New one for me. Found this on the interweb
The obsolete phrase tace is Latin for (a) candle means do not throw light on it, keep it dark, secret. Latin tace means be silent, and candle is symbolical of light.
It was used by Jonathan Swift in A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation, published in 1738 but composed in the first decade of the 18th century:
- Lady Smart: Well, but, after all, Tom, can you tell me what’s Latin for a Goose.
- Mr Neverout: O my Lord, I know that; why Brandy is Latin for a Goose, and Tace is Latin for a Candle.