quirk Copy link Outline I. Orig. a q. stroke, and hence, any sudden, capricious movementII. A petty taunt.1. ăcūleus, m. (in the bad sense)2. căvillātio, f.III. A verbal trick, in rhetoric1. ăcūmen, n.2. argūtĭa, f.3. călumnia, f.4. căvillātio, f.5. strŏpha, ae, f. (a turn)IV. An artful distinction, a trick to defeat an opponent, esp. in law.1. călumnia, f. (abstr. sing. = Eng. pl.2. captiuncŭla, f.3. căvillātio, ōnis, f.4. strŏpha, ae, f. (στροφή)5. Expr. by the adjs. and advs. cognate to the subs.6. A man full of q.s and quiddities • quirk: I. Orig. a q. stroke, and hence, any sudden, capricious movement: v. stroke: fit. "I've felt so many q.s of joy and grief," (Shaksp.), *tot casus subii laetitiae et doloris (cf. Cic. Att. 8, 1). Phr.: to be exposed to the q.s of Fortune, stare sub ictu Fortunae, Lucan 5, 729: a flight of fancy, "the q.s of blazoning pens" (Shaksp.): "q.s of music, broken and uneven" (Pope): v. snatch. II. A petty taunt. 1. ăcūleus, m. (in the bad sense): cf. in quo nulli aculei contumeliarum inerant, Cic. de Or. 2, 55, 222: (cf. "I may chance to have some q.s and remnants of wit broken on me," Shaksp.). 2. căvillātio, f.: cf. (including sense III.) acerba cavillatione simul hominis nomen incessens, veteremque partium fortunam, Suet. Tib. 57 (where the words of the q. are given): v. quip: taunt. III. A verbal trick, in rhetoric: (cf. "conceits, puns, quirks, and quibbles," Watts): among other terms (v. pun: quibble) use 1. ăcūmen, n.: cf. dialectici ipsi se compungunt suis acuminibus (flip themselves with their own q.s), Cic. de Or. 2, 38. 2. argūtĭa, f.: a palpable and shameless q., importuna atque audax arg., Gell. 3, 1, 6: and esp. dim. argūtĭŏla, Gell. 9, 14, fin. 3. călumnia, f.: to sport with serious questions by q.s of cleverness, causas ingenii calumnia ludificari, Cic. Rep. Fr. in Non. 26, 15. 4. căvillātio, f.: v. sup. cavillationes ineptae, Quint. 7, 9, 4: c. verborum, id. 10, 7, 14. 5. strŏpha, ae, f. (a turn): strophae verbosae, Phaedr. 1, 14, 4. IV. An artful distinction, a trick to defeat an opponent, esp. in law. 1. călumnia, f. (abstr. sing. = Eng. pl.: v. chicanery): to try to get another's property not by q.s of law (but by open violence), non calumnia litium alienos fundos petere, Cic. Mil. 27, 74 to maintain the justice of a case against q.s (of law), (in pecuniariis quaestionibus) veritati contra calumniam adesse, Quint. 12, 1, 26. 2. captiuncŭla, f.: to apprehend all sorts of q.s, omnes captiunculas pertimescere, Cic. Att. 15, 7. 3. căvillātio, ōnis, f.: on this phrase those q.s of law are raised, hinc moventur quidem illae juris cavillationes, Quint. 7, 4, 37: I sell q.s, etc., vendo cavillationes, adsentatiunculas, ac perjuratiunculas parasiticas, Pl. Stich. 1, 3, 75. 4. strŏpha, ae, f. (στροφή): Join: strophae ac fuci: cf. ad illum diem quo remotis strophis ac fucis de me judicaturus sum (all q.s and shams being swept away), Sen. Epist. 26, 5. 5. Expr. by the adjs. and advs. cognate to the subs.: as, calumniōsus: adv., by q.s., calumniosē, Pap. Dig. 46, 5, 7: captiōsus (-ē): versūtus (-ē). Join: nihil ab isto vāfrum, nihil vĕtĕrātorium (no q. nor quibble) exspectaveritis, Cic. Verr. 1, 54, 151: adv. vĕtĕrātōrie dicere, Cic. Or. 28, 99. 6. A man full of q.s and quiddities: "a man of that q." (Shaksp.: personified in "Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap"). (i.) călumniātor, m.: cf. calumniatores appellati sunt, quia per fraudem et frustrationem alios vexarent litibus, Gai. Dig. 50., 16, 223: v. pettifogger. (ii.) vĕtĕrātor, m. (a sly old fox), Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 53. (iii.) Expr. by adjs. signifying crafty: cunning: as acutus: astutus: callidus: subdolus: vafer: versutus. Join: hoc est hominis versuti, obscuri, astuti, fallacis, malitiosi, callidi, veteratoris, vafri, Cic. de Off. 3, 13, 57. Join: malum crudumque et callidum atque subdolum, Pl. Poen. 5, 2, 148: cf. hi saepe versutos homines et callidos admirantes, malitiam sapientiam judicant, Cic. Off. 2, 3, 10.