At first glance, annus horribilis does not look like something you want any part of. I suppose it’s safe to say that when you see horribilis, you conclude something pretty horrible. (Well done.) And for all of us who thought that French was a better choice over a dead language, we’re looking at annus and thinking that no amount of over-the-counter salve will remedy the matter.

We all should have taken Latin. Had we done so, we would instantly known that annus  is ‘year.’ And while a horrible year is nothing anyone wants, it’s got to be better than what we French students thought upon reading those two words.

There’s also annus mirabilis. 

(Latin students can step forward and receive their gold stars; Francophiles, take a second to decipher it. Go ahead and close your eyes and think about the word: miribalis.)

Time’s up.

It means wonderful. (By contextual clues alone, I bet you figured annus mirabilis was annus horribilis‘s opposite.)

I share these with you for two reasons:

#1) I learned them yesterday through an author with whom I connected via twitter, and

#2) I was hoping the blog title would be compelling enough for you to take the time to read this.

Thanks for reading.

Have a mirabilia hodie.

(I thought it’d be mirabilis diem.    MERDE!)