ab ovo

[prettygoodword]

ab ovo (ab OH-voh) - n., from the beginning.


In Latin literally "from the egg." This is comprehensible enough on its own, but there's a story behind it: English use comes from Horace's Ars Poetica, where he contrasts a poet who begins a story about the Trojan War in media res ("in the middle of things") with one who begins with the egg that Helen hatched from. (This source gets a little confused by Horace also using, in one of his satires, ab ovo usque ad mala, "from the egg to the apples," referring to the course of a Roman mean, starting with eggs and ending with fruit -- compare the
American regionalism "from soup to nuts" -- but the Ars Poetica connection is secure, thanks to some of the first English users of ab ovo directly referencing it.)

---L.

Comments

[full_metal_ox]

I first encountered that one, translated literally in-story (1), in I, Claudius:

I must apologise for continuing to write about Livia, but it is unavoidable; like all honest Roman histories this is written from "egg to apple": I prefer the thorough Roman method, which misses nothing, to that of Homer and the Greeks generally, who love to jump into the middle of things and then work backwards or forwards as they feel inclined. Yes, I have often had the notion of re-writing the story of Troy in Latin prose for the benefit of our poorer citizens who cannot read Greek; beginning with the egg from which Helen was hatched and continuing, chapter by chapter, to the apples eaten for dessert at the great feast in celebration of Ulysses' home-coming and victory over his wife's suitors.

(1) The historical fact that Claudius, a language nerd, regarded Greek as the finest possible literary vehicle was extremely convenient for Graves’ conceit: of course Claudius would choose that language for his Secret Memoir—-affording an uncontrived reason for him to be translating and explaining the Latin terminology throughout.