Every civilisation mints its own metaphors from its own history. In a world where Carthage won the First Punic War and survived to share the Mediterranean with Rome, the phrases people reach for come from different events than ours — but work the same way. Here are a few of the sixteen expressions that entered common usage in this timeline. The full set — with their origins — is in the book.
A small, overlooked force that proves decisive. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat Duis Never dismiss the minor player.
“She’s one woman with a writing desk.” “Eleven ships.” — Two clerks, on a woman who changed the course of an institution.
Having everything you don’t need and nothing you do. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo What the market delivered was profitable; what was necessary never came.
“He’s wine and no grain, that one. Lovely to look at.” — A shipwright’s wife, on a new apprentice.
“The delegation arrived with credentials, interpreters, and a beautiful proposal. They did not bring the authority to agree to anything.” “Wine and no grain.”
A request that will never be answered, no matter how carefully crafted. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur Excepteur sint Strictly speaking, a reply was provided. In practice, it was so slow, and so empty when it finally arrived, as to be indistinguishable from silence.
“I told the landlord about the roof six times.” “And?” “Petition to Carthage.” “Still leaking?” “In new places.”
“He proposed to her three times.” “What did she say?” “Petition to Carthage.”
A confrontation between parties operating from incompatible assumptions about authority. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi Someone flinched. Both sides remember it as the moment the other became unreasonable.
“He brought flowers. She thought he was apologising. He thought he was celebrating.” “Saltus Pass. Who flinched?” “Both.”
“I said ‘we should talk.’ She packed a bag.” “Saltus Pass.” “I meant about the goat.”
Accepting a fait accompli with minimal fuss. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat Duis aute irure dolor in The bureaucratic shrug that formalises what everyone already knows.
“He’s been ‘consulting’ for the Hannonic family for a decade.” “Strike the ‘Acting.’ He works for them.” “He prefers ‘consulting.’” “I’m sure he does.”
“Am I the helmsman now?” His father: “You’ve been the helmsman since Tuesday. Strike the ‘Acting.’” — A boy in a fishing village.
A quality of effectiveness that resists celebration. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error The word became, in Carthaginian usage, a term of quiet respect: the thing that actually mattered, done by the person nobody will thank.
“Boy, we’re unpaintable, aren’t we.” — Dockworkers finishing a hull repair at midnight, in time for the morning tide.
“Every crew that sails from this harbour eats my bread the morning they leave. Nobody’s ever put a baker on a temple wall. Unpaintable.” — A woman selling bread near the shipyards.
See also: Carthalo’s painting, which names the credit rather than the work.
The visible, celebrated part of a victory that someone else made possible. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum Sed ut perspiciatis unde The painting is real. The victory it depicts is incomplete.
“He brings the bread to the table. She wakes at three to bake it. The children thank him.” “Carthalo’s painting.”
A midwife, overhearing the father being congratulated: “Carthalo’s painting.”
See also: Unpaintable, which names the work rather than the credit.