What does the abbreviation cf. stand for?

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I'd like to think it's "See, f'rinstance."

― Prude (Prude), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:50 (twenty-three years ago)

'Compare'.

― David. (Cozen), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)

...but where does the "f" come in?

― Prude (Prude), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:55 (twenty-three years ago)

crazy Latins

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:58 (twenty-three years ago)

for ages I got it mixed up with "q.v." which means "see also".

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:59 (twenty-three years ago)

cockfarmer

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 12 September 2003 17:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think it means 'compare with'

― mei (mei), Friday, 12 September 2003 17:35 (twenty-three years ago)

cf. = confer = compare

Its cooler to save up for a N.B. IMNSHO.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:10 (twenty-three years ago)

The difference (between cf. and q.v.) being one is for internal and the other for external references correct? But I'll be cheering for N.B. anyways! The cool kids do it, why don't you?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:13 (twenty-three years ago)

What does NB mean?

― scott, Friday, 12 September 2003 18:20 (twenty-three years ago)

Nota bene = note well.

― David. (Cozen), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:21 (twenty-three years ago)

(Bene: last e acute.)

― David. (Cozen), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Which comes off sounding not so humble. Though not nearly as bad as Q.E.D. which some math profs will mark you down for.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Op cit that shit.

― David. (Cozen), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:26 (twenty-three years ago)

It is absolutely not a difference between internal and external reference. QV means 'which see', or 'and you should look at this', whereas cf is about comparing with some other source or item. Noodles is right re the source, confer being Latin for compare.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 12 September 2003 23:24 (twenty-three years ago)

"not a benny" => worth considering carefully

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 13 September 2003 00:28 (twenty-three years ago)

'Cited authority supports a proposition different from the main proposition but sufficiently analogous to lend support. Literally, "cf." means "compare." The citation's relevance will usually be clear to the reader only if it is explained. Parenthetical explanations (rule 1.5), however brief, are therefore strongly recommended.'

― A Uniform System of Citation (felicity), Saturday, 13 September 2003 01:23 (twenty-three years ago)

q.e.d. makes a great punchline!

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Saturday, 13 September 2003 02:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Isn't 'Nota bene' Latin for 'I have no money'???

― Karen, Saturday, 13 September 2003 03:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Nota bené = this note is counterfeit.

(The acute accent means "not" in piglatin.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Saturday, 13 September 2003 04:11 (twenty-three years ago)

uncanny! 'cause i was thinking on my way here on the bus i have to ask this qn on ILE 'cause i have never known what it actually stood for...knew what it meant, but as a kid i always read it to myself as "c. for yr self" (facetiously - like i knew it didnt REALLY mean that)

― duane, Saturday, 13 September 2003 06:19 (twenty-three years ago)

My maths teacher is a bastard!

― David. (Cozen), Saturday, 13 September 2003 07:25 (twenty-three years ago)

whoever signed off as "bluebook" just made me smile like a motherfucker :-)

and i wasn't aware that cf. was used in other, non-legal contexts. i thought that it was just something they threw into the bluebook to torture law school students.

― Tad (llamasfur), Saturday, 13 September 2003 08:24 (twenty-three years ago)

(Felicity, that was, Tad.)

― David. (Cozen), Saturday, 13 September 2003 08:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Latin didn't have accents, no?

What does Mutatis Mutandis mean? "The underpants are mutating!"?

― Mark C (Mark C), Saturday, 13 September 2003 10:16 (twenty-three years ago)

top google result says:

The phrase Mutatis Mutandis is Latin and means "that having been changed which
had to be changed" or more commonly, "with the necessary changes". ...

I can't look at the page from work!

― Mooro (Mooro), Saturday, 13 September 2003 10:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Dude, bluebook geek bonding! I am so in!

― J (Jay), Sunday, 14 September 2003 13:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Still, somebody shoot me if I start using e.g. or string cites on ILX, please.

― J (Jay), Sunday, 14 September 2003 13:54 (twenty-three years ago)

cf.

― Paul Eater (eater), Sunday, 14 September 2003 23:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Are you a nota bene tied to a tree?

― Alan (Alan), Monday, 15 September 2003 07:46 (twenty-three years ago)

haha, reference on the loose

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Monday, 15 September 2003 13:28 (twenty-three years ago)

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