Latin Proverbs: Cado compounds

Yesterday I did proverbs with the verb cado, and today I want to look at compounds of cado. When cado is compounded, the root goes from cad- to cid- so you get compounds like incido (fall into), decido (fall down, drop), recido (fall back), and occido (fall down, sink); I've linked to the dictionary entry for each of those verbs. 

An important thing to note is that the root -cid- has a short i, while there is also a root -cīd- with a long i, from the verb caedo, meaning "cut, strike, kill," which is where you get a word like occīdere, for example, meaning "to kill" and similarly for other compounds of caedo. So, pay attention to the context; that will help you figure out which verb you are looking at. That might be based on the meaning required by the context and/or by the syntax; the verbs formed from cado do not take a direct object, while the verbs formed from caedo usually take an object.

So, here are some proverbs with compounds of the verb cado:

Celsae graviore casu decidunt turres.
The noun "casus" is also derived from the same root as the verb "cado." Notice how the the noun phrase wraps around the whole saying: Celsae...turres. Compare the English saying, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Dum vito fumum, flammam in ipsam decido.
The chiastic structure puts the words "fumum" and "flammam" right next to each other for emphasis, and also for the alliteration.

Fumum fugi, in ignem incidi.
Fumum fugiens, in ignem incidi.
Cineres evitans, in carbones incidi.
Notice how the finite verb, fugi, can be replaced by a participle: fugiens, and likewise evitans.

Incidit in prunas, cupiens vitare patellam.
Incidit in flammas, cupiens vitare favillas.
These forms of the saying use the third-person form: incidit.

Ne cinerem vitans in prunas incidas.
Ne cineres fugiens in prunas incidas.
Notice how the negative subjunctive wraps around the whole statement: Ne...incidas.

Fugiens ursum, incidi in leonem.
Compare the preceding proverb with "fumum" and "ignem" instead of "ursum" and "leonem."

Effugiens Charybdim, incidi in Scyllam.
Evitata Charybdi, in Scyllam incidi.
For more about twin perils of Charybdus and Scylla, see Wikipedia. Notice also how the active participle phrase, "effugiens Charybdim," can be replaced by an ablative absolute, "evitata Charybdi."

Alessandro Allori

Incidisti in foveam quam fecisti.
Qui fodit foveam, incidet in eam.
The first version of this saying is in the second person, "incidisti...fecisti" with perfect verbs, while the second version uses third-person verbs, present and future: "fodit...incidet."

Dum alterum vitium devitat, incidit in alterum.
Dum alterum vitium evitant, in alterum incidunt.
Here you see both singular and plural verbs of the saying.

In expuentis recidit faciem, quod in caelum expuit.
In faciem recidit, quidquid in astra iacit.
Compare the English saying, "don't spit into the wind."

Sol ne occidat super iracundiam vestram.
This saying is inspired by the Bibilical Letter to the Ephesians, 4.26.

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