ad captandum vulgus

[ ahd kahp-tahn-doom wool-goos; English ad kap-tan-duhm vuhl-guhs ]

Latin.

1. in order to please the mob.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ad captandum vulgus¹

Literally, “for courting the crowd”

Example Sentences

Amongst these latter we may name, by way of illustration, "Ab ovo," "Ad captandum vulgus," "Dum vivimus vivamus," "Ex cathedra," "Facilis est descensus Averni," "Humanum est errare," "De mortuis nil nisi bonum," "Carpe diem," "Argumentum ad hominem," "Ars est celare artem," "Petitio principii," "Per fas et nefas," "Ne sutor ultra crepidam," "Vox populi vox Dei," and "Festine lente."

From Project Gutenberg

“One of his Points must be to have many Readers: He considers, that my Face and Name are more known than those of many Thousands of more Consequence in the Kingdom, that, therefore, right or wrong, a Lick at the Laureat will always be a sure Bait, ad captandum vulgus, to catch him little Readers: And that to gratify the unlearned, by now and then interspersing those merry Sacrifices of an old Acquaintance to their Taste, in a Piece of quite right Poetical Craft.”

From Project Gutenberg

Lord Byron replied:— "I feel that you are right, but I also feel that I am sincere, and that if I am only to write ad captandum vulgus, I might as well edit a magazine at once, or concoct songs for Vauxhall."

From Project Gutenberg

This practice of representing objects nearer the eye than the frame is certainly to be observed in some of the prints after Rubens and others, and has descended to several common prints in our own time, but ought not to be adopted, as bordering too much upon that art which may be designated as a sort of ad captandum vulgus display.

From Project Gutenberg

Some have described it as an ad captandum vulgus use of words, and others have called it rash, and unduly sceptical.

From Project Gutenberg