Some people have hypothesized this might be a dig at Cornell University, the only Ivy League school without a Latin motto, but that might be more convincing if Springfield University had been founded in 1865. The university was founded in 1952, so if they still don’t have a motto, don’t hold your breath. The sign beside its gate reads, “Ask about our Latin motto contest,” as shown in the episode “Homer Goes to College” (1F02, 1993). Quimby is infamously corrupt -selling the school’s milk contract to the Mafia, using taxpayer dollars to have his enemies killed -so the intended meaning is obvious, “Corrupt in the extreme.” The Latin phrase “ in extremis” usually means “at the farthest reaches” or “as a last resort,” so this could arguably have the opposite meaning, that Quimby is corrupt only as a last resort -though no one other than Quimby’s press secretary is likely to spin it that way.īy contrast, pity poor Springfield University, which has no Latin motto at all. Probably the most famous Latin phrase in “The Simpsons” is the motto on Mayor Quimby’s seal, “ Corruptus in extremis,” which appears in multiple episodes. However, no one has ever compiled a list of Latin references on the series, so here’s my catalog with commentary. Over the past quarter-century, almost everything has been referenced on “The Simpsons,” and Latin is no exception.

Pecunia malum