Pecunia Non Olet

[J.M]

Greetings,

Is this phrase correct for saying 'money has no smell?'

Thanks,
J.M

 

[Issacus Divus]

It's "money doesn't stink."

 

[Laurentius]

It's "money doesn't stink."

Olere doesn't necessarily have the negative connotation.

 

[Bitmap]

Olere doesn't necessarily have the negative connotation.

In the context of this phrase it does.

 

[Laurentius]

In the context of this phrase it does.

"Money has no smell" is perfectly fine with the context too, I don't see why he felt the need to correct it, as if it were wrong somehow.

 

[Bitmap]

Because the anecdote it's derived from features Vespesian's question to Titus as to whether Titus felt offended by the money's smell. It has to stink in order to offend the nose, not just have some neutral kind of smell.

 

[Laurentius]

Because the anecdote it's derived from features Vespesian's question to Titus as to whether Titus felt offended by the money's smell. It has to stink in order to offend the nose, not just have some neutral kind of smell.

Bad smell is just a smell, it's just less specific but still perfectly fine with the context. If it were in English they might as well have said "money has no smell" and it'd have been perfectly fine.

 

[Dantius]

I agree with Laurentius that "money has no smell" works here.

Incidentally, the phrase doesn't actually appear in Suetonius:
Reprehendenti filio Tito, quod etiam urinae vectigal commentus esset, pecuniam ex prima pensione admovit ad nares, sciscitans num odore offenderetur; et illo negante: Atqui, inquit, e lotio est.

 

[Bitmap]

Well, if you're trying to say that there's no need to over-correct, J.M's original phrase, I tend to agree. I don't see how the word for smell (even in English) doesn't have any negative connotation, here, though.

 

[Laurentius]

Well, if you're trying to say that there's no need to over-correct, J.M's original phrase, I tend to agree. I don't see how the word for smell (even in English) doesn't have any negative connotation, here, though.

Because the negative connotatin is given by the context, not the word itself. Issacus looked like he was correcting OP when there was no need for correction, that's what I mean.

 

[Issacus Divus]

Laurentius, I wasn't correcting it...I just was going from the well known phrase. Maybe I was unclear. Of course either is fine.