ben trovato

ben trovato [bɛn trəˈvɑtoʊ] a.

1.) Characteristic or appropriate, if not true.
2.) Well made up or invented (Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases, Adrian Room (ed.), 2001)

Etymology: Italian, lit. "well found". The phrase is familiar from the 16th century Italian saying "se non è vero, è molto ben trovato".

"The parallel—and the competition—between preachers and professional entertainers was often remarked in our period, notably by Denis Diderot, describing Venice as a city where

in a single square you can see on one side a stage with mountebanks performing merry but monstrously indecent fares, and on the other, another stage with priests performing farces of a different complexion and shouting out: 'Take no notice of those wretches, gentlemen; the Pulcinello you are flocking to is a feeble fool; here (displaying the crucifix) is the genuine Pulcinello!'

The story that the French Jesuit preacher Emond Auger had been a bear-ward in secular life was certainly ben trovato and may even have been true" (Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe, Peter Burke, 1978).

(Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, Salvador Dali, 1944) ____________________________________________________

Hi all, there's been some interest in the etymology of "Minotaur" after I posted about the word "minatory" the other day. "Minotaur" is from the Greek Μινώταυρ-ος (Minōtaur-us), which just a conjunction of Μίνως (Minos) and ταῦρος (tauros = bull) because the Minotaur was the son of Minos's wife and a bull (okay, it doesn't make perfect sense). "Minatory" comes from the Latin minari, which is the same root as the word "menace". So, the fact that they sound the same is just a coincidence. However, since the false etymology helps you to remember the definition of "minatory", you might say that it's...ben trovato (so proud of myself). Thanks for reading!