The correspondence on Latin teaching (Letters, 19 August) reminded me of a former colleague who, before Post-it notes arrived, had developed his own short message forms. These had the phrase “te absente stercus flabellum tanguit” across the top, and he assured us that it was Latin for “while you were out, the shit hit the fan”. Probably an appropriate note for Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson to have received after the Taliban took Kabul during their holidays.
Paul Faupel
Somersham, Cambridgeshire
• “Dominic Raab ‘refused to be contacted’ in days before Afghanistan fell” while on holiday in Crete (Report, 19 August). “British workers are the worst idlers in the world.” (Raab et al, 2012). Discuss.
Mike Jones
Pinhoe, Exeter
• The most misquoted well-known phrase (Letters, 19 August)? I offer “One bad apple…”, which should conclude with “…can spoil the whole barrel.” It is usually deployed by apologists for institutional corruption to suggest the exact opposite of the original meaning.
Dr Brian O’Callaghan
Sonning, Berkshire
• Your marvellous photos featuring artists with costumes made from rubbish (The Guardian picture essay, 20 August) do not just highlight the problems associated with waste, they also provide a great audition lineup for the next series of Doctor Who.
David Collins
Kidderminster, Worcestershire
• Likening the new hotel in Edinburgh to a poo emoji is fully justified (Editorial, 18 August). We have always referred to the Gherkin as the London Suppository.
Ian Winstanley
Ashton-in-Makerfield, Manchester
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