"Hannibal Holiday"
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Today's Frazz:
Caulfield substitutes day for way, in the English translation of the Latin phrase "Aut inveniam viam aut faciam", which Wikipedia tells us "has been spuriously attributed to Carthaginian General Hannibal, in response to his generals statement that it was impossible to cross the Alps by elephant, during the Second Punic War in 218 BC". The fact that Caulfield frames the pun, and Frazz recognizes the reference, is a tribute to their shared erudition.
When I first learned this phrase many years ago, I wondered why the Romans would immortalize their enemy Hannibal. Perhaps it was like the British fascination with Napoleon? But apparently the only classical source for the phrase is Seneca's Hecules Furens, where it's used in the 3rd person singular to describe Hercules' return from the underworld. First-person versions appear as mottos in 16th-century England, and presumably the attribution to Hannibal started at some point after that.
I frequently walk past a first-person-plural version of the motto, over the Class of 1893 Memorial Gate on Spruce St. just west of 34th St.
In addition Penn's class of 1893, English-language Wikipedia lists several other British and American "social, educational and military organizations" who have adopted it as a motto. Italian Wikipedia gives a couple of Italian ones. And there's the fictional University of American Samoa.
TR said,
September 22, 2026 @ 11:45 am
The Romans admired Hannibal. If the enemy you defeated is immortal, well, that makes you even immortaler.
davep said,
September 23, 2026 @ 6:54 am
“The fact that Caulfield frames the pun, and Frazz recognizes the reference, is a tribute to their shared erudition.”
And calling “Hannibal Holiday” a *word* takes the T-word away.
Cedar said,
September 24, 2026 @ 2:52 pm
I only knew it as the Holton-Arms motto. Which is in the English Wikipedia list linked in the post. Neat to see the extensive usage.