hair-splitting

angustus, a, um. adj. [v. ango], narrow, strait, esp. of local relations, close, contracted, small, not spacious (syn.: artus, brevis, contractus;

opp. latus,

Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92). [p. 120]

Lit.:

fretus,

Lucr. 1, 720:

Angustum per iter,

id. 5, 1132; so Sall. J. 92, 7, and Vulg. Judith, 4, 6; 7, 5:

pontes angusti,

Cic. Leg. 3, 17:

domus,

id. Fin. 1, 20, 65:

fauces portūs angustissimae,

Caes. B. C. 1, 25:

fines,

id. B. G. 1, 2 Herz.:

cellae,

Hor. S. 1, 8, 8:

rima,

id. Ep. 1, 7, 29:

Principis angustā Caprearum in rupe sedentis,

on the narrow rock, Juv. 10, 93 Herm., where Jahn reads augusta, both readings yielding an apposite sense:

porta,

Vulg. Matt. 7, 13; ib. Luc. 13, 24 al.— Subst.: angustum, i, n., narrowness:

per angustum,

Lucr. 4, 530:

angusta viarum,

Verg. A. 2, 332:

pontes et viarum angusta,

Tac. H. 4, 35.—

Trop.

In angustum concludere, adducere, deducere, etc., to reduce to a strait, i. e. to restrain, confine, etc.:

ab illā immensā societate humani generis in exiguum angustumque concluditur,

Cic. Off. 1, 17:

amicitia ex infinitā societate generis humani ita contracta est et adducta in angustum, ut, etc.,

id. Am. 5.—Of the passions, to curb, restrain, moderate:

perturbationes animi contrahere et in angustum deducere,

Cic. Ac. 1, 10.—

Of other things: clavus angustus, the narrow purple stripe upon the tunic, v. clavus:

spiritus,

short, difficult, Cic. de Or. 1, 61:

odor rosae,

not diffused far, Plin. 21, 4, 10, § 14.—Once also of the point of an arrow = acutus, Cels. 7, 5, n. 2.—

Of time, short, brief:

angustus dies,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 8; Stat. Th. 1, 442:

nox,

Ov. Am. 3, 7, 25:

tempus,

Luc. 4, 447.—

Of means of living, and the like, pinching, scanty, needy:

pauperies,

Hor. C. 3, 2, 1:

res angusta domi,

Juv. 3, 164:

mensa,

Sen. Thyest. 452: domus, poor, i. e. built without much expense, Tac. A. 2, 33.—

Of other external relations of life, difficult, critical, uncertain:

rebus angustis animosus atque Fortis adpare,

Hor. C. 2, 10, 21:

cum fides totā Italiā esset angustior,

was weakened, Caes. B. C. 3, 1.— Subst.: angustum, i, n., a difficult, critical, condition, danger: in angustum cogi, * Ter. Heaut. 4, 2, 2:

res est in angusto,

the condition is perilous, Caes. B. G. 2, 25:

spes est in angusto,

hope is feeble, Cels. 8, 4.—

Of mind or character, narrow, base, low, mean-spirited:

nihil est tam angusti animi, tam parvi, quam amare divitias,

Cic. Off. 1, 20, 68:

animi angusti et demissi,

id. Pis. 24, 57:

ecce autem alii minuti et angusti, aut omnia semper desperantes, aut malevoli, invidi, etc.,

id. Fin. 1, 18, 61.—

Of learned investigations that lay too much stress upon little things, subtle, hair-splitting:

minutae angustaeque concertationes,

Cic. de Or. 3, 31:

pungunt (Stoici) quasi aculeis, interrogatiunculis angustis,

id. Fin. 4, 3, 7.—

Of discourse, brief, simple:

et angusta quaedam et concisa, et alia est dilatata et fusa oratio,

Cic. Or. 56, 187:

Intonet angusto pectore Callimachus,

i.e. in simple style, Prop. 2, 1, 40.— Adv.: angustē.

Lit., of space, quantity, or number, within narrow limits, closely, hardly: recepissem te, nisi anguste sederem, if I were not in close quarters, Cic. ap. Macr. S. 2, 3:

anguste putare vitem,

to prune close, Col. 4, 16, 1; so,

anguste aliquid deputare,

id. 4, 22, 3:

quā (re frumentariā) anguste utebatur,

in small quantity, Caes. B. C. 3, 16:

tantum navium repperit, ut anguste quindecim milia militum, quingentos equites transportare possent, = vix,

scarcely fifteen thousand, id. ib. 3, 2.— Comp.:

angustius pabulabantur,

within narrower range, Caes. B. C. 1, 59:

aliae (arbores) radices angustius diffundunt,

Varr. R. R. 1, 37, 5:

quanto sit angustius imperitatum,

Tac. A. 4, 4:

eo anno frumentum propter siccitates angustius provenerat,

more scantily, Caes. B. G. 5, 24.— Sup.:

Caesar (nitebatur) ut quam angustissime Pompeium contineret,

Caes. B. C. 3, 45:

furunculus angustissime praecisus,

Col. 4, 24, 17. —

Trop.

In gen., within narrow limits:

anguste intraque civiles actiones coërcere rhetoricam,

Quint. 2, 15, 36.— Comp.: haud scio an recte ea virtus frugalitas appellari possit, quod angustius apud Graecos valet, qui frugi homines chrêsimous appellant, id est tantum modo utiles, has a narrower meaning, Cic. Tusc. 3, 8, 16:

Reliqui habere se videntur angustius, enatant tamen etc.,

seem to be more hampered, id. ib. 5, 31, 87.—

Esp. of speaking or writing, closely, briefly, concisely, without diffuseness: anguste scribere, Cic. Mur. 13, 28:

anguste et exiliter dicere,

id. Brut. 84, 289:

anguste disserere,

id. Part. Or. 41, 139:

presse et anguste rem definire,

id. Or. 33, 117:

anguste materiem terminare,

Quint. 7, 4, 40.— Comp.:

Pergit idem et urget angustius,

Cic. N. D. 2, 8, 22:

concludere brevius angustiusque,

id. ib. 2, 7, 20.

angustus, a, um. adj. [v. ango], narrow, strait, esp. of local relations, close, contracted, small, not spacious (syn.: artus, brevis, contractus;

opp. latus,

Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92). [p. 120]

Lit.:

fretus,

Lucr. 1, 720:

Angustum per iter,

id. 5, 1132; so Sall. J. 92, 7, and Vulg. Judith, 4, 6; 7, 5:

pontes angusti,

Cic. Leg. 3, 17:

domus,

id. Fin. 1, 20, 65:

fauces portūs angustissimae,

Caes. B. C. 1, 25:

fines,

id. B. G. 1, 2 Herz.:

cellae,

Hor. S. 1, 8, 8:

rima,

id. Ep. 1, 7, 29:

Principis angustā Caprearum in rupe sedentis,

on the narrow rock, Juv. 10, 93 Herm., where Jahn reads augusta, both readings yielding an apposite sense:

porta,

Vulg. Matt. 7, 13; ib. Luc. 13, 24 al.— Subst.: angustum, i, n., narrowness:

per angustum,

Lucr. 4, 530:

angusta viarum,

Verg. A. 2, 332:

pontes et viarum angusta,

Tac. H. 4, 35.—

Trop.

In angustum concludere, adducere, deducere, etc., to reduce to a strait, i. e. to restrain, confine, etc.:

ab illā immensā societate humani generis in exiguum angustumque concluditur,

Cic. Off. 1, 17:

amicitia ex infinitā societate generis humani ita contracta est et adducta in angustum, ut, etc.,

id. Am. 5.—Of the passions, to curb, restrain, moderate:

perturbationes animi contrahere et in angustum deducere,

Cic. Ac. 1, 10.—

Of other things: clavus angustus, the narrow purple stripe upon the tunic, v. clavus:

spiritus,

short, difficult, Cic. de Or. 1, 61:

odor rosae,

not diffused far, Plin. 21, 4, 10, § 14.—Once also of the point of an arrow = acutus, Cels. 7, 5, n. 2.—

Of time, short, brief:

angustus dies,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 8; Stat. Th. 1, 442:

nox,

Ov. Am. 3, 7, 25:

tempus,

Luc. 4, 447.—

Of means of living, and the like, pinching, scanty, needy:

pauperies,

Hor. C. 3, 2, 1:

res angusta domi,

Juv. 3, 164:

mensa,

Sen. Thyest. 452: domus, poor, i. e. built without much expense, Tac. A. 2, 33.—

Of other external relations of life, difficult, critical, uncertain:

rebus angustis animosus atque Fortis adpare,

Hor. C. 2, 10, 21:

cum fides totā Italiā esset angustior,

was weakened, Caes. B. C. 3, 1.— Subst.: angustum, i, n., a difficult, critical, condition, danger: in angustum cogi, * Ter. Heaut. 4, 2, 2:

res est in angusto,

the condition is perilous, Caes. B. G. 2, 25:

spes est in angusto,

hope is feeble, Cels. 8, 4.—

Of mind or character, narrow, base, low, mean-spirited:

nihil est tam angusti animi, tam parvi, quam amare divitias,

Cic. Off. 1, 20, 68:

animi angusti et demissi,

id. Pis. 24, 57:

ecce autem alii minuti et angusti, aut omnia semper desperantes, aut malevoli, invidi, etc.,

id. Fin. 1, 18, 61.—

Of learned investigations that lay too much stress upon little things, subtle, hair-splitting:

minutae angustaeque concertationes,

Cic. de Or. 3, 31:

pungunt (Stoici) quasi aculeis, interrogatiunculis angustis,

id. Fin. 4, 3, 7.—

Of discourse, brief, simple:

et angusta quaedam et concisa, et alia est dilatata et fusa oratio,

Cic. Or. 56, 187:

Intonet angusto pectore Callimachus,

i.e. in simple style, Prop. 2, 1, 40.— Adv.: angustē.

Lit., of space, quantity, or number, within narrow limits, closely, hardly: recepissem te, nisi anguste sederem, if I were not in close quarters, Cic. ap. Macr. S. 2, 3:

anguste putare vitem,

to prune close, Col. 4, 16, 1; so,

anguste aliquid deputare,

id. 4, 22, 3:

quā (re frumentariā) anguste utebatur,

in small quantity, Caes. B. C. 3, 16:

tantum navium repperit, ut anguste quindecim milia militum, quingentos equites transportare possent, = vix,

scarcely fifteen thousand, id. ib. 3, 2.— Comp.:

angustius pabulabantur,

within narrower range, Caes. B. C. 1, 59:

aliae (arbores) radices angustius diffundunt,

Varr. R. R. 1, 37, 5:

quanto sit angustius imperitatum,

Tac. A. 4, 4:

eo anno frumentum propter siccitates angustius provenerat,

more scantily, Caes. B. G. 5, 24.— Sup.:

Caesar (nitebatur) ut quam angustissime Pompeium contineret,

Caes. B. C. 3, 45:

furunculus angustissime praecisus,

Col. 4, 24, 17. —

Trop.

In gen., within narrow limits:

anguste intraque civiles actiones coërcere rhetoricam,

Quint. 2, 15, 36.— Comp.: haud scio an recte ea virtus frugalitas appellari possit, quod angustius apud Graecos valet, qui frugi homines chrêsimous appellant, id est tantum modo utiles, has a narrower meaning, Cic. Tusc. 3, 8, 16:

Reliqui habere se videntur angustius, enatant tamen etc.,

seem to be more hampered, id. ib. 5, 31, 87.—

Esp. of speaking or writing, closely, briefly, concisely, without diffuseness: anguste scribere, Cic. Mur. 13, 28:

anguste et exiliter dicere,

id. Brut. 84, 289:

anguste disserere,

id. Part. Or. 41, 139:

presse et anguste rem definire,

id. Or. 33, 117:

anguste materiem terminare,

Quint. 7, 4, 40.— Comp.:

Pergit idem et urget angustius,

Cic. N. D. 2, 8, 22:

concludere brevius angustiusque,

id. ib. 2, 7, 20.