Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NE PLUS ULTRA
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As we check out the effusive phrase ne plus ultra, which literally means "not more beyond," see if you can recall a few of its cousins:
"Ne plus ultra" is Latin for "not more beyond."
Part of speech:
Use it carefully! Like all fancy Latin terms, it can sound snobby, stuffy, too academic, or too old-fashioned. Still, even if your listeners are unfamiliar with this term, they'll probably understand it. It looks and sounds enough like "plus" and "ultra" to get the idea across.
"It was the last really elegant shop of its kind left in Manhattan... the ne plus ultra of American bookstores."
Explain the meaning of "ne plus ultra" without saying "the ultimate" or "a state of perfection."
Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is the ne plus ultra of (its type)."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
A near opposite of NE PLUS ULTRA is
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |