Number 33
The number 33 is used very often as a spook marker for fake events, particularly fake deaths where spooks “die” at age 33. This may be because the number 33 puns in Latin with “tricking the lower classes” and with “trick tragedy”. And in Hebrew numerology, 33 spells out the word “mockery”.
Latin tricando tribus for “tricking the lower classes”
In Latin, 33 is triginta tres, which also has the grammar form triginta tribus. This puns with tricando tribus for “tricking the the lower classes”. Because in Latin, “tribes” was another word for “lower classes”.
The pun even works somewhat in English: “trickin’ da tribes”. Maybe that’s how the spooklings who don’t speak Latin can memorize it, and that’s why it’s become so popular in modern times.
My Latin is too poor to pick the correct grammar, but the spooks would almost certainly also use garbled grammar for their puns. This Latin pun works in 2 variants:
33 = triginta tribus ≈ tricando tribus = trick the lower classes
33 = triginta tribus ≈ intricanto turbis = entrick the crowd
Latin triginta = thirty; tricando = play tricks; intricanto = entrick
Latin tribus = three, tribe, lower classes; turba = crowd, multitude
Latin tragoedia trica for “trick tragedy”
Since the number 33 is often (but not always) used for faked deaths, a secondary pun may be of triginta tercia “33rd” with tragoedia trica “trick tragedy”. Varous forms of the Latin words for “three” and “trick” are possible here to make it work. The standard spelling is tertia.
Latin triginta = 30; terci = 3; tragoedia = tragedy; trico = trick
Semitic 33 = lg as pun with lˁg for “mockery”
If 33 is written with Hebrew letters for numerals, the spelling is לג lg. That’s very close to לעג lˁg for “mockery”. (It’s also close to Yiddish ליגן lign, German lügen, for “lying”.)
As usual with Hebrew numerals, the exact spelling cannot be used as it doesn’t produce a valid number.
| Number | Hebrew numeral |
|---|---|
| 30 | ל Lamed |
| 3 | ג Gimel |
| 33 = 30 + 3 | לג lg ≈ לעג lˁg = mockery |