semper ubi sub ubi

proverb

Always wear underwear. (Literally, ‘always where under where’).

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Meanings

proverb
  1. humorousmottoAlways wear underwear. (Literally, ‘always where under where’).

    Kids, always remember these words: semper ubi sub ubi.

    2010, Richard A. Davis, The Intangibles of Leadership, page xii
    2 more examples

    And on the subject of “below” or “under,” there is the famous line that every student of Latin knows by heart: Semper ubi sub ubi.

    2004, Bill Sherk, 500 Years of New Words (page 138)

    While our teacher conducts a declension drill we busily draw jock straps and pushup bras on the statuary in our Living Latin textbooks. We pass notes with crude Latin jokes — Semper ubi sub ubi — Always wear underwear. Snigger, snigger.

    2019, Michael Mitchell, Final Fire: A Memoir

Origin

Dog Latin, from always + where + under + where, punning on the pronunciation.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

semper ubi sub ubi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semper%20ubi%20sub%20ubi

MLA

“semper ubi sub ubi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semper%20ubi%20sub%20ubi. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “semper ubi sub ubi,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/semper%20ubi%20sub%20ubi.

Source: semper ubi sub ubi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.