Magnum bonum
- a bottle containing two quarts of wine or spirits or the contents thereof. A quotation from c1755 commemorates a wine drinker: His fondness for claret brought him the nickname of Dr Bonum Magnum. A wry contrast between the Episcopal church and the Presbyterian church is made in The Bee (March 1791): In the time of episcopacy, the dean used to call boldly for a bottle of wine. Afterwards, the moderator whispered the maid to fetch a magnum bonum. The moderator should have been less coy, as his knowledge of Latin would have told him that a magnum bonum is ‘a big good thing’.