Latin Poker Motto

[gritty_whitty]

Alieno exiguus Lucror aucto
(suggestions to improve this one are greatly appreciated.)

And something about my life lately:
Dum spiro spero

Coming soon: The monthly post of updatery!

Comments

[doctor_aquinas]

It may need some work. All your verbs appear to be conjugated for the first person singular ("I transfer," "I increase very much," "I win") yet the apparent subject of the sentence is an adjective ("little").

"Little, I transfer I win I increase greatly."

Did you mean something like, "I get a little to win big?"

That would be something like "Exiguum grande lucrare alieno."

"Exiguum [acc.] grande [adverb] lucrare [infinitive] alieno [finally, the 1st person sing.]"

That's close, but I probably made some errors.

[doctor_aquinas]

I love "Dum spiro, spero." Was that Seneca?

[gritty_whitty]

Boy, when you said some work, you weren't kidding. I guess I'll actually have to learn what I'm doing for once. I knew you were the right person to run this by.

[gritty_whitty]

What I was shooting for was "Lose Little Win Much" or "Lose Little to Win Much." Apparently, one cannot rely on online Latin dictionaries when one does not speak a lick of Latin.

Also, "Dum spiro, spero" appears to be Cicero and is also the official motto of South Carolina and a Scottish clan. I acquired it from a far less auspicious source: a big ol' list of Latin mottos.

[doctor_aquinas]

Aha. "Lose a little to win much" would put the verb in the imperative form, so it would probably be "Exiguum aliena multum lucrari." Though I want to say there may be a better word than "alieno" for "lose," I'm not sure what it is.

Latin dictionaries are incredibly hard to use until the grammar starts making sense. If you want a book that'll get you off to a running start, get a copy of Learn Latin by Peter Jones. If you slog through that and are hungry for more, you can go the traditional route and start on a Wheelock's Latin, though Dr. Pepe at Washington University (who I may study under if I go there for Classics) recommends Learn to Read Latin by Andrew Keller and Stephanie Russell.