jail time because he was oblivious to the laws he was breaking, but I know the prosecutor will attack the issue of ignorantia juris non excusat.
illegitimi non carborundum
A humorous pseudo-Latin expression meant to translate as "don't let the bastards grind you down," meaning do not succumb to the oppressive influence of others. "Carborundum" is another name for silicon carbide, the synthetic form of which has been used as an abrasive since the late 19th century. You've got to have thick skin and nerves of steel to make it in this industry. Just remember—illegitimi non carborundum! The protestors stood outside Capitol Hill, many with signs reading, "Illegitimi non carborundum." A: "Well, that was another pointless meeting where I got rejected yet again!" B: "Come on, man, have a little hope. Illegitimi non carborundum!"
lex dubia non obligat
A Latin phrase that frees one from a contract or other legal obligation that is not morally sound. In English, the phrase means "a dubious law is not binding." As your lawyer, I think we should absolutely take them to court—the terms of this contract are unethical. "Lex dubia non obligat"!
lucus a non lucendo
An illogical or absurd etymology, explanation, or derivation. From Latin, literally meaning "a grove does not shine," from the ancient grammatical hypothesis that the Latin word for "grove" is lucus because light does not shine there, a non lucendo. The politician's explanation for how his proposal would be funded is exactly the type of lucus a non lucendo he's been known for throughout this election.
non bis in idem
From Latin, literally, "not twice in the same," a legal doctrine which holds that legal action cannot be taken twice against someone for the same offense, a concept more commonly known as "double jeopardy." Yes, I know there's new evidence linking the chief financial officer to the embezzlement scheme, but he's already been tried for that. If we bring this new evidence against him now, the judge will toss it out on the ground of the "non bis in idem" principle.
non compos (mentis)
Not sane or mentally competent. The phrase is Latin for "not of sound mind." Based on the orders he's been giving lately, many believe him to be non compos. The judge ruled that she had been non compos mentis at the time, and thus could not be held legally liable.
non compos poopoo
slang Extremely drunk. A faux Latinism probably modeled on the real Latin phrase "non compos mentis," meaning not sane or mentally competent. There's no way I'm letting you drive home when you're this non compos poopoo.
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.
non illegitimi carborundum
A humorous pseudo-Latin expression meant to translate as "don't let the bastards grind you down," meaning do not succumb to the oppressive influence of others. "Carborundum" is another name for silicon carbide, the synthetic form of which has been used as an abrasive since the late 19th century. You've got to have thick skin and nerves of steel to make it in this industry. Just remember—non illegitimi carborundum! The protestors stood outside Capitol Hill, many with signs reading, "Non Illegitimi Carborundum."
non sequitur
A statement that does not logically fit into the current conversation. Good luck getting answers from him—his every response to my questions so far has been a non sequitur. A: "I changed the oil in the car." B: "Well, that's a complete non sequitur, since I asked if you were hungry!"
non-apology apology
A statement that shares qualities with a typical apology but lacks admission of wrongdoing or an indication of remorse. Often used in public relations. I don't think he's sorry at all. I mean, come on—"I'm sorry you feel that way" is a classic non-apology apology.
nonbinary
Describing a person who does not identify as exclusively male or exclusively female, or describing such a gender identity. Even though I look like a woman, my experience of gender has always been nonbinary.
non-starter
1. An issue, topic, or person that makes no progress or shows little evidence of future success. I know you worked really hard on that proposal, but it's a non-starter—the committee refuses to even consider it. You want to be a doctor? Boy, that's a non-starter—you can't even handle the sight of blood! I wouldn't have too much faith in Bobby—he's a nonstarter, and this business will probably just become another in a long line of failures for him.
2. sports One who does not start the game or race. This phrase is often used in horse racing. I watched the race—what happened to our horse? Why was he a non-starter? I may be a non-starter now, but my goal is to supplant the first-string quarterback in time.
persona non grata
A person who has been totally disowned or is no longer acceptable or welcome, especially in or to a foreign government. From Latin, literally meaning "an unacceptable person"; its plural is personae non gratae. Following the president's orders, the members of the foreign embassy were declared personae non gratae. Due to his ties to the extremist group, the senator has become a persona non grata among politicians.
sine qua non
A necessary, essential, or required element. The Latin phrases translates literally to "without which not." Some consider a good education to be the sine qua non of a successful career.
vel non
From Latin, literally "or not," used in law in reference to an issue that may or may not exist. In this case, the court will consider the culpability vel non of the governor's office in the taxation scandal.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.