Il Diavolo sta caricando…
Caricamento…The words of law, retranslated into plain Italian.
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° X
«È d'uopo (“it behoves”): the formula by which the jurist turns «you must» into a piece of antique furniture.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And "è d'uopo" — "it behoves" — is not a technical formula. It is an archaeological find wearing…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° IX
«Onde (“whereby”, in courtroom Italian): the word that used to mean “where from” and ended up dressed as a service memo.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And "onde" — literally "whence" — is not a technical formula. It is a literary word that, outsid…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° VIII
«Sicché (“so that”, in courtroom Italian): the word that pretends to explain and in fact shuts the door.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And "sicché" is not just a vintage connective. It is the point where the argument claims to draw…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° VII
«De quo (“of which”, in courtroom Latin): latin for something not even jurists themselves quite understand.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And de quo is not one of those words "that cannot be translated". It is a drawing-room Latinism…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° VI
«Ritenuto che (“Whereas it is held that”): the formula by which a judge stops being a person and becomes a passive, impersonal voice.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And "ritenuto che" — "whereas it is held that" — is not harmless. It is the point where the judg…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° V
«Nella specie (“in the species at hand”): the formula by which the jurist says «in this case» without saying it.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And "nella specie" — literally "in the species" — is not a technical formula. It is a piece of z…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° IV
«Voglia l'Ecc.mo Tribunale (“May the Most Excellent Court be pleased to…”): the medieval plea we keep writing without even noticing.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And "voglia l'Ecc.mo Tribunale" — "may the Most Excellent Court be pleased to…" — is not a techn…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° III
«Atteso che (“whereas”, a prayer disguised as an argument): the prayer disguised as an argument.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And "atteso che" — "whereas" — is not a word. It is an architecture. It is the formula that open…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° II
«Orbene (“now then”, a word dead everywhere except in courtrooms): the word that no longer exists in Italian, yet lives on only in courtrooms.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And choosing a word that nobody outside courtrooms uses any more is not stylistic refinement. It…
Il Dizionario del Diavolo · N° I
«Tutto ciò premesso, tanto dedotto, eccepito ed iterato (“all of the above stated, argued, objected and reiterated”): the jurists' language that condemns the client before the judge ever does.»
The law does not use words. The law is made of words. And so writing badly, for a jurist, is not an aesthetic flaw. It is a problem of justice. Think…
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