In pro Milone, Cicero mentions a " vulnus in latere, quod acu punctum videretur ". A wound in his side, which seemed like a pin prick. acu punctum, however, could today be safely in this instance be translated as acupuncture, which gives an even greater contrast.
Hmmm, in order not to stretch this point too far, I still think that I would translate acu punctum as a " pin prick " , but as a pun, acupuncture hits the mark. How would you translate " Salus " in these lines Nasonis?
" Hanc tuus e Getico mittit tibi Naso salutem;
mittere si quisquam, quo caret ipse, potest. "
Obviously, the Latin combines the meanings of Hello, and Safety, Good health, et alia, but in English the connection is a bit strained. Very loosely, I would translate it as Goodday. What do you think?
1675–85; < Latin acū with a needle (ablative of acus needle) or acu- (as combining form of acus) + puncture
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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Greater contrast, perhaps, but then it loses the point. If I'm reading it rightly, the pin prick is not meant to be therapeutic as acupuncture. It's a feeble attempt to injure.
Yes Scrabulista, I was going to make the same point. This isn't a pun. A pun is one word with two meanings. "Acupuncture" is a manufactured word to mean curing by pin prick. Acu punctum, acupuncture, same thing. On the other hand there's a pun in my first sentence (not a very good one).