Stevens Colloquial Expressions in Euripides

HERMES
ZEITSCHRIFT FUTR KLASSISCHE PHILOLOGIE
E I N Z E L S C H R I F T E N · H E F T 38
COLLOQUIAL EXPRESSIONS
IN EURIPIDES
BY
P.T. STEVENS
FRANZ STEINER YERLAG GMBH .WIESBADEN

N U N C CO G NO SCO EX PARTE
THOMAS J. BATA LIBRARY

TRENT UNIVERSITY
P. T. STEVENS
C O L L O Q U IA L E X P R E S S IO N S IN E U R IP ID E S
HERMES
ZEITSCHRIFT FIJR KLASSISCHE PHILOLOGIE
EINZELSCHRIFTEN
H ERAUSGEGEBEN VON
H O R S T B R A U N E R T f ■K A R L B O C H N E R
W O LFG A N G KULLM ANN
HEFT 38
IN EURIPIDES
BY
P. T. STEV EN S
FRANZ STEIN ER VERLAG GMBH · W IESBADEN

1976
IN EURIPIDES
BY
P. T. STEVENS
FRANZ ST E IN E R VERLAG GMBH · WIESBADEN

Stevens, Phillip T.
Colloquial expressions in Euripides. — 1.
A ufl. — Wiesbaden : Steiner, 1976.
(Hermes : E inzelschr.; Bd. 38)
ISBN 3-515-02489-1
A lle R ech te v o rb eh alten

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P rin te d in G erm an y
CONTENTS
I n tr o d u c tio n ............................................................................................................. 1
C olloquial expressions ......................................................................................... 10
A. E x ag g eratio n : e m p h a s is ................................................................................ 10
B. Pleonastic o r lengthened form s o f e x p re s s io n ........................................ 19
C. U n d erstatem en t: i r o n y .................................................................................. 23
D. B revity: e llip s e .................................................................................................. 27
E. In terjections and E xpressions used to attract attention o r m aintain
c o n ta c t................................................................................................................. 33
F. P a rtic le s............................................................................................................... 44
G. M etaphorical e x p re ss io n s ............................................................................. 49
H. M isc e lla n eo u s................................................................................................... 52
I. C olloquial form s and syntax ..................................................................... 59
N o te on the distrib u tio n o f colloquial e x p re ss io n s ..................................... 64
N o te on the stylistic and dram atic significance o f colloquial expressions 66
Select b ib lio g r a p h y ............................................................................................... 69
Index o f colloquial w ords and expressions .................................................. 71
IN T R O D U C T IO N
T h e language o f A ttic T ragedy in speeches and dialogue, taken as a whole,

is evidently a Kunstsprache, b u t we m ight expect that current conversational
idiom w ould have som e influence; indeed it is now generally recognised
th at colloquial expressions do in fact occur in the extant plays, especially
in E uripides, and m ost com m entators on his plays describe certain w ords
and phrases as obvious colloquialism s o r as probable or possible colloquial
isms. As far as I know tw o articles and a chapter o f a book have been devoted
to this topic: in 1901 C. A m a t i published a collection o f colloquial expres
sions in E u rip id e s1, p ro v id in g in m ost instances som e examples from Old
C om edy as the criterion o f colloquial character; in 1936 J. S m e r e k a included
in a study o f som e aspects o f the language o f E uripides a chapter on col
lo q u ialism 2, giving m any alleged examples b u t m arred by lack o f discrim
ination and absence o f any indication o f the criteria ad o p ted ; in 1937 I
p ublished som e additions to A m a t i ’s list, w ith a m ore detailed discussion
o f the evidence for colloquial u sag e3. In the present m o n o g rap h I offer a
m ore com prehensive collection o f examples, including those previously
published (except that I have om itted some o f A m a t i ’s examples w hich I
n o w th ink unjustified), tog eth er w ith a fuller discussion o f the criteria for
inclusion and an attem p t to estim ate the stylistic and dram atic significance
o f colloquial language in E u rip id e s32.
B efore considering the evidence for colloquial usage in the last decades
o f fifth century A thens it w ill perhaps be advisable to make clear w hat I
m ean by colloquial, w ith reference to other levels o f speech from which
this elem ent in E uripides is to be distinguished. A possible classification
1 S tu d lt 9, 1901, 125-248.
2 Studia E u rip id ea, L eopoli 1936, ch. IV D e serm onis cotidiani et orationis solutae
au ctoritate.
3 C lQ u 31, 193-7, 182-191, rep rin ted in : E u rip id es (W ege der F o rschung L X X X IX ),
hrsg. v . E . R. S c h w i n g e , D arm stad t 1969, 104—123.
3aI am grateful for the help and en co u rag em en t o f a n u m b er o f scholars, including the
late J. D. D e n n isto n , P ro fesso r H . L loyd-Jones and especially Professor K. J. D over, w ho
read the ty p escrip t and sent valuable com m ents. I should like to thank the T rustees o f the
H enry B ro w n F u n d for a gen ero u s g ran t tow ards the cost o f publication.
2 In tro d u c tio n
o f language is into four levels: poetic, prosaic, neutral and colloquial. In

o u r ow n language there is generally no difficulty ab o u t differentiating
betw een these levels, th o u g h in m odern E n g lish distinctively poetic diction
has alm ost ceased to exist. In ancient G reek poetic language in diction,
form and syntax is an im p o rtan t and easily recognisable feature; betw een
the other three levels discrim ination is liable to be m ore difficult in a foreign
and especially a dead language: we lack the native speaker’s intuitive
perception o f such nuances, and the facts o f usage and d istrib u tio n may be
m isleading, particularly in G reek w here so small a p ro p o rtio n o f ancient
G reek literature is now extant.
If we have in m ind a different line o f division, betw een the em otional
and intellectual aspects o f language, then there is som ething in com m on
betw een poetry, im passioned oratory and colloquial speech4, since they
all at times use language em otionally and all m ake free use o f certain general
types o f expression, such as pleonasm , m etaphor and hyperbole. T he result
o f such com m on characteristics is that a colloquialism w ould often be less
incongruous in poetry than a distinctively prosaic w o rd or phrase, and
that it may be m ore difficult to establish the colloquial character o f a given
phrase.
In E uripides, as in all A ttic T ragedy, there is clearly a poetic colouring,
derived partly from w ords w hich in form and m eaning w ould be recognised
as characteristic o f epic and lyric poetry and alien from ordinary speech,
for example com pounds such as καλλιπύργωτος and άσπιδηφόρος. Such w ords,
how ever, are n o t com m on in E uripidean dialogue, and p oetic diction
here consists m ainly o f w ords for w hich there was a norm al A ttic equivalent,
such as φάσγανον for ξίφος, δώμα for οικία, εύφρόνη for νύξ. Some o f these
“ p o etic” w ords w ere apparently in everyday use in n on-A ttic dialects, for
example the D oric μολεΐν for έλθεΐν and Ionic εύφρόνη for νύξ, and th o u g h
an A thenian w ould n o t him self use μολεΐν5, it cannot have sounded u n
familiar. It is given to an A thenian in Ar. Eq. 21 ft., in order to lead up to
the com pound αύτομολεΐν, w hich was norm al A ttic, and in T rag ed y έλθεΐν
Cf. E. L o f s t e d t , Syntactica II, L und 1956, o65 : Sie sind (die Poesie u n d die U m gangs-
sprache), kurz ausgedruckt, im G egensatz zu r kiihlen, k o rrek t dahinschreitenden N orm al-
prosa, die beiden w arm eren S tila rte n .”
5 T he few examples (apart from its use by non-A thenians) in O ld C o m ed y (C ratin .l 11 ;
Ar. Fr. Inc. 697; Strattis Fr. 41) are p robably paratragic or otherw ise exceptional. It first
appears in prose in X en. A n . 7 .1 .3 3 , w here it is given to a Boeotian. For a discussion w ith
reference to literary and epigraphical evidence see L. G a u t i e r , La Langue de X e n o p h o n ,
G eneva 1911, 29-30.
In tro d u c tio n 3
and μολεΐν often appear in close ju x tap o sitio n 6. T hus no special incongruity
need have been felt at the juxtaposition o f μολα>ν and the colloquial εύ έποίησε
in E. Med. 4 7 2 7.
T he poetic colouring o f tragic dialogue appears o f course n o t only in
diction b u t in form s o f w ords, syntax, idiom , w ord ord er and so on. T hus
in E. Med. 1073—1074 ευδαιμονοΐτον, αλλ εκεί’ τα δ ενθάδε πατήρ άφείλετ’,
w here the p o ig n an t sim plicity is achieved partly by the use o f neutral diction,5
there is still a slight touch o f rem oteness in the absence o f the article w ith
πατήρ. As regards form o f w ords the ditferences from norm al A ttic are
n o t very great. T he A ttic provincialism s ττ and pp were naturally avoided,
b u t the form s w ith σσ and ρσ w ere in use in historical prose and m ust have
been fam iliar on the lips o f fo reig n ers8. T hus in τί πράσσεις; the non-A ttic
form w o uld n o t necessarily deny the colloquial character o f the p h ra se 9.
Prosaic w ords in E nglish, i.e. w ords that w ould produce a slight effect
o f in co n g ru ity in a poetic context o r in ordinary conversation, are generally
technical or sem i-technical term s o f science, m edicine, law and the rest,
specially coined for a specific purpose and generally derived from Latin or
G reek, such as “ therm odynam ics” , “ bilateral” , “ m etabolism ” . Fifth century
A thens probably saw the beginnings o f technical vocabularies, and occa
sionally a foreign source m ight be used, e.g. a D o ric w ord m ight be taken over
as a m ilitary term . G enerally how ever special senses were assigned to ordinary
A ttic w ords o r new w ords form ed from existing G reek stem s; parodies
in A risto p h a n e s10 im ply a tendency in certain circles to coin nouns in -σις
and adjectives in -ικός. In E uripides there are som e w ords that may well
carry w ith them som ething o f the atm osphere o f a medical o r rhetorical
6 E .g . I T 515 καί μήν ποθεινός γ ’ ήλθες έξ ’Ά ργους μολών; A le. 539-540; H F 531-532;
Ion 332; Or. 738. μολών is particularly com m o n at the end o f a line and in the passages cited
and m any o th ers m etrical convenience m ay have d eterm ined the choice, b u t in m any it has
n o t, e.g. Med. 776, w here μολόντι is first w ord.
7 See below p. 54.
8 It w o u ld n o t be su rp risin g if the influx o f strangers to A thens, as visitors o r settlers,
affected the speech o f native A thenians, th o u g h in the w ell-know n passage in Ps. X en.
A th . Pol. II 8 έπειτα φωνήν πασαν άκούοντες έξελέξαντο τοΰτο μέν έκ τής τοϋτο δέ έκ τής- καί
οί μέν 'Έλληνες ιδία μάλλον καί φωνή καί διαίτη καί σχήματι χρώνται, ’Α θηναίοι δέ κεκραμένη
έξ απάντων των Ελλήνων καί βαρβάρων the a u th o r’s personal bias has led him to exaggerate.
In A ttic vase inscriptions we find e.g. b o th Κασσάνδρα and the atticised Καττάνδρα; see
P. K r e t s c h m e r , D ie G riechischen V aseninschriften, ih rer Sprache nach u ntersucht, Gii-
terslo h 1894, 76-78, and A. T h u m b , D ie G riechische Sprache im Z eitalter des H ellenism us,
S trafiburg 1901, 56.
9 See below p. 41.
10 A r. E q . 1378-1381; N ub. 317—318. O n -σις nouns see E . W . H a n d l e y , Eranos 51,
1 9 5 3 ,1 2 9 -1 4 2 .
In tro d u c tio n
treatise o r o f philosophical argum ent, e.g. διάγνωσής, ελκώδης, βούλησής,

λελογισμένος. These and many o ther w ords are certainly confined to E uripides
and prose w riters as far as o u r evidence goes, b u t in view o f the im m ense
quantity o f fifth century tragic dialogue no longer extant we do n o t know
how far this is due to chance. A w o rd is presum ably m ore likely to be distinc
tively prosaic if there is a norm al poetic equivalent, and it cannot, for instance,
be accidental that the simple verb κτείνω is norm al in poetry and in all three
tragedians, and th at the prose form άποκτείνω is fo u n d once in Aeschylus,
never in Sophocles, and about forty-five times in E uripides.
N eutral language consists o f the sort o f w ords and expressions th at have
no special connotation and are equally at hom e in any context. T he general
im pression, shared by ancient and m odern critics, o f greater sim plicity
o f diction in E uripides as com pared w ith A eschylus and even Sophocles
is probably due mainly to the higher p ro p o rtio n o f neutral language in his
plays.
Lastly by colloquial I mean n o t merely w ords and expressions th at are
likely to occur in ordinary conversation, since this consists largely o f n eutral
language, bu t the kind o f language th a t in a poetic o r prosaic context w ould
stand o u t how ever slightly as having a distinctively conversational flavour.
In G reek some w ords, at any rate in certain senses, are in them selves collo
quial, b u t m ore often it is a m atter o f idiom and usage. V ery often a slight
change in m eaning o r in the form o f a phrase will rem ove its colloquial
character, or even a change o f context. F o r exam ple A m a t i cites as colloquial
the use o f φαίνεσθαι to denote som eone’s arrival in E. H F 705, Ba. 646 and
Ph. 1747, and W il a m o w it z (on E. H F 705) notes “ aus d er U m gangs-
sprache” , citing as evidence PI. Prt. 309 A πόθεν, ώ Σώκρατες, φαίνη; “ W here
have you appeared from , Socrates?” H ere the verb probably is colloquial,
b u t only because it is a dignified w o rd deliberately used in a trivial context.
In H F 705, how ever, εξω κέλευε τώνδε φαίνεσΟαι δόμων “ Bid them a p p e a r. . . ”
the G reek is no m ore colloquial than the E nglish “ ap p ear” in that context.
A gain in Ar. Thesm. 220 γενναίος εί “ y o u ’re very g o o d ” (th an k in g fo r the
loan o f a razor) is probably a colloquial exaggeration, but the same phrase
γενναία γάρ εί in L A . 1411 has its full m eaning and is not co llo q u ial11.
F or the last thirty years o f the fifth century the best evidence for colloquial
usage is provided by the com ic dram atists. T he language o f A ttic Vase
Inscriptions is naturally lim ited in range, and th o u g h it tells us som ething
o f the characteristics o f popular speech, on the w hole it is below the level
11 O u r ow n language show s how easily one could go w ro n g ; e.g. both “ lo ” and “ b e h o ld ”

are poetic/archaic, yet the expression “ lo and b e h o ld ” may be heard in any casual co n
versation.
o f colloquialism found in T ragedy. T h e language o f O ld Com edy also in

cludes m uch th at was clearly regarded as beneath the dignity o f Tragedy,
n o t only ordinary term s for sex organs, various bodily functions and the
like and slang equivalents (m ost o f w hich are also excluded from N ew
C om edy) b u t also dim inutives. These are very com m on in A ristophanes
and perhaps also characteristic o f colloquial speech, b u t are hardly ever
found in T ra g e d y 12. A t the o th e r extrem e the language o f many A ristophanic
lyrics is n o t relevant for o u r purpose, and examples o f paratragic usage
m u st o f course be excluded. T he latter can generally be identified w ith o u t
difficulty, th o u g h occasionally w hen a particular expression is found in
A ristophanes and E uripides b u t n o t elsew here in T ragedy there may be
d o u b t w h eth er it is colloquial o r A ristophanes is deliberately intro d u cin g
a characteristic E u ripidean tu rn o f p h ra s e ; here the evidence o f prose dialogue
may serve as a c h ec k 13.
F o r the same perio d H erodotus can also be used as evidence, especially
in passages o f dialogue b u t also perhaps in narrative, w here the occurrence
o f colloquial w ords is attested by “ L ong in u s” 14. N o d o u b t the diction o f
H ero d o tu s is m ainly neutral, and indeed to A thenian ears m ight well have
a slight poetic tinge ow ing to the use o f Ionic w ords, such as εύφρόνη, w hich
in A thens belonged to the language o f p o etry ; b u t I take it that the colloquial
character o f an expression is if anything confirm ed by occurrence in H e
ro d o tu s, especially in d ia lo g u e 15.
In the early fo u rth century we have the evidence o f the conversational
parts o f the prose dialogues o f Plato and X en o p h o n . T he m any styles o f
Plato include the conversational style, w hich presum ably reflects the collo
quial idiom o f contem porary A thenian society16. A t ab o u t the same period
and in the fo u rth century the A ttic O rators are also relevant, w ith certain
distinctions. O n the w hole their vocabulary and idiom are m ainly neutral
12 A n exception is χλανίδι,ον, E. Or. 42; Sup. 110. C haerem on fr. 14,9. Fr. T rag . A desp. 7;
it m av have ceased to be felt as a dim inutive.
13 See p. 39 below on σον έ'ργον.
14 Ιίερί "ϊ'ψους c. 31, w here κατεκρεουργήθη (7. 181) is cited as a w ord that grazes the very
edge o f vulg arity b u t is saved by its expressiveness. In c. 43 several w ords in H dt. are censured
as being below th e dignity o f the subject.
15 W i l a m o w i t z (on E. H F 575) suggests th at Ionian n o tio n s o f propriety differed from
A ttic, so th a t an Ionic w riter m ig h t naturally use w ords or expressions that in A ttic w ould be
felt as so m ew h at coarse or colloquial. His exam ple is κλοάειν λέγω (4.127) w hich is n o t found
in T rag ed y (for the m ore polite colloquialism χαίρειν λέγω see below p. 26). Cf. also παχύς
alm ost “ blo ated a risto c rat” , w hich is used in serious narrative in H d t. (e.g.5. 30,77) b u t
in A ttic only in A risto p h an es (E q . 1139; P ax. 839; Vesp. 287).
16 F o r a g o o d acco u n t see H . T h e s l e f f , Studies in the Styles o f Plato, H elsinki 1967,
esp. 63—80.
6 In tro d u c tio n
o r prosaic. T here is, how ever, as we m ig h t expect, som e difference in this

respect betw een public and private speeches. In Lysias the everyday nature
o f some o f the incidents dealt w ith and the deliberate sim plicity o f style to
suit clients for w hom the speeches w ere w ritten p ro v id e a context in w hich
it is n o t surprising to find w ords and expressions w hich are, to judge by
O ld Com edy, collo q u ial17. Similarly in som e private speeches o f D em o sth e
nes a colloquial touch w ould help to m aintain the illusion that the w ords
are those o f a plain m a n 18. In the public speeches o f D em osthenes and
A eschines the style in narrative and argum ent is generally rather m ore form al,
b u t even in these speeches, especially in the frequent rhetorical questions,
im aginary retorts and scraps o f im aginary dialogue, the o rato rs avail th em
selves o f the v ig o u r and expressiveness o f obviously colloquial id io m 19,
including some w ords and form s that are confined to D em osthenes and C om
edy and are apparently too strongly colloquial for T rag e d y 20.
T ow ards the end o f the century fu rth er evidence for colloquialism is
p rovided by N ew Com edy, in w hich the diction and idiom are likely to be
m odelled on the speech o f everyday life. A t ab o u t the same tim e the Char
acters o f T heophrastus can also be used, especially w here the a u th o r quotes
rem arks supposed to be typical o f the type he is describing. These w riters
are adm ittedly a century later than E uripides, bu t their evidence should,
I think, be regarded as valid, at anyrate in confirm ation of earlier evidence.
In the third century and later we have g o o d evidence for the colloquial
speech o f that period in the Ptolem aic papyri and N ew T estam ent G reek,
and there is further m aterial in the Mimes o f H erodas and the m ore con
versational idylls o f T heocritus, especially the fifteenth. All this is n o t too
far rem oved in time or place to have some confirm atory value.
Lastly, I have occasionally cited parallels from colloquial Latin, for
w hich the evidence is m uch fu ller21, and from m odern G reek and oth er
m odern languages. C olloquial speech, at anyrate in m ost E u ro p ean lan
guages, has certain general characteristics, such as various kinds o f ellipse
and the substitution for plain statem ent o f exaggeration o r deliberate
E .g. the dim inutives οίκίδιον (1.9) δωμάτιον (1. 17); άφικνοϋμαι ώς τον και τό ν (1 .2 3 ); see
W. L. D e v r i e s , E thopoiia, A R hetorical Study o f the Types o f C haracter in the O ratio n s
o f Lysias, th o u g h he som ew hat exaggerates the extent to w hich language is used fo r ch ar
acterisation.
18 T he opening sentence o f lv is a g o o d example.
111 D EN NiSTON ,The G reek Particles, O xford 1954, lxxiv observes “ T he vividness o f D .’s
style leads him to em ploy a n u m b er o f lively conversational idiom s w hich are not found in
the o th e r o ra to rs.”
20 E .g. >Mh γρυ, confined to D . and O ld Com edy.
21 See e.g. J . B. H o e m a n n , Lateinische U m gangssprache, H eidelberg 1936;J. M a r o u z e a u ,
T rait£ de Stylistique A ppliqude au Latin, Pans 1946, 156-189.
u n d e rsta te m e n t—·; and the parallels I have cited are included partly as a
m atter o f interest, partly because they may offer slight confirm ation o f
colloquial character.
F o r a given expression in E uripides to be reckoned as colloquial its
occurrence elsew here in suitable contexts is o f course n o t e n o u g h ; it m ust
also be in the m ain confined to such contexts. T hus we should expect to find
no exam ples in Epic and C horal Lyric poetry o r in the prose o f A ntiphon,
T hucydides and Isocrates. O n the o th e r hand no hard and fast rule can be
m ade, since there are hardly any w riters o f w hom we could be sure that
they w o uld never adm it a colloquial expression. It has been suggested by
m o d ern critics that certain w ords in H om er may be co llo q u ial2223, th ough
w e have no means o f confirm ing this, and D e n n isto n suspects “ that the
particles H o m er em ploys w ere, in the main, those o f everyday speech” 2425
and that, for instance, “ τιή found only in H om er, H esiod and A ttic Comedy
was colloquial from first to last, th o u g h it seems to have gone o u t o f use
before the days o f Plato and X e n o p h o n ” . T hus I take it that the colloquial
character o f άτάρ in the fifth century is at anyrate n o t disproved by its use
in H o m e r2o. In the personal elegiac, iambic and lyric poetry o f the seventh
and sixth centuries the subject m atter and style are such that an occasional
colloquialism is n o t su rp risin g 26, and generally speaking I have n o t regarded
these w riters as negative evidence. E ven in the m ore stately choral lyric
o f P in d ar we have in P A . 87 the colloquial ου τί που, bu t here P indar purports
to give us the actual w ords o f a bystander. A m ong prose w riters, A n tip h o n ’s
style tends to be som ew hat stiff and form al, b u t in O r. 5. 43 we have the
colloquial ού γαρ δήπου ούτω κακοδαίμων εγώ ώ στε... “ I w asn’t such a con
fo u n d ed fo o l” and in 5.41 the parenthetic πώς γάρ. In Thucydides, apart
from τα όπλα ταυτί in the exceptional passage o f lively dialogue in 3. 113,4,
w e find in 3. 75 the apparently colloquial ούδέν υγιές; it is relevant that this
and som e o th e r possible colloquialism s in Thucydides are in passages o f
v irtu al reported speech, b u t in plain narrative ολίγου “ alm ost” , probably
colloquial in fifth century A ttic, occurs in 4. 124. 1 and 8. 35. 3.
22 F o r the persistence o f certain types o f colloquial idiom over long periods see
D . T a b a c h o v it z , PJA nom enes lingu istiq u es du vieux grec dans le grec de la basse 6poque,
M H elv. 3, 1946, 144-179.
23 See W. B. S tanford on Od. 14.467, 508, and cf. A r n o ld , Lectures on T ranslating
H o m er, L on d o n 1896, 88. In H esiod IF .D . 26 γαστέρερ may be colloquial; seeM . L. W h s t ,
ad loc.
24 G reek Particles lxxv.
25 See also on δαί p.45 below .
26 E .g. T h eo g n is 788 ούδέν άρ’ ήν: 1045 ναι μά Δ ί’.
In tro d u c tio n
Aeschylus and Sophocles are som ew hat anom alous. I have fo r con
venience included examples from fragm ents o f satyric dram as along w ith
those from tragedies, th o u g h the form er are certainly n o t negative evidence,
and may som etim es be regarded as confirm ation. I have regarded examples
from the tragedies as negative evidence to the extent th at frequent occurrence
in Aeschylus and Sophocles tells against the colloquial character o f a given
expression and suggests that it belongs rath er to w hat may be called the
“ dialogue style” 27. O n the o th er hand colloquial expressions are certainly
adm itted by bo th these dram atists28, including, for instance, the clearly
colloquial εύ γε {Phil. 327), w hich is n o t fo u n d in E u rip id e s29. I f therefore
the general picture strongly suggests the colloquial character o f an expres
sion I have n o t autom atically rejected it on the g ro u n d that it occurs in
Aeschylus o r Sophocles, especially in the Prometheus and Philoctetes. This
procedure may seem rather arbitrary, b u t it illustrates the fact th at no precise
specification is possible and each instance m ust be considered on its m erits.
F o r this reason it seemed necessary to p resent the evidence in sufficient
detail to enable scholars to judge for them selves.
A few w ords are necessary on the form in w hich the follow ing m aterial
is arranged. Exam ples o f colloquial w ords and expressions are g ro u p ed in
the follow ing categories: A. E xaggeration: em phasis. B. Pleonastic or
lengthened form s o f expression. C. U n d erstatem en t: iro n y 30. D . B revity:
ellipse. E . Interjections and expressions used to attract atten tio n o r m aintain
contact. F. M etaphorical expressions (not already included). G . Particles
(not already included). H . M iscellaneous. I. C olloquial form s and syntax.
It will be evident that the division is n o t on a uniform prin cip le; some
m ight be called psychological categories, others are gram m atical. It is also
clear that these categories are n o t m utually exclusive; e.g. an exam ple o f
colloquial exaggeration may also be m etaphorical. H o w ev er this g ro u p in g ,
th o u g h in some respects anom alous in conception and arbitrary in execution,
makes it possible to illustrate some general tendencies o f colloquial speech.
27 W. B. S t a n f o r d , Aeschylus in his Style, D u b lin 1942, has an interestin g account o f

colloquialism s, am ong w hich he includes exam ples o f “ staccato p h rasin g ” , such as E u . 431
πώς δ ή ; δίδαξον. των σοφών γάρ ού πένει, and Pr. 259; cf. also S. O C 1099. I should regard
such effects as belonging to the essential nature o f dram atic dialogue rath er than being
distinctively colloquial. We should also expect that som e uses o f particles w ould belong
to q uestion and answ er as such, w h atev er th eir tone. I have included only those that are
alm ost confined to E u ripides and colloquial sources.
28 F o r a collection, w hich does not claim to be com plete, see C lQ u 39, 1945, 95-105.
29 Aeschylus is the only tragic d ram atist to use the A ristophanic μάλλά {Cho. 918).
30 A. and C. are o f course b o th ways o f giving em phasis, as contrasted w ith plain exact
statem ent. C. is perhaps specially characteristic o f G reek ; see K . L a m m e r m a n n , V on der
attischen U rbanitat und ih rer A u sw irk u n g in der Sprache, G o ttin g en 1935.
W ithin each g ro u p the o rd er is alphabetical, generally according to the first

w o rd , and any particular w o rd o r phrase can easily be located from the
Index.
R eferences and q u o tations are norm ally in the follow ing o rd er: 1) Evidence
fo r colloquialism : C om edy, O ld, M iddle and N ew ; H ero d o tu s, Plato,
X e n o p h o n , O ra to rs; later w riters, papyri, H ellenistic G reek ; colloquial
Latin and o th e r languages. 2) E uripides. 3) A eschylus and Sophocles.
4) N eg ative evidence, o f w hich there will norm ally be none.
Exam ples from A ttic T ragedy are intended to be com plete, and unless
otherw ise indicated are in iam bic trim eters o r trochaic tetram eters. In
E uripides there are a few examples o f colloquialism in recitative anapaests,
as m ig h t be expected, and I have n o t regarded the rare occurrences in lyric
dialogue (as contrasted w ith the m ore form al stasima) as outw eighing good
positive evidence. Exam ples from colloquial sources are n o t necessarily
com plete, especially w hen a w ord o r phrase is very com m on in A ristophanes
o r P lato ; w here evidence for colloquialism is scanty I have endeavoured to
give as m uch as possible. W hen an English equivalent is offered for a G reek
expression it does n o t, o f course, p u rp o rt to be a suitable translation in
every passage cited.
References to G reek authors are norm ally to the latest edition in the
O .C .T . series, or w here this is n o t available to the T eu b n er series. F o r the
fragm ents o f Sophocles references are to P ea r so n , and for the Comic
fragm ents to K ock and D e m ia n c z u k Supplem entum Com icum . O ther
editions are referred to w hen necessary.
C O L L O Q U IA L E X P R E S S IO N S
A. E x a g g era tio n : em p h a sis
1. άγχόνη in the w eakened sense “ tro u b le ” , “ annoyance” .
A r. Ach. 125 ταΰτα δήτ’ ούκ άγχόνη; “ Isn ’t this h an g n ab le?” (R ennie):
Aeschin. 2,38 (w hen Philip refused to speak to D em osthenes) τούτο δ’ ήν
άρα άγ/όνη τούτω : Luc. Tim. 45 άγχόνη γάρ άν το πράγμα γένοιτο αύτοΐς.
Cf. crux in colloquial Latin, e.g. Plaut. Bacc. 584 quae te mala crux agitat?
In E nglish “ a hanging m a tte r” is som etim es used in a rather different sense
but w ith similar colloquial exaggeration.
E. Held. 244 ούκ έλευθέραν οίκεΐν δοκήσω γαΐαν, Άργεάυν δ’ οκνω / ίκέτας
προδοΰναι- καί τάδ’ άγχόνης πέλας. O n άγχόνης πέλας Pearson c o m m e n ts:
“ T he colloquial character o f the phrase is show n by A eschin. 2 ,3 8 ” ; b u t if
D em ophon is saying that the disgrace o f su rrendering suppliants w ould
alm ost drive him to suicide, then άγχόνη has its full literal sense and is no
m ore colloquial here than in e.g. E. A n . 816 δέσποιναν εϊργουσ’ άγχόνης,
and S. O.T. 1374 έργα κρείσσον’ άγχόνης. In E. Ba. 246 ταΰτ’ ούχί δεινής
άγχόνης έστ’ άξια, ύβρεις ύβρίζειν οστις έστίν ό ξένος; if the reference is to
suicide there is some exaggeration, b u t the elaboration o f the phrase makes
a difference, and in any case the reference is probably to h an g in g as a
punishm ent, in w hich case άγχόνη has its literal sense.
In Semon, 1, 18 we have άγχόνην άφαντο, and in A .’s satyric Diet. (Fr.
4 7 4 .1 4 Μ) άγχόνην άρ’ άψομαι, w here L o b e l translates “ k n o t the n o o se”
and com pares E nglish slang “ kick the b u ck et” . H ere again άγχόνη has its
full literal sense, and th o u g h the phrase is m ore direct and forcible than such
poetic periphrases as E. Ale. 230 βρόχω δέρην ούρανίω πελάσσαι, it is do u b tfu l
w hether it can be regarded as colloquial.
2 . ανω κ ά τ ω : 1) “ U pside d o w n ” “ In co n fu sio n ” .

Ar. Pax. 1180 τούς μεν έγγράφοντες ήμών τούς δ’ άνω τε καί κάτω έξαλείφοντες:
“ H aphazardly” , “ indiscrim inately” (P la t n a u er ) : Eq. 866: Nub. 616: Fr.
Com. Adesp. 583 ως τούτο δ' ειδεν, εύΟύς ήν άνω κάτω.
PI. Tht. 153D γένοιτ’ άν το λεγόμενον άνω κάτω πάντα: Prt. 361 C: D . 18. I l l
(λόγους) άνω καί κάτω διακυκών: 9.36. T he usual colloquial phrase was
A. E x a g g e ra tio n : em phasis 11
perhaps άνω κάτω, the longer form being used occasionally, som etim es for
m etrical reasons. F o r an am pler form o f this phrase cf. H dt. 3. 3. Αίγυπτου
τά μέν άνω κάτω θήσω, τά δέ κάτω άνω. C om pare m odern G reek, e.g. (from
a novel) ένα τηλεγράφημα πού τον έκανε άνω-κάτω “ a telegram w hich completely
upset h im ” .
E. H F 1307 άνδρ Ελλάδος τον πρώτον...άνω κάτω στρέψασα: Βα. 349
άνω κάτω τά πάντα συγχέας όμοΰ: ibid. 602 (lyr.) άνω κάτω τιθείς... μέλαΟρα31:
Fr. 600 τον νόμον άνω τε καί κάτω ταράσσων. F o r a m ore elaborate variation
cf. Tro. 1243 θεός έστρεψε τάνω περιβαλών κάτω /θονός.
A. Fr. 311 (probably from a sa'tyric play) (ΰς) δονούσα καί στρέφουσα τύρβ’
άνω κ ά τω : Eu. 650 τά 8’ άλλα πάντ’ άνω τε καί κάτω στρέφων.
C o n trast the m ore elaborate expression in Pi. Ol. 12.6 πόλλ’ άνω τά δ’ αύ
κάτω ... κυλίνδοντ’ ελπίδες.
2) “ U p and d o w n ” , “ T o and fro ” . T his use, fairly com m on in E., Comedy
and Plato and never in A. o r S., may also be colloquial; it is n o t always
distinct from 1), since it som etim es conveys the n o tio n o f confusion or
instability.
A r. A v . 3 άνω κάτω πλανύττομεν: Ach. 21 άνω καί κ ά τω : Lys. 709: M en. Κ.
1 ,3 : pro bably Frs. 140 and 447 (see K o e r t e ad loc.).
PI. (in the m et. sense o f exam ining all possibilities) Phd. 96 A πολλάκις
έμαυτόν άνω κάτω μετέβαλλον σκοπών Tht. 195 C όταν άνω κάτίυ τούς λόγους
έλκη τ ις : Phaedr. 272 Β et saep. : (in the sense o f confusion or instability)
Grg. 4 9 3 A μεταπίπτειν άνω κάτω: Hipp. Min. 3 76C άνω καί κάτω πλα.νώμαι:
D . 2. 16 στρατείαις ταΐς άνω κάτω : D in. 1 .1 7 άνω καί κάτω μεταβαλόμενος (con
trasted w ith keeping to the same policy).
E. I T 282 κάρα τε διετίναξ’ άνο.» κάτω : Sup. 689 τούς άνω τε καί κάτω φορουμέ-
νους: ΕΙ. 842 παν δέ σώμ’ άνω κάτω ήσπαιρεν: Ph. 181 άνω τε καί κάτω τείχη
μετρώ ν: H F 953 ό δ’ είρπ’ άνω τε καί κάτω: Βα. 741 ριπτόμεν’ άνω τε καί
κ ά τω : ibid. 753.
3. άποκτείνειν “ T o irrita te ” : “ T o be the death o f ’.
A ntiph. Fr. 52. 5 άποκτενεΐς άρά μ’ εί μη γνωρίμω ς... φράσεις. As, how ever,
άποκτείνω in all senses is far less com m on in C om edy than άπόλλυμι32, so
in this particular use άπολεΐς is the norm al w ord. Ar. Th. 1073 άπολεΐς μ’
ώ γραυ στωμυλλομένη: Ach. 470: V . 1202: A ntiph. Fr. 222. Pherecr. Fr.
108, 20. M en. Djsc. 412: Fr. 612, 1 : Sam. 528 άλλ’ άποκτενεΐς πριν είπεΐν.
31 In view o f the colloquial associations o f this phrase DODDsAendering “ making high

things lo w ” is rather too stately, in spite of the lyric metre and poetic μέλαΟρα.
32 F o r A ristophanesT oD D ’s Index gives άποκτείνιυ 11; άπόλλυμι at least 167. F o r the Comic
F rag m en ts M e i n e k e gives άποκτείνω 6; άπόλλυμι at least 45.
Colloquial expressions
άποΟνήσκειν, έκθνήσκειν are used in the co rresp o n d in g sense in A ntiph.

Fr. 190 όρώντες έξέθνησκον επί του πράγματι. A r. Ach. 15.
C om pare enicare in colloquial Latin, e.g. Plaut. True. 119 (in answ er to a
repeated huc respice) O h! enicas me m iseram . T er. Eun. 554.
E. Hip. 1064 οίμοι33, το σεμνόν ώς μ’ άποκτενεί το σόν. Or. 1027 σύ μή μ’
άπόκτειν’ ... τά δε παρόντ’ έα κακά. A g ath o n Fr. 13 άπολεΐς μ’ έρωτουν.
4. βρέχεσΟαι: “ T o be soaked” (of hard drinking).
E ubul. Fr. 126 βεβρεγμένος ήκου και κεκωθωνισμένος: M en. E pit. 170
όχλος τις έρχεθ’ ύποβεβρεγμένουν: Dysc.23\ : ibid. 950 βραχεΐσα (or βρεχεΐσα).
Luc. D . Dial. 23, 2 έν τω συμποσίου ίκανώς ύποβεβρεγμένοι: A lciphr. Ep.
IV . 13. 12 (Loeb) ύποβεβρεγμέναι.
Cf. PI. Snip. 176 B βεβαπτισμένος in the same sense, and the com m on use
o f madere in colloquial Latin.
E. E l. 326 μέθη δέ βρεχθείς.
C ontrast the m ore form al ύπερπλησθείς μέθη in S. O T 779.
5. γέρων τύμβος and sim ilar expressions. “ O ld m an w ith one fo o t in the

grave” .
In ancient w riters on C om edy τυμβογέροντες is cited as one o f th e m ocking

term s applied to old m en, along w ith Κρόνοι, Βεκκεσέληνοι, πρωτοσέληνοι; see
D emian ’CXu k , Supp. Com . p. 26. So also τύμβος alone in A r. Lys. 372 τί
δαί σύ πυρ, ώ τύμβ’, έχουν; cf. in colloquial Latin sepulcrum , e.g. Plaut. Pseud.
412 ex hoc sepulcro vetere viginti m inas eefodiam .
E. Held. 166 (contem ptuous) εί γέροντας είνεκα τύμβου, το μηδέν οντος.,.ές
άντλον έμβήση πόδα: Med. 1209 (self-pitying) τίς τον γέροντα τύμβον ορφανόν
σέθεν τίθησιν; In these passages the cu rren t expression is slightly m odified,
b u t the tone is probably still colloquial.
T here may be a similar instance o f colloquial exaggeration in the use o f
νεκρός in E. Or. 83—84 πάρεδρος άθλιου νεκρού/νεκρός γάρ ούτος ούνεκα σμικράς
πνοής. Cf. M en. Kol. 50 πέρυσιν πτουχός ήσθα καί νεκρούς, / νυνί δέ πλουτειε,
w here S a n d b a c h notes “ as we m ight say ‘a skeleton’” , and com pares
Sannyrion fr. 2 K Μέλητον τον από Ληναίου νεκρόν.
6. έρρειν, άπέρρειν and o th er com pounds, generally in the im perative or

an equivalent, in the sense “ be o ff w ith y ou” . C om pare άποφθείρεσθαι.
Ar. V. 147 άτάρ ούκ έσερρήσεις γ ε 34; “ G et inside, dam n you !” (M acD ow ell) :
P ax 1294 απερρε: Hub. 183'. C ratin. 123 ούκ άπερρήσεις συ θάττον; O ften
:i:i O n ο’ίμο'. see p. 17.

:u R l m s i . i -.v ’s em endation, prim ed in O C T , is not necessary.
A. E x a g g e ra tio n : em phasis 13
stren g th en ed , e.g. Ar. PI. 604 έ'ρρ’ ές κόρακας : P ax 500 ούκ ές κόρακας έρρήσετε;
Pherecr. 70, 5.
H erod. 8. 59 ερρ’ έκ προσώπου: T heoc. 20. 2 έρρ’ άπ’ έμεΐο.
Ε. A lc. 734 έ'ρρων νυν.,.γηράσκετε: Med. 1364 ερρ’, αίσγροποιέ: H F 261
άπέρρων... ύβριζε: H ip. 973 εξερρε: ΕΙ. 952 ερρ’, ούδέν είδους...: Λ η . 1223
σκήπρά τ’ έρρέτω τάδε (ly r.): Ph. 624 έρρέτω πρόπας δόμος: perhaps also
Held. 67 άπερρ’35: Fr. 1125 ερρ’ ίω ν36.
S. O C 1383 σύ δ’ ερρ’ άπόπτυστός37.
έ'ρρειν is fairly com m on in H om er and elegiac po etry b u t is n o t found in
th e A ttic orators o r the historians, except in X en o p h o n , e.g. Cyr. 6. 1. 3
έ'ρρει τάμα παντελώς, w here it may be due to D o rian influence; in H G 1. 1. 23
ερρει τα καλα the w ord is given to a D orian speaker. It also appears as a legal
term in Elean and L ocrian inscriptions o f the fifth cen tu ry 38, and six times
in late Platonic dialogues and L etters. In n o n -A ttic G reek it w ould count
as a κύριον όνομα; in fifth century A thens its status seems doubtful. In Tragedy
it is n o t rare in the heightened language o f lyric, e.g. A. A g. 419 ερρει πάσ’
Ά φροδίτα: S. O T 910 ερρει δέ τα θεία. O n the o th er hand its use in Comedy,
especially in im precations, im plies th a t the w o rd was accepted in to ordinary
A ttic speech, so th at possibly examples o f the same usage in T ragedy, confined
to E uripides except for O C 1383, should be regarded as colloquial. So perhaps
also H orn. II. 22. 498 ερρ’ ούτως: A rchil. 6. 4 άσπίς εκείνη έρρέτω.
7. εύδαιμονοίης “ Bless y o u ” , used as an expression o f thanks.
A r. Ach. 446 δώ σω ... Εύδαιμονοίης39: ibid. 457 φευ- εύδαιμονοίης “ O h, 1 say,
bless y o u :” Ra. 1417 (here perhaps ironical).
E. Ph. 1086 εύδαιμονοίης. πώς γάρ Ά ρ γ ε ίω ν ...; Ale. 1137 εύδαιμονοίης,
καί σ’ ό φιτεύσας πατήρ σωζοι: ΕΙ. 231 εύδαιμονοίης, μισθόν ήδιστον πόνων:
Hyps. Fr. 64, 69-70 (B ond) εύδαιμονοίης, άξιος γάρ, ώ ξένε. Εύδαιμονοίης δήτα.
P ea rso n (on Ph. 1086) observes th a t here εύδαιμονοίης is a conventional
expression o f gratitu d e and regards it as colloquial: so also W il a m o w it z
o n H F 275. In the o th e r exam ples in E ., how ever, it may be used m ore
literally, and in any case if it w ere colloquial w e m ig h t expect m ore examples
in C om edy and elsew here. Its lim itation to E ur. and A r. and the context in
Ach. suggest th a t A r. is m erely im itating a favourite E uripidean w o rd 40;
35 If we accept, w ith P earso n , Cobet ’s correction o f the M SS άπαιρ’.

36 SeeNAucK ad loc.
37 In the sam e sentence συλλαβίόν may also be colloquial.
38 See E . S c h w y z e r , D ialecto ru m G raecaru m exem pla epigraphica potiora, Leipzig 1923,
415.
39 But th e text is d o u b tfu l, and εύ σοι γένοιτο (ap. A thenaeus) may be right.
40 T h e verb εύδοαμονεΐν occurs 31 tim es in E., once in S. and never in A.
14 C olloquial expressions
certainly this is n o t the regular form ula fo r thanks, w hich is norm ally a
phrase w ith καλώς o r έπαινεΐν41.
8. ήκιστα. ‘O f course n o t” .
A r. Nub. 316, 380: V . 48: A v. 126: PI. 2 0 3 ,4 4 0 (ήκιστα πάντων), 1157:

Tim ocl. 8 (ήκιστα γε).
PI. R. 449 B (ήκιστα γ ε ) : Grg. 46 9 C: Smp. 2 0 2 D et saep.
C om pare L atin minime, minime gentium, ήκιστα in this sense does n o t seem
to have survived into m odern G reek.
E. Hec. 997: H ip. 1014 (ήκιστά γε, answ ering the speaker’s ow n q u e stio n ):
H F 299: Supp. 538: Hel. 1428: Or. 846: I A 1442: Cy. 124,220.
S. E l. 82, 800: O T 623, 1386 (ήκιστά γ ε ) : Tr. 319: Ph. 522.
9. θαυμασίως (θαυμαστά) ώς and sim ilar expressions.
A r. Ec. 386 ύπερφυώς ώς: PI. 750.

H dt. 3. 113 θεσπέσιον ώς ήδύ: 4. 194 άφθονοι ίσοι. PI. Tht. 150D θαυμαστόν
ίσον: ibid. 193D θαυμασίως ώς: Grg. 471 A, 496C : Phd. 6 6 Α ύπερφυώς ώς.
D . 29. 1 θαυμασίως ώς.
Cf. L atin mire quam, e.g. Cic. A tt. 1. 11. 3.
E . I A 943 θαυμαστά δ’ ώς άνάξι’ ήτιμασμένη, w here θαυμαστά is probably
an adverbial accusative. E n g l a n d , follow ing N a u c k and H e r m a n n , rejects
this line on the g ro u n d th at θαυμαστά ώς is late G reek and the latter p a rt is
taken from Hel. 455; b u t cf. S. Fr. Inc. 960 θαυμαστά γάρ το τόξον ώς ολισθάνει,
and the close resem blance to Hel. 455 proves n o thing.
10. κακοδαίμων: “ p o o r devil” : also as a term o f abuse “ you w re tc h ” .
A r. V ery com m on, e.g. Eq. 1 : PI. 386 : T o d d gives som e seventy examples.
Pherecr. Fr. 117: A ntiph. Fr. 282: M en. Epit. 564: Frs. 88, 666. Fr. Com.
A desp. 646 ούτος, καθεύδεις, ώ κακόδαιμον;
PI. R. 440A ; Smp. 173D. In Men. 78A the w o rd seems to be used m ore
seriously. In the O rators the only exam ple is A nt. 5. 43 ού γάρ δήπου ουτω
κακοδαίμο^ν εγώ ώ σ τε..., w here it is probably colloquial: “ I w asn ’t such a
confounded f o o l...”
T he w eakened sense o f this w ord is sh o w n by A r. Ec. 1102άρ’ ού κακοδαίμων
είμί; βαρυδαίμο^ν μέν ούν; cf. also τρισκακοδαίμων. C ontrast the poetic
δυσδαίμίυν, three times each in A. and S., tw enty-one times in Ε.
Ε. Hip. 1362 (anap.) τον κακοδαίμονα καί κατάρατον.
I include this w ord because the positive evidence, to g eth er w ith the
avoidance o f the w ord elsew here in tragedy in favour o f δυσδαίμων and
41 See p. 54.
A. E x ag g eratio n : em phasis 15
βαρυδαίμων, suggest th a t E . is here using a w o rd th at w ould norm ally have

a colloquial fla v o u r42, th o u g h he is probab ly go in g back to its original,
literal m eaning “ ill-starred” . T h o m p s o n (on PI. Men. 7 8 A) may be right
th a t ‘this w o rd , like o u r ‘G o d fo rsak en ’, th o u g h vulgarly abused, was
capable on occasion o f carrying the full w eight o f an aw ful m eaning” . T hus E.
p ro b ably counted on the tragic context to restore the full m eaning and
suppress trivial associations.
κατάρατος is sim ilar, b u t the literal and w eakened senses seem m ore
clearly to coexist. It is m uch less com m on than κακοδαίμων in Com edy
(nine tim es in Ar. and eight in the Com ic F ragm ents), th o u g h the w eakened
sense is particularly well illustrated in Ar. V . 1157 ύπολύου τάς καταράτους
έμβάδας “ U nfasten the blasted shoes” . O n the o th er hand it occurs eight
tim es in E. in its literal sense, generally in anapaests o r lyric m etres, and in
S. O T 1345 τον καταρατότατον, έτι δέ καί Οεοΐς έχθρότατον43. T h ere are no
exam ples in Plato, b u t κατάρατος as a term o f abuse occurs several tim es in
D em osthenes. T here is a sim ilar contrast betw een the colloquial use of
δύστηνος, e.g. A r. Ec. 763 ώ δύστηνε “ my p o o r fellow ” and its tragic use, as
in S. O T 1071 ίου, ιού, δύστηνε.
11. κ α κώ ς (άπ)ολούμενος.
A r. P ax 2 δος αύτώ, τώ κάκιστ’ άπολουμένω “ G ive it to him , blast him ” ;

Thesm. 879 πείθει τι τούτω τώ κακώς άπολουμένω; in the vocative Ec. 1076
ώ κάκιστ’ άπολούμεναι Α ν. 1467: Ach. 778, 924: PI. 456, 713.
Ε. Held. 874 ελεύθεροι δέ τού κακώς ολουμένου / Εύρυσθέως έ'σεσθε: Cy. 474
του Κύκλωπος τού κακώς ολουμένου.
T he use o f the simple verb, norm al in poetry, may make the phrase slightly
less colloquial.
12. κλαίειν standing alone, o r κλαίων w ith a verb, in the sense “ sm art for
so m eth in g ” .
A r. Ach. 822 κλάων μεγαριεϊς: P a x 255 et saep. E up. Fr. 209 έκεΐνος άμέλει
κλαύσεται. Still m ore idiom atically w here κλάων is used elliptically, e.g. Ar.
Ach. 827 ού γάρ φανώ τούς πολεμίους; Δι. κλάων γε σύ.
C om pare H or. Sat. 2. 1. 44 (perhaps an im itation o f the G reek idiom ) ille
qu i me c o m m o rit...flebit.
E . A n . 577 πριν κλαίειν τιν ά : H ip. 1086 κλαίω ν τις τ ε θ η ζ ε τ α ι: Held. 2 70:
A n . 634, 7 5 8 : Sup. 458 κλαίω ν αν ή λθες: Ι Α 306. Probably Tel. fr. 10
(A u s t in = FI a n d l e y - R ea p . 7) κ λ α ίω [v] πλανήσει.
42 Cf.WiLAMOWiTZ on E. H F 440.
43 θεοί; εχθρός was sim ilarly used colloquially in a w eakened sense, e.g. M en. Perk. 268
άλαζών καί θεοϊσιν έχΟρός εΐ.
C olloquial expressions
A. Sup. 925 κλαίοις άν εί ψαύσειας: S. A n t. 754: OT. 401, 1152.

This sense o f κλαίειν probably goes back to H orn. II. 2. 263 αύτόν δέ
κλαίοντα θοάς επί νήας άφήσω πεπλήγων άγορήθεν, w here κλαίοντα means
sm arting under the blow s o f O dysseus rath er than m erely w eeping. In fifth
century A thens at any rate it seems to be colloquial. C ontrast various poetic
m odifications in the tragedians, e.g. A. A g. 1628 καί ταΰτα τάπη κλαυμάτων
άρχηγενή : S. E l. 911 μηδέ... έξεστ’ άκλαύστω ... άποστήναι: A n t. 931 (lyr.)
τοΐσιν άγουσιν κλαύμαθ’ υπάρξει βραδύτητας υπέρ: Ph. 1260 ΐσως άν έκτος
κλαυμάτων εχοις πόδα44.
13. μαινοίμην γάρ άν. “ I should be a fo o l” . T h e phrase is in o rig in elliptical,
and w hen it follows a negative o r virtu al negative means “ I should be a
fool (if I did)” so that the best renderin g is som etim es “ I ’m n o t such a fo o l” ,
or, w hen it follows a positive statem ent, “ I should be a fool (if I d id n ’t)”
and so “ O f course I d o ” .
Ar. Th. 196 μή νυν έλπίσης το σόν κακόν ήμάς ύφέξειν- καί γάρ άν μαινοίμεθ’
ά ν: ΡΙ. 1070 μά την Έ κάτην ού δήτα- μαινοίμην γάρ άν. C om pare Th. 470
μισώ τον άνδρ’ εκείνον, εί μή μαίνομαι: Nub. 660.
D . 19. 138 ζητή πόλλ’ άναλίσκειν, έξον έλ ά ττω ...; μαίνοιτο μένταν: Prooem .
1453 ού χείρους υμάς ήγοΰμαι Θηβαίων (καί γάρ άν μαινοίμην) : [PL] E ryx. 395 Ε
άγαθόν ήγή τό πλουτεΐν; Έ γ ω γ ε νή Δία - ή γάρ άν μαινοίμην.
Ε. Ι Α 1256 φιλώ τ ’ έμαυτου τέκνα- μαινοίμην γάρ άν. Cf. Ι Α 388—389 εί
δ’ ... μετετέθην ... μαίνομαι; “ am I a fo o l” ?
14. μάλιστα (som etim es strengthened by γε o r πάντων) in assenting to a

request o r answ ering a question. “ C ertainly” : “ O f course” : “ V ery m uch so” .
Ar. μάλιστα P ax 834: Ec. 1128: PI. 827. μάλιστάγε N u. 253, 672: Ra. 125:
Fr. 149, 7. μάλιστα πάντων Α ν . 1531 : Ec. 768. M en. Epitr. 554 μάλιστα.
PI. μάλιστα Prt. 311 E : Grg. M I C et saep. μ. πάντων Phdr. 2 6 2 C: R. 3 6 8 E :
Phlb. 11C.
C om pare the use o f μάλιστα as an expression o f assent in m odern colloquial
G reek ( T h u m b , § 283) and maxime in the same sense in colloquial Latin.
Ε. μάλιστα Med. 677 θέμις μέν ήμάς χρησμόν είδέναι θεού; μάλιστα: ibid. 944:
Held. 641,794: Hec. 989, 1004: Tr. 63: Hei. 1415: Or. 235: Ba. 812. In Or.
1108 μάλιστα confirm s the statem ent o f the previous speaker, μάλιστά γε
Hei. 851 (answ ering the speaker’s ow n rhetorical question): I A 364 (con
firm ing the speaker’s ow n statem ent).
S. μάλιστα O T 1044, 1173: E l. 386. μ. γε O T 994: Tr. 669. μ. πάντων
El. 665.
44 A variation o f the p ro v erb ial έκτος πηλοϋ πόδας έ'χειν (Z en o b . I ll 62); cf. E . Held. 109
καλόν δέ γ ’ έξω πραγμάτων έ'χειν πόδα.
A. Exaggeration: emphasis 17
15. μάλλον μάλλον and sim ilar phrases.
A r. Nub. 1288 πλέον πλέον τάργύριον άεί γίγνεται: Ra. 1001 εΐτα μάλλον
μάλλον θίξεις: A ntiph. Fr. 10 μεΐζον μεΐζον: Alexid. Fr. 29 το πρώτον ήσυχη,
επειτα μάλλον μάλλον: Fr. 181 : Anaxil. Fr. 32. H erod. 4. 61 κεΐνται ocl σάρκες
ota θερμά, θερμά πηδεΰσαι. So in L atin magis magis increbrescunt Cat. 64. 275. Cf.
m o d ern G reek κάτω κάτω “ rig h t d o w n ” and French a qui mieux mieux.
E. I T 1406 μάλλον δέ μάλλον προ; πέτρας ήεί σκάφος.
In S. Fr. 201 μίαν μίαν is apparently colloquial fo r κατά μίαν; see P e a r so n
ad loc., and cf. δύο δύο in A IT . ( B lass - D e b r u n n e r § 298)
16. μή ζωήν: “ I ’m dam ned if 1 w ill” .
A r. Lys. 531 μή νυν ζωήν: Nub. 1255 θήσω πρυτανεΓ, ή μηκέτι ζωήν εγώ
“ Γ11 take you to court, dam ned if 1 w o n ’t ” . In Ra. \Ί Ί άναβιοίην νυν πάλιν is
the com ic equivalent w hen a dead m an is speaking.
E. Sup. 454 μή ζωήν ετι / εί τάμά τέκνα προς βίαν νυμφεύσεται: Or. 1147
μή γάρ ούν ζωήν ετι, / ήν μή ’π ’ εκείνη φάσγανον σπασώμεθα.
17. οϊμοι expressing annoyance or im patience; norm ally in tragedy it is

an expression o f g rief o r pity.
A r .Nub. 788 τις ήν έν ή ’ματτόμεθα μέντοι τάλφιτα; οϊμοι, τις ήν; “ O h, w hat
was it?” Eq. 97: Nub. 57: Th. 781. Especially com m on w ith ώς, e.g. Nub.
1238 οϊμ’ ώς καταγελάς: Α ν . 1501: Th. 920: Pherecr. Fr. 108, 20: M en.
Dysc. 167.
E. H ip. 1064 οϊμοι, το σεμνόν ώς μ’ άποκτενεΐ45 το σόν: Βα. 805 οϊμοι, τόδ’
ήδη δόλιον έ'ς με μηχανα “ O h, n ow this is som e tr ic k ...”
S. A n t. 320 οϊμ’ ώς λάλημα δήλον έκπεφυκός εϊ: ibid. 86 οϊμοι, καταύδα “ O h,
denounce it” .
18. πονεΐν in w eakened sense.
E. Ph. 614 Polyneices, o rd ered to leave T hebes, replies ειμι, μή πόνει

“ I ’m going, d o n ’t w o rry ” : E l. 1007 (in a slightly different sense) μή σύ
μοι πόνει “ please d o n ’t b o th e r” .
T hese uses o f πονεΐν sound colloquial, b u t I know o f no examples in
com edy o r prose dialogue.
19. φθείρεσθαι and com pounds, used in the im perative m ood (or its equiv
alent) in dismissal com bined w ith im precation. “ T o Hell w ith you” .
A r. Ach. 460 φθείρου λαβών τόδ’ : Eq. 892 ούκ ές κόρακας άποφΟερεΐ; Νιώ. 789:
ΡΙ. 598 φθείρου: ibid. 610: Fr. 59 (D em .) ούκ άποφΟερεΐ, κάθαρμα; Sannyr.
45 On άποκτείνειν, also colloquial in this sense, see p. 11.

Fr. 10: M en. Peric. 526 ούκ είσφθερεΐσθε Οαττον υμείς εκποδών; Sam. 373, 574,
627: 57,6.343.
H erod. 6. 15 εκποδών ήμΐν φθείρεσθε, νοόβυστρ’.
Ε. Η F 1290 ού γης τήσδ’ άποφθαρήσετοα; A n . 708 εί μή φθερή τήσδ’ .. άπό
στέγης: ibid. 715 φθείρεσθε τήσδε, δμώ ες: Held. 284 φθείρου: Fr. 610 φθείρου.
In the colloquial idiom the idea o f dism issal is m uch m ore p ro m in en t
than the literal sense o f destruction, and the usage is an instance o f colloquial
exaggeration. In A ristophanes and H erodas it generally am ounts m erely to
an expression o f im patience, and the sense is som ething like “ As lo n g as
you clear out o f here, you can go to Hell fo r all I care” ; com pare A r. P ax
72 έκφθαρείς ούκ οΐδ’ οποί,. In the exam ples from E uripides th e force o f
φθείρου may be nearer to its literal sense th an in A ristophanes, b u t the
em phasis is mainly on angry and im p atien t dism issal, so that they to o fall
w ithin the sphere o f the colloquial.
C om pare other colloquial uses o f φθείρεσθοα, e.g. D . 21. 139 φθείρεσθοα
προς τούς πλουσίους “ to go running o ff to the rich ” : perhaps M en. Dysc.
101 εκεί περί,φθεί,ρόμενον άχράδας w here L loyd - J ones translates “ p ro w lin g
ro u n d the pears, curse him ” . F or different views o f the passage see H a n d l e y ,
ad loc.
B. P le o n a stic or le n g th en ed form s o f expression
1. ούτω G enerally follow ing adverbs, especially άπλώς' and ραδίως, and
reinforcing th eir m eaning. “ Q u ite sim ply” .
A r. V . 634 οΰτω ραδίως (M a c d o w el l translates “ so easily” , referring back

to 513—525, b u t this is a bit rem ote): Ec. 666 ούχ ύβριεΐται φαύλους ούτως,
b u t th e sense here may be “ n o t so lightly (as he did before)” .
PI. απλώς ούτως Grg. 468C : Smp. 180C: R. 331C : ραδίως ούτω R. 377B:
3 7 8 A : Lg. 79 9 D : 81 7 C.
D . 18. 126 ραδίως ούτως: 19. 36 άντικρυς ούτωσί: 20. 97 σαφώς γ ’ ούτωσί:
sim ilarly w ith an adjective, D . 21. 71 έν συνουσία τινί καί διατριβή ούτως ιδία
“ q u ite p riv ate” .
T h eo cr. 14. 27 άσυ/α ούτως “ just on the q u iet” .
E . Sup. 1186 ραδίως ούτω: I Λ ί 899 άπλώς ούτω.
T h e same usage is also fo u n d in H om er, b u t only in the phrase μάψ ούτω
II. 2. 120: 20. 29846.
2. πολλού (γε) δει: “ F ar from it” .
PI. Grg. 4 7 4 B πολλοΰ γε δει: ibid. 5 1 0 E άρ’ ούν καί το μή άδικεΐν; ή πολλού
δει, είπ ε ρ ...; D . 18. 47 άλλ’ ούκ εστι ταΰτα- πόθεν; πολλοΰ γε καί δει: 20. 106:
21. 71: 29. 40.
Ε. Tel. Fr. 709 καθήσθ’ αν έν δόμοισιν; ή πολλού γε δει47.
T his phrase w hen standing alone, w ith o u t an in fin itiv e48, and used as a
stren g th en ed form o f the n e g ativ e 49, seems to be conversational in the
fo u rth century, and possibly in th e tim e o f E uripides, th o u g h contem porary
evidence is la ck in g 50. C ontrast the m ore elaborate form o f expression in
A. Pr. 961 μή τί σοι δοκώ τ α ρ β ε ΐν ...; πολλού γε καί τού παντός ελλείπω.
46 F o r a n o th e r colloquial use o f οΰτο;ς see below p .5 6.

47 N auck prints a full stop after δει, but perhaps it is better to take the phrase as inter
rogative here, as in PL Grg. 510 E .
48 E xpressions like έλα/ίστου έδέτ^σε διαφθεϊραι (T huc. 2. 77, 5) and uses o f πολλοΰ δει with
an infinitive in P lato are different.
49 F o r πολλοΰ δει as a m ore forcible equivalent o f ού com pare PI. Grg. 517 A πολλοΰ γε
δει μή ποτέ τις έργάσηται...
50 A r. A ch . 543 (cited by L SJ) is p aratragic, and in fact E. Fr. 709 is its source.
3. τό w ith genitive used periphrastically fo r the simple n oun. Som e

tim es it is possible to assign som e force to the article, e.g. “ the state or
condition o f som ething” , b u t even so it adds practically n o th in g to the
m eaning o f the noun.
M en. fr. 340 ( K o e r t e ) μικρόν τι το βίου καί στενόν ζώμεν χρόνον. PI. Phdr.
23 0 C πάντων δέ κομψότατον τό τής πόας: R. 5 6 3 C το των θηρίων... όσω
έλευθερώτερά έστιν (perhaps “ the co ndition o f w ild beasts” ): ibid. 571 A το
των επιθυμιών. In T huc. 7. 61. 3 (in a speech) το τής τύχης καν μεθ’ ημών
έλπισάντες στήναι D o v e r takes the phrase to m ean “ the c o n trib u tio n o f
chance to the situ atio n ” , b u t if T huc. had w ritten την τύχην the sense w ould
have been practically the sam e; so also 7. 62. 2 το τής επιστήμης51.
E. Ion 742 ιδού- το του ποδος μέν βραδύ, το τού δέ νοΰ ταχύ “ T h e old fo o t’s
a bit s lo w ...” Tro. 43 το του θεού τε παραλιπά>ν τό τ ’ εύσεβές “ au m epris du
dieu” (P a r m e n t ie r ) : ibid. 616 το τής άνάγκης δεινόν: Ale. 785 το τής τύχης
γάρ αφανές οί προβήσεται: Ι Α 1403: in I T 120 ού γάρ το τού θεού γ ’ αίτιον
γενήσεται, θεού gives doub tfu l sense and som e editors p rin t W e i l ’s το τοΰδε.
C om pare the periphrastic use o f the article w ith prepositions replacing
a simple genitive.
A r. Thes. 1188 καλή το σκήμα περί το πόστιον. H d t. 1. 67 κατά τον κατά
Κροΐσον χρόνον: PL Phdr. 27 9 Α κατά τούς περί Λυσίαν λόγους “ according to
Lysias’ argum ents” : D . 19. 76 τού περί Φωκέας ολέθρου.
E. Tro. 426 οί περί τυράννους καί πόλεις ύπηρέται. T h e frequency o f such
periphrastic uses in Ptolem aic p a p y ri52 suggests that in th at p erio d and
probably earlier this was a p o p u lar usage, th o u g h lack o f evidence from
Com edy makes it d o u b tfu l for the fifth century.
4. χρήμα is used in various colloquial idiom s, o f w hich those th a t are

found in Tragedy may be roughly classified as fo llo w s53: -
1. χρήμα used pleonastically.
A r. Lys. 677 ίππικώτατον γάρ έστι χ. κάποχον γυνή: PI. Com. 98: Fr. Com.
A desp. 1260. M en. A sp. 244.
51 τά - 7 ' -Jy/yf is rather different, since the plural suggests the ups and dow ns o f fortune.
52 See R udbrrg , Ad usum circum scribentem praep. G raecarum adnotationes. E ranos 19,
1919; 1 7 3 ff.; K u iir in g , De p raep o sitio n ib u s G raecis in chartisA egvptiis quaestionesselectae
pp. 12-15; ClQu 30, 1936, 211-215.
See L . B l r g s o n , E ranos 65, 1967, 79—115 for a rather m o r e elaborate classification o f
p eriphrastic uses o f χρήμα. He also discusses in detail the use o f χρήμα in post-classical w riters.
B. Pleonastic or len g th en ed form s o f expression 21
H d t. 3. 53 τυραννίς χ. σφαλερόν54: 3. 80: 4. 150: 8. 16. PL Ion 534B κούφον

γάρ χ. ποιητής: Grg. 485Β : Men. 97E . X en. Cyr. 1 .4 .8 . T heocr. 15,23
σοφόν τοι χ. άνθρωπος.
Ε . A n . 727 άνειμένον τι χ. πρεσβυτών γένος: Or. 70 άπορον χ. δυστυχών
δομος: Fr. 96 σκαιόν τι χ. πλούτος ή τ ’ άπειρία: Fr. 317, 4 εχθρόν χ. πρεσβύτης
ανηρ. Perhaps also Βα. 1152 οιμαι δ’ αύτό καί σοφώτατον / θνητοΐσιν είναι
χρήμα τοΐσι χρωμένοις55.
2. χρήμα used periphrastically w ith a genitive.
A r. Nub. 2 το χ. των νυκτών όσον: IX. 933 κλέπτον το χ. τάνδρός “ W hat a
th iev in g th in g ...” : 150: Eq. 1219: 826: A*. 1278: Lys. 83, 1031,
1085: Ec. 394: PI. 894: Fr. 67: Telecl. fr. 1, 15.
H d t. 1. 36 ύός χ. μέγα άνεφάνη: 7. 188 τού χειμώνος χ. άφόρητον: 3. 109. Ρ1.
R. 567 Ε μακάριον λέγεις τυράννου χ . : Tbeaet. 209 E. Cf. Plaut. Am ph. 633
satin parva res est voluptatum? U ssh er (on A r. Ec. 394) com pares an Irish
p h rase expressing sm allness “ a w eethin” o f... (i.e. a wee th in g o f...). So
also in G erm an “ ein kleines D ing von einem Z w e rg ” .
E. Sup. 953 σμικρόν το χ. τού βίου: A n . 181 έπίφθονόν τοι χ. Οηλείας φρενός:
ibid. 957 σοφόν τι χ. τού διδάξαντος βροτούς...: Ph. 198 φιλόψογον δέ χ. θηλείων
έ’φυ.
S. Fr. 401 {Meleager) συός μέγιστον χ.
T his use o f χρήμα is fairly com m on in the A tticists (S c h m id , A tt. II p. 166),
b u t it p ro b ab ly began as a colloquial usage and was felt to be such in the fifth
and fo u rth centuries, (πράγμα is so used in Com edy, e.g. Alex. fr. 179 πράγμα
μέγα φρέατος.)
3. χρήμα “ the th in g ” , i.e. the state o f affairs.
A r. V . 799 όρα το / . : Ra. 795 το χ. άρ’ έσται; Lys. 660 κάπιδοίσειν μοι
δοκεΐ το χ. μάλλον : Ρ α χ 38 μιαρόν το χ.
H d t. 4. 150 ές αφανές χ. άποστέλλειν αποικίαν. PI. Ale. II 147C ύπερφυώς
δή το χ. ούς δύσγνωστον φαίνεται.
Ε . ΕΙ. 606 εύρημα γάρ τοι χ. γίγνεται τόδε, κοινή μετασχεΐν: Or. 912 όμοιον
γάρ το χ. γίγνεται τώ τούς λόγους λέγοντι καί τιμωμένω: Fr. 339 σκαιόν τι δή
τό χ. ... όστις θέλει...
S. Ph. 1265 κακόν τό χ . : Tr. 1136 άπαν το χ., ήμαρτε “ the w hole th in g is ...”
Ichn. 38, 136, 365.
4. τί χρήμα as subject o r object o f a verb expressed o r u n d ersto o d , and
used pleonastically for τί. L. B e r g s o n m aintains th a t this phrase connotes
54 In som e exam ples, w here the con n ectio n w ith χρασθαι is latent, the usage is n o t entirely
pleo n astic; e.g. τυραννίς is n o t m erely σφαλερόν τι but σφαλερόν χρήμα “ a slippery thing to
h a n d le ” . So also Ba. 1152, w h ere the connection is explicit.
■is χ τ ή μ α O rio n : χ ρ ή μ α P et Chr. Pat. M u r r a y prints κ τ ή μ α b u t D o d d s in his note argues
fo r χ ρ ή μ α .
excitem ent o r im patience, b u t I d o u b t w hether, especially in E uripides,

it is m ore than a m annerism , som etim es m etrically convenient.
Ar. Nub. 816 τί χ. πάσχεις; V . 266 τί χ. πέπονθε; ibid. 697 ούκ οίδ’ δ τι χ.
με π ο ιείς: Tb. 270: V . 834 τί ποτέ το χ.
C om pare Italian “ che cosa?” for “ w h a t” ?
E. (w ith verb expressed) w ith δραν: Med. 693, 748: Ion 343, 1348: I T 738,
938, 1215: Hel. 782, 826: Or. 849, 1186, 1583. W ith πάσχειν H ip. 909: Or.
395. W ith o th er v e rb s : Sup. 115: Med. 868: Hec. 754: Ion 266, 276: Hel. 1238:
Or. 757. (W ith verb understood, gen. έστι) Hip. 905 έ'α, τί χρήμα; A n . 896:
H F 525: Or. 1573. τί χρήμα standing alone: A n . 901: Sup. 92: H F 714:
Ion 1002: E l. 751, 901: I A 726.
A. Ch. 10 τί χ. λεύσσοο: Pr. 298: A g. 1306 τί δ’ έστι χ . ; Ch. 885 (all fro m th e
last plays). Ag. 85 τί χρέος; is a less co llo q u ial v a ria n t; see F r a e n k e l ad loc.
S. A j. 288 τί χ. δρας; A n t. 1049 άρα φράζεται; τί χ . ; Ph. 1231 τί χ. δράσεις;
Ο Γ 1129: E l. 390.
5. τί χρήμα equivalent to τί in the sense “ w hy” ?
E. A le. 512: Held. 633, 646, 709: Hec. 977: Sup. 92: H F 1179: Ion 255:
E l. 831: Or. 111.
This use seems to be confined to E uripides.
C. U n d erstatem en t: irony
1. αληθές; used ironically: “ Is th a t so ?” “ In d eed ?”
A r. Ach. 557 αληθές, ώπίτριπτε καί μιαρώτατε; Eq. 89 αληθές, ούτος; Nub.
841: V . 1223. 1412: Α ν . 174, 1048,1606: Lys. 433: PI. 123,429. (Ra. 840 = E .
Fr. 8 8 5) 56.
C om pare itane? in colloquial L atin, e.g. Plaut. True. 291: Ter. And. 643.
E. Fr. Inc. 885 αληθές, ώ παΐ τής θαλασσίας θεού. A lso Cy. 241.
S. A n t. 758: O T 350.
2. οιμαι, generally w ith μέν o r γε, strictly d en o tin g contrast w ith certainty
b u t actually m aking a confident assertion.
A r. Th. 26 όρας το θύριον τούτο; Μν. νή τον 'Ηρακλέα, οίμαί γε. “ I should
th in k I d o !” Ra. 491 ανδρείά γ ’ ώ ΙΙόσειδον. Δι. οίμαι νή Δία: Ach. 9 19 57:
P ax 863: Th. 594 ούκ οϊομαι ’γω γ ’ ££Ι should think n o t indeed” . M en. Sam.
77 εγώ μέν ο’ίομαι “ I should think you w ill” .
A ndoc. De M jst. 22 ταυτί έλεγεν άν . . ή ου; εγώ μέν οίμ α ι: X. Mem. 4. 2. 37
καί δήμον άρ’ οίσθα τί έστιν; οιμαι έγω γε5859: ibid. 4. 6. 3: Lys. 26. 8: PI. Crit.
4 7 D . In X. Mem. 3. 14. 2 οίμαι is sim ilarly used w ith the ironical πω in ούκ
οίμαί πω επί τούτω γε όψοφάγοι καλούνται “ I have yet to le a rn ...” D em . 20. 4
άρ’ οΰν θησόμεθα ν ό μ ο ν ...; έγώ μέν ούκ οίμαι.
E. A le. 780 τά θνητά πράγματ’ οίδας ήν εχει φύσιν; οίμαι μέν ου- πόθεν γάρ;
ibid. 794 οίμαι μέν: Ι Α 392 (a sim ilar use in parenthesis) ή δέ γ ’ ’Ελπίς, οιμαι
μέν, θεός.
A p art from the above type o f expression, οιμαι may som etim es have a
colloquial flav o u r; e.g. in the p arenthetic use in w hich, by characteristic
A ttic u n d erstatem ent, it generally means “ no d o u b t” “ o f course” and occurs
in A r. and often in E ur. and orators.
A r. Nub. 1185: P ax 1286: A v . 75. D em . 20. 60, 113, 162 et saepM
56 R. A . N e i l (on A r. E q. 89), follow ing T h o m a s M a g i s t e r , says “ confined to p o ets” ;

b u t its frequency in com edy suggests that it is not poetic b u t a colloquial expression no longer
c u rren t in the later fo u rth century and so n o t fo u n d in prose dialogue or in the orators.
57 T he Bude edition (van Daele) rightly translates “ sans d o u te ” .
58 T he phrase occurs, in a series o f replies, betw een πάντως δήπου and πώς γάρ οΰ; and does
n o t den o te less confidence than either.
59 S eeJ. W a c k e r n a g e l , K leine Schriften, G o ttin g e n 1955, 784ff.
E. Ale. 565: Held. 511 (bitterly ironical): ibid. 968: Med. 311, 331": H ip.
458: E l. 1124: Ba. 321 [Rh.] 750.
A. Cho. 758 (spoken by N u rse): Pr. 758, 968 (b o th in stichom ythia).
S. A n t. 1051: Ph. 498 (bitterly iro n ical)60. Fr. 583, 4.
3. ου τί που, ου που in incredulous o r relu ctan t questions. (D . p. 492.)

ου τί που is invariable in Ar. and P I.; the sh o rter form , perhaps used by
E ur. for m etrical convenience, is pro b ab ly also colloquial. It tends to be
confused w ith ή που and ουπω61.
A r .N ub. 1260: P ax 1211: A v . 443: Lys. 354: Ra. 522, 526: Ec. 329, 372.
PI. Tht. 146A : R. 362D.
Scol. A non. 894 (in a statem ent) φίλταθ’ Ά ρμ όδι’, ου τί που τέθνηκας “ Y ou
are n o t dead, I th in k ” .
E. ου τί που: H F 966: Ion 1113: Hel. 95, 475, 541: Or. 1510. (here grim ly
ironical) ου τί που κραυγήν έ'θηκας; “ Y ou d id n ’t, I suppose, m ake a n o ise?”
In the follow ing passages ου που is read by m ost editors (ή που o r ουπω being
occasional variants): E l. 235, 630: Hel. 575, 600, 791: I T 930: I A 670. In
the follow ing ου που is generally accepted as a co rrection .of ουπω : Sup. 153:
H F 1101, 1173: Hel. 135. T he em endation o f the M S reading ή που to ου
που in the follow ing passages is do u b tfu l, since either com bination w ill fit
m any contexts: Med. 69562, 1308: Or. 435, 844.
A. Pr. 247 μή πού τι προύβης τώνδε καί περαιτέρω; S. Ph. 1233 ου τί που
δούναι νοείς;
Pi. Ρ. 4. 87 (in a statem ent) ου τί που ούτος ’Απόλλων. As this p u rp o rts
to be the rem ark o f a bystander, it need n o t co n trad ict the colloquial char
acter o f the expression.
4. ούκ αν φθάνοις w ith a participle: “ Y ou w o u ld n ’t be to o s o o n ...” i.e.

“ H u rry up and do som ething” 63. Less com m only in the first and third persons,
to indicate that som ething is going to be done at once.
A r. (im perative sense) Ec. 118 ούκ αν φθάνοις το γένειον άν περιδουμένη:
ΡΙ. 485, 874, 1133: Α ν. 1018 ώς ούκ οιδ’ αν εί φθα ίης άν (sc. ύπάγω ν): (future
sense) Fr. A desp. 599 ούκ άν φθάνοιμι την μάχαιραν παρακονών.
60 F. E l l e n d t , Lexicon S ophocleum , Berlin 18722, 521 is m istaken in o b serv in g “ vis
verbi ειρωνική a Sophocleis abest.”
01 R. K an n ic h t (on Hel. 135) draw s atten tio n to a tendency o f T riclinios to “ c o rre c t”
ου που to ή που, and has an in terestin g n o te on these variants in relation to the h isto ry o f the
text o f Euripides.
62 H ere MuRRAYand P ace accept W itzsch el ’s ού που, since incredulity is m ost ap p ro p riate,
w hereas in 1308 the m ore open q u estio n , perhaps sarcastic, is appropriate.
63 See K . L a m w e r m a n n : V on d er attischen U rb an itat un d ihrer A u sw irk u n g in der
Sprache 77-78.
C. U n d erstatem en t: irony 25
H d t. (im perative) 7. 162 ούκ άν φθάνοιτε άπαλλασσόμενοι: PI. (im perative)

Smp. 1 8 5 E : Phd. 100C : (future) Euthd. 27 2 D ούκ άν φθάνοις άκούων “ Y ou
shall hear at once ’ : Smp. 2 1 4 E : X. Alem. 2. 3. 11 ούκ άν φθάνοις λέγουν “ H urry
u p and tell me : ibid. 3. 11. 1. D. 25. 40 τούς γευομένους κύνας των προβάτων
κατακοπτειν φασί δεΐν, ώ στ’ ούκ άν φθάνοι κατακοπτόμενος “ T h e sooner h e’s
ch o p p ed up the b e tte r” .
E . (im perative) Pile. 662 φυτεύων παΐδας ούκέτ’ άν φθάνοις: Held. 721: Tr.
456 : I T 245 : Or. 1551 : (probably future) Or. 936 ού φθάνοιτ’ ετ’ άν θνήσκοντες:
ibid. 941 ού φθάνοι θνήσκων τις άν, θνήσκειν being used as the passive o f κτείνειν:
“ Y ou will pro m p tly be killed” .
5. Indefinite τις, τι used to d enote a) som eone o f im portance; b) w ith

λέγειν, som ething o f value. Also λέγειν ούδέν in the contrary sense.
a) C ratin. Fr. 54 βουλομένους τινάς είναι: M en. Fr. 156 K.

PI. Λ ρ . 41 E ο’ίονταί τι είναι: Grg. 4 7 2A : Euthyd. 303C : Phdr. 2 4 2 E : D.
21. 213 το δοκ ειν τινές είναι: T heoc. 11. 79 κάγώ τις φαίνομαι ήμεν.
C om pare Cic. A tt. 3. 15. 8 meque ...velis esse aliquem: Ju v . 1. 73 si vis esse
aliquid... So in E nglish, “ W hen everyone is som ebody, T hen no o n e’s any
b o d y ” . Similarly in French quelqPun.
E. Held. 973 φημί κάμ’ είναι τινα: E l. 939 ηύχεις τις είναι: Ιοη 596 ήν ζητώ
τις είναι.
b) A r. V . 75 άλλ’ ούδέν λέγει: 649 ήν μή τι λέγης: Eq. 334 ούδέν λέγει το
σωφρόνως τραφήναι et saep. A ntiph. F r. 194, 6 ούκ οιδ’ δ τι λέγεις- ούδέν λέγεις
γάρ.
PI. Cra. 4 0 4 Α κινδυνεύεις τι λέγειν et saep. D . 39. 13 σκοπεΐτ’ άν τι δοκώ
λέγειν.
Ε. H E 219 ήν τί σοι δοκώ λέγειν: Βα. 479 τούτ’ αύ παρωχέτευσας εύ κούδέν
λέγουν: Sup. 596 αρετή δ’ ούδέν λέγει64 βρότοισι “ means n o th in g ” (cf. Ar.
Eq. 334).
5. O T 1475 λέγω τι; “ A m I rig h t? ”
6. υγιές ούδέν: “ N o g o o d ” .
A r. Ach. 956 πάντιυς μέν οίσεις ούδέν υγιές: Th. 636 άπόδυσον αύτόν- ούδέν
υγιές γάρ λέγει: Ec. 32565: PI. 50, 274, 355, 362, 870: ΡΙ. 37 υγιές μηδέ Ιν:
Th. 394 τάς ούδέν ύγιές: M en. Sik. 152-153 μηδέ εν ποιεΐν ύγιές.
Lys. 9. 4 επί μηδέν! ύγιεΐ κατειλέχθαι: D . 18. 242 κίναδος τάνθρώπιον... ούδέν
έξ άρ/ής ύγιές πεποιηκός... αύτοτραγικος πίθηκος: 19. 12, 171: D in. 1. 48: Ρ1.
Phd. 6 9 Β : R. 603Β : Phdr. 2 4 2 Ε et saep.
64 So LP and O .C .T . Some ed ito rs p rin t φέρει LA

«5 N a u c k , T .G .F . Fr. A desp. 52, but there is no evidence that the line is taken from a
tragedy.
E . A n . 952 υγιές γάρ ούδέν αί θύραθεν είσοδοι δρώσιν γυναικών: ibid. 448:
Hei. 746: Ph. 201: Βα. 262: Fr. 493, 5: 659, 5: 824: Cy. 259.
S. Ph. 1006 ώ μηδέν υγιές... φρονών.
Thuc. 3. 75. 4 ώς ούδέν αύτών υγιές διανοουμένων. Cf. 4. 22. 2 εϊ τι υγιές
διανοούνται. B oth examples occur, in effect, in reported conversation.
7. χαίρειν depending on έαν, λέγειν o r κελεύειν, and used to express dis

regard, dismissal, re p u d ia tio n 66.
A r. Th. 64 τούτον μέν έα χαίρειν “ N ev er m ind h im ” : PL 1187: Ach. 200

χαίρειν κελεύων: Α ν. 1581: Stratt. Fr. 41.
H dt. έαν χαίρειν 4. 112: 6. 23: 9. 41, 45: Lys. 1. 36: PI. έαν χαίρειν Grg.
458 B: R. 358 B et saep. λέγειν χαίρειν R. 406 D : Phd. 6 4 C et saep.
E. E l. 400 βροτών δέ μαντικήν χαίρειν έ ώ : H ip. 113 την σήν δέ Κύπριν πόλλ’
έγώ χαίρειν λέγω : ibid. 1059 : Fr. 1025 τάς θνητών.. .χαίρειν κελεύου ... προθυμίας:
Frs. 23, 388, 1049. Cy. 319.
Presum ably the ironical χαίρειν λέγω was m ore polite than κλαίειν λέγω
in the same sense (H dt. 4. 127: E. Cy. 174, 340, 701: Ar. e.g. V . 584 bu t
never in tragedy), b u t was probably felt as som ew hat colloquial, w hereas
the simple χαίρειν was n o t, th o u g h it may convey a sim ilar sense o f dismissal
o r repudiation, e.g. E. Med. 1048 χαιρέτω βουλεύματα “ Farew ell, my plans” .
N o t in A. or S. except in m odified form s, e.g. A. A g. 572 καί πολλά χαίρειν
συμφοραΐς καταξιώ67: S. TV. 819 έρπέτω χαίρουσα “ g o o d riddance” ; o r w hen
the phrase has its literal m eaning and is n o t colloquial: S. E l. 1456 πολλά
χαίρειν μ’ εϊπας.
66 Apparently also a colloquial expression for polite refusal; cf. Plut. M o r . 2 2 E έν τη

συνήθεια καλώς φαμέν εχειν και χαίρειν κελεύομεν όταν μή δεώμεθα μηδέ λαμβάνωμεν.
67 καταξιώ in this sense seems to be unique; see F ra e n k el Λί/ loc .
D . B revity: e llip se
1. άμεινον sc. έστι “ I t’s b e tte r.” standing as a separate sentence, and similar
expressions.
B ond , on E. Hyps. 1 v 21, com m ents “ this laconic answ er does n o t recur
in trag edy or A risto p h an es” . T here are, how ever, examples o f similar
ellipse: A r. Eq. 37 ού χείρον: M en. Dysc. 149 βέλτιον: ibid. 220 πονηρόν “ it’s
a bad business” : ibid. 870 τοιούτος “ H e ’s like th a t” : Sam. 71 γελοΐον “ T h a t’s
rid icu lo u s” . Sim ilar ellipses are com m on in Platonic dialogue, e.g. δήλον
“ O b v io u sly ” : άδύνατον “ I t’s im possible” . (In A r. Eq. 98 άγαθ’, w hich
N e i l calls “ a colloquial re to rt” is, as B o n d says, som ew hat different, since
it is the object o f a verb repeated from έργάσει in 97.)
E. Hyps. loc. cit. άμεινον, in answ er to τί δήτα θύειν δ ε ι...; Sup. 1069 ομοιον
“ I t ’s all the sam e” : Med. 925 ούδέν “ I t’s n o th in g ” 68: A n . 86 κίνδυνος “ I t’s
risk y ” .
2. αύτο τούτο “ just th a t” “ precisely” .
M en. Sik. 372 ή σώζετ’, αύτό τούτο “ o r is she safe, just th a t? ”

PI. R. 379 A 5 άλλ’ αύτο δή τούτο, οί τύποι...τίνες άν είεν; “ on just that
p o in t...” Ale. I 109 Β7 ώδε λ έγεις...; Ά ύτό τούτο “ Precisely” .
F o r the same expression in extended form see M en. Sik. 374 ζώ. τούτ’
έ’χοιμ ’ άν αύτό σοι φράσαι.
Ε . Or. 665 έρεΐς, άδύνατον- αύτό τούτο “ quite so” : I A 1351 μών κόρην
σώζων έμήν; Αύτό τούτο.
3. εν (or εις) w ith a genitive, due to ellipse o f a w o rd for “ house” o r “ tem ple”
in the dative (or accusative)69, excluding the universally com m on έν (εις)
"A ιδού.
A r. Eq. 1238 έν παιδοτρίβου: Nub. 973: Lys. 407 έν των δημιουργών: Thes.
795 έν άλλοτρίων V . 123 εις ’Ασκληπιού: ΡΙ. 621 : Lys. 1064 εις εμού: ibid. 1211:
68 In S. Track. 413 ούδέν in answ er to τί ποτέ ποικίλας έχεις; is not elliptical in the same
sense.
69 T h e less probable view that such phrases developed from local genitives w ith added
prepositions is rightly rejected by E. S c h w y z e r , Griechische G ram m atik, M iinchen 1953,
II. 120.
28 Colloquial expressions
1C 1250 εις Φιλοκτήμονος. M en. Dysc. 25 έν γειτόνων: Peric. 147. H d t. 1. 36. 1

έν Κροίσου: 5. 51 ές του Κλεομένεος: 4. 5. 4 ές έωυτοϋ: 4. 76. 3: 6. 69. 1 : 6. 57. 2
ές ’Απόλλωνος: 8. 134. 1 : 1.35 4 έν ήμετέρου.
PI. Theaet. 206Α έν κιθαριστοΰ: /V /. 320 Α έν Άρίφρονος: ibid. 3 2 6 C. So
also in A ttic defixiones e.g. έν γειτόνων.
E. Ale. 761 των έν Ά δμητου κακών: /<?« 551 προξένων δ’ έν του70 κατέσχες;
/M 926 έν άνδρός εύσεβεστάτου τραφείς:
Isaeus 5. 41 τούτο μέν έν Διονύσου... τούτο δ’ έν Πυθίου. (It is possible that
this idiom is less colloquial as used o f tem ples, just as in E nglish “ at the
R obinsons” is colloquial, b u t “ St. P aul’s” is not.)
In Homer είν Άΐδαο and είν Ά'ίδαο δόμοισι are both formulaic and about
equally common; in conversational Attic the ellipse may be less conscious,
as is suggested by the illogical extension έν ήμετέρου in Hdt. 1. 35. 4. For έν
and εις with gen. of other proper names and nouns in Homer see
P. CHANTRAiNE,Grammaire Homerique II, Paris 1953, § 149.
4. εις καλόν “ at the rig h t m o m en t”έν καλώ “ in th e rig h t sp o t” “ at the rig h t
m o m en t” .
εις καλόν does not apparently occur in O ld Com edy. M en. Dysc. 773 εις
καλόν δ’ όρώ παρόντα...: Sam. 280. N ov. Com . 16. 11 (D em .) ώς εις καλ[όν]
σ’ έόρα[κ]α.
PI. Smp. 174 Ε 5 εις καλόν ήκεις H ip. Μα. 286 C καί γάρ με εις καλόν
ύπέμνησας: Men. 8 9 E : Euthyd. 275 Β 4 : X . Smp. 1. 4.
E. Η F 728 εις καλόν στείχει.
S. Ο Τ 78 εις καλόν σύ τ ’ είπας. F o r a slightly m ore form al equivalent cf.
A i. 1168 καί μην ές αύτόν καιρόν ... πάρεισιν.
έν καλώ, som etim es local b u t m ore often tem poral.
Ar. Thes. 292 πού που καθέζωμ’ έν καλώ; Ec. 321 ή πανταχοΰ τοι νυκτός
έστιν έν καλώ; PI. Com. fr. 183:
PI. R. 571 B2 ούκούν,ή δ’ ος, έτ’ έν καλώ;
Theoc. 15. 73 θάρσει, γύναι- έν καλώ είμές.
Ε. Held. 971 ούκουν έτ’ έστίν έν καλώ δούναι δίκην;
Or. 579 έν ού καλώ μέν έμνήσθην θεών : Ι Α 1106 έν καλώ σ’ έξω δόμων ηυρηκα.
S. ΕΙ. 384 νυν γάρ έν καλώ φρονεΐν.
T hree examples in historical narrative may tell against colloquial char
acter, but it is relevant that they are all in virtual oratio obliqua; thus T huc.
5. 59. 4 ούχ οΰτω δεινόν τό παρόν ένόμιζον, άλλ’ έν καλώ έδόκει ή μάχη έσεσθαι
(T hey said to them selves) “ this isn’t so b ad ; w e shall be fighting in th e rig h t
place” ; so T huc. 5. 60. 2: X. H . 4. 3. 5.
70 M a d v i g ’s correction of έν τώ LP; but I should prefer, with W i l a m o w i t z , the more

searching question έν τοϋ κατέσχες.
D. Brevity: ellipse 29
5. ίνα (ως) τι δη; or ότι τι δή; w ith ellipse o f subjunctive o r indicative71

(G P 211 (c))
A r. P a x 409 ίνα δή τί; Nub. 1192: Ec. 719, 791: Nub. 755 ότιή τί δή;
PI. A p . 2 6 C ίνα τί; Smp. 205 A ότι δή τί μάλιστα; R. 343A : D . 19. 257 ίνα
τ ί ; ίνα...κατηγορώ .
Cf. Cic. A tt. 7. 7. 7 u t quid?
E . H F 1407 ώς δή N ylo n 525 ώς τί δή φεύγεις με; Ph. 621 : Or. 796 ώς τί
δή τόδε; Ι Α 1342 ώς τί δή;
T h e use o f ώς, the usual final conjunctio n in Tragedy, instead o f ίνα may
slightly m odify the colloquial effe ct; o r perhaps there is ellipse o f a p articip le;
cf. I T 557 ώς τί δή θέλων;
6. οιδ’ ότι and parallel expressions: “ I ’m sure” .
A r. Lys. 154 σπονδάς ποιήσαιντ’ αν ταχέως, εύ οίδ’ ότι: Ραχ 953: Th. 12 (the
reply to a question) εύ ϊσθ’ ό τ ι: PL 889 ούκουν τώ γε σώ, σάφ’ ίσθ’ ό τι: Fr. 152:
A n tip h. Fr. 6 8 ,1 4 δήλον ότι: M en. E pit. 325 τεθέασαι τραγωδούς, οιδ’ ότι:
Sam. 396; Dysc. 408, 858
PI. Grg. 48 7 D έχει δή ούτωσί, δήλον ότι: Cri. 5 3 A.
In m ost o f the above exam ples a finite verb after ότι could be supplied,
th o u g h p robably no ellipse was actually felt. In th e fo u rth century the idiom
was ten d in g to becom e even m ore stereotyped, as in D . 9.1 πάντων οιδ’ ότι
φησάντων γ ’ αν “ w hen all, I ’m sure, w o uld say” , and often takes the form
δηλονότι, e.g. M en. Dysc. 913.
E . Ph. 1617 τ ίς ... όμαρτήσει; ήδ’ ή θανουσα; ζώσα γ ’ αν σάφ’ οίδ’ ότι.
S. A n t. 276 πάρειμι δ’ άκων ούχ έκοΰσιν, οίδ’ ότι: ibid. 758 ίσθ’ ότι.
7. όπο^ς w ith fu tu re indicative expressing ex h o rtatio n ; originally perhaps
elliptical b u t p ro b ab ly no lo n g er felt as such in the fifth century. In this
id io m th e second person o f the fu tu re is m ost com m on, b u t th e first and
th ird p erson are also found.
A r. Ach. 253 ά γ’ όπως το κανουν καλή καλώς οίσεις: Ec. 82, 297 όπω ς...
πλησίοι καθεδούμεθα: Nub. 258, 489, 824, 1177, 1464: Lys. 950 et saep. E ubul.
Fr. 3: M en. E p. 983, 1110: Sam. 63.
H d t. 3. 142: 6. 85: Lys. 1. 21 όπως ταϋτα μηδείς άνθρώπων πεύσεται: 12. 50:
D . 8. 38: 19. 45, 92: 21. 216: PI. R. 336D , 337Β : Men. 7 7 Α : X . A n . 1. 7. 3
(in a speech): Cyr. I. 3. 18.
So also in Papyri iii B.C. e.g. an epistolary form ula όπως μή άλλως ποιήσεις
(M a y s e r , G ram m atik der griechischen Papyri aus der Ptolem aerzeit I, Leip
zig 19232, 231).
71 For other views on the origin of this idiom and parallels in other languages see A. K u e n z i ,
Festschrift fiirE. TiECHE,Bern 1947, 61; F. D o r n s e if f , MHelv. 6, 1949, 175-176.
C om pare the use o f ίνα w ith subjunctive in p o p u la r H ellenistic G reek,

e.g. M ark v 23 ίνα έλθών έπιθής τάς χεΐρας αύτή “ D o come and lay your
h a n d s ...” 72: so νά in m odern G reek, e.g. νά το κάμητε “ m ind you do it” .
C om pare also ut in colloquial Latin, e.g. T er. A d . 280 at ut omne reddat.
E. I T 321 ΓΙυλάδη, θανούμεθ’, άλλ’ όπως ΟανούμεΟα κάλλιστα: Or. 1060 άλλ’
εΓ ό π ω ς. . κατθανούμεθα: Βα. 367 ΓΙενθεύς δ’ όπως μή πένθος είσοίσει δόμοις:
Cy. 595.
A. Pr. 68 όπως μή σαυτόν οικτιεΐς ποτέ. S. Ο Τ. 1518 γής μ ’ όπως πέμψεις
άποικον.
8. ταΰτα used elliptically for ταΰτα ποιήσω (δράσω) in response to a com

m and o r request.
A r. Ach. 815 περίμεν’ αύτοΰ. Με. ταΰτα δ ή : P ax 275 ταΰτ’ ώ δέσποτα:

Eq. I l l : ΤΑ 142, 851, 1008 άλλ’ είσίωμεν. Φι. ταΰτά νυν, είπερ δοκεΐ.
Probably M en. Epitr. 461 ταΰτα δή (see S a n d b a c h ad loc.).
E. Hel. 441 ώ γραία, ταΰτα ταΰτ’- έπεί καλώς λέγεις. “ All right, all rig h t!”
This seems to me the m ost likely in terp retatio n o f this line, accepting
M u r r a y ’s έπεί for έπη; th o u g h M enelaus does n o t in ten d to obey her com
m and to rem ove him self (437-439). See K a n n i c h t ’s note ad loc.
9. τί (generally w ith δέ o r γάρ) follow ed by a) εί w ith optative, b) ήν w ith

subjunctive, c) εί w ith indicative. T he expression is elliptical in origin,
w ith the general sense “ W hat if...? ” “ S u p p o se ...” , and in the first o r second
person is often used to suggest a course o f action.
a) A r. Nub. 154 τί δήτ’ άν ... εί πύθοιο...; “ H o w w ould you like to h e a r ...? ”

ibid. 769 τί δήτ’ άν ε ί.,.τ ά γράμματ’ έκτήξαιμι; “ Suppose I rub o u t the let
t e r s ..” 77/.
PI. Tbt. 196D τί εί έπιχειρήσαιμεν αναίσχυντε!v . . . ; X en. Smp. 2. 3 τί ούν εί
τ ις ... ένέγκαι...; D. 39. 16 τί δ’ εί' τινας εισφοράς μή θείη;
b) Ar. Nub. 1445 τί δ’ ή ν.,.σ ε νικήσω λ έγω ν ...; Α ν . 1655: ΤΑ 524: Lys.
157: Ec. 254, 256. In Lys. 366 τί δ’ ήν σποδώ τοΐς κονδύλοις; τί μ’ έργάσει το
δεινόν; and Nub. 351 τί γάρ ήν κατίδωσι Σίμωνα, τί δρώσιν; the idiom is the
same, th o u g h the apodosis is afterw ards ex p ressed 73. F o r a series o f examples
w ith postponed interrogative e.g. ήν δέ μή κομίσωσι, τ ί ; see Ec. 799-803 and
72 See C. Radermaciier , N eutestamentliche G ram m atik, T u b in g e n 19252, 138;M ayser ,

op. clt. 231-232. Cf. schol. on S. O C 156 κατά τήν ήμετέραν συνήθειαν είώθαμεν λέγειν ούτως-
Ϊνα παραγένη προς εμέ.
73 T he repetition of τί before the apodosis in these tw o passages illustrates the way in
which τί S’ ήν became a stereotyped expression for “ suppose th a t” , the literal sense o f τί
tending to be forgotten.
D. Brevity: ellipse 31
862 864. P robably also M en. Dysc. 897 <τί 8’ άν,> το δείνα, . ,.προελκύσο.>μεν
αυτόν 74; X en. Oec. 3. 1 Ί ι ούν.,.άν σοι άποδεικνύω ...;
c) E u p . 46 τι δήτ αν εί μή τό σκαφίον αύτη παρήν;
^ E. a) Hei. 1043 φέρε, τί δ’ εί κρυφθείς δόμοις κτάνοιμ’ άνακτα; I T 1024 τί δ’
εί' με ναώ τωδε κρύψειας λάθρα; Ph. 732: A n . 845 άλλ’ εί σ’ ά φ είη ν ... ; Ph. 1684
άλλ’ εί γ α μ ο ίμ η ν ...; P robably Hyps. Fr. 20/21, 15 (B o n d ).
b) Held. 1020 τί δ ήν Οάνη τε κ α ί... πιθώμεΟα; Perhaps ibid. 712 τί δ’ ήν
θανης σ υ ...75; Hei. 832 φέρ’ ήν δ έ.,.μ ή άποδέξηται;
c) Ion 357 τι δ εί.,.νιν Φοίβος εκτρέφει;
S. Ph. 1405 τί γάρ, εάν πορΟώσι...;
10. τί τούτο (ταυτα); in various senses: “ W h at’s all th is?” “ W h at’s the
p o in t? ” “ A nd so w h a t? ”
A r. A v . 1205 τί δε τούτο; “ W h at’s the p o in t o f th a t? ” Nub. 347 νή Δ ί’

έγω γ’· ειτα τί τούτο; “ and so w h a t? ” M en. Dysc. 82 τί τούτο, π α ί; Sam. 360
Η ράκλειε, τί τούτο, π α ί; “ W hat is all th is? ” ibid. 363. Adesp. N o v . Com. fr.
22. 19 (D em .).
PI. Prt. 3 0 9 A 6 ειτα τί τούτο; “ and so w h at?” X . Smp. 1. 15 τί τουτ’ ...;
E. A n . 548 τι ταυτα; πώς ταυτ’ ; Sup. 98 τί ταυτα, μήτερ; σον το μηνύειν έμοί:
750 άτάρ τί ταυτα76; “ b u t never m ind about th a t” : Hel. 991 τί ταυτα; “ W hat
sort o f talk is th is? ” Ph. 382 άτάρ τί ταυτα; Or. 732 τί τάδε; πώς eyεις763;
Βα. 645 τί τάδε; “ W h at’s all this? the prisoner free?” Cy. 37.
S. E l. 766 ώ Ζεΰ, τί ταυτα; Ph. 201 ; O C 543.
11. τουτ’ (τόδ’) :κείνο: “ This is it” : “ I told you so” : “ T he old sto ry ” 77.
A r. Ach. 41 τουτ’ έκείν’ ούγώ ’λέγον: ibid. 820: Α ν. 354 τουτ’ εκείνο- ποί
φύγω; Ρ αχ 289: ibid. 516 ήδη ’στι τουτ’ εκείνο: Lys. 240: Ra. 318, 1342.
A m phis Fr. 9 τουτ’ έκείν’ έστιν σαφώς. PI. Euthd. 296 Β τουτ’ εκείνο “ there you
go ag ain” : Smp. 2 2 3 A ταϋτ’ εκ είνα ...τά είο.>θότα: Phdr. 2 41D τουτ’ εκείνο
“ T here, I knew it!”
T he addition o f έστι in som e passages (for m etrical reasons) o r o f ούγώ
’λέγον or τά είο^θότα (stressing the sense o f εκείνα as som ething m entioned
o r familiar) does n o t appreciably m odify the basic expression τουτ’ εκείνο;
b u t n o t every juxtaposition o f ούτος and εκείνος is likely to be colloquial,
since that is the natural if n o t the only way o f expressing a certain idea in
74 So E. W. H a n d l e y , followed by F. H. S a n d b a c u ; see their notes ad loc.

75 τί S’ ; ήν θάνης σύ O C T .
76 O n άτάρ see p.44.
76a O n π ώ : έχεις see p.57.
77 As R e n n ie (on Ar. A ch. 41) puts i t : εκείνο is som ething already mentioned or n o to r io u s ;
τοΰτο marks that it is n o w valid.
G reek. T hus S. O C 137 68’ έκεΐνος έγώ “ H ere am I, the m an you seek” is
n o t colloquial; nor is S. E l. 1178, w here to the question ή σόν τό κλεινόν
είδος Ή λέκτρας τάδε; E lectra replies τόδ’ εστ’ εκείνο “ It is that fo rm ” 78. So
also am ong L atin parallels cited by P a g e (on Med. 98), T er. Andr. 125
attat hoc illud est may well be colloquial, bu t Cic. De Sen. 72 Hoc illud est
quod...a Solone responsum est is not.
E. Med. 98 (anap.) τόδ’ έκεΐνο, φίλοι παΐδες: “ Ju st as I feared” : Hel. 622
τοΰτ’ εστ’ έκεΐνο: Or. 804 τοΰτ’ εκείνο- κτάσθ’ έταίρους μή τό συγγενές μόνον:
“ T he old story” : probably Ion 554 τοΰτ’ έκεΐν’ iV έσπάρημεν “ T h a t’s it,
th a t’s w here I was b e g o tte n ” . (In Tro. 629 the ad d itio n o f αίνιγμα makes a
difference.)
S. E l. 1115 τοΰτ’ έκεΐν’ ήδη σαφές πρόχειρον άχθος, ώς εοικε, δέρκομαι can
be punctuated w ith a stop after έκεΐν’, giving an exam ple o f the colloquial
idiom , w hich J ebb considers “ too hom ely fo r the style o f Sophocles” . T he
objection is by no m eans fatal, since obvious colloquialism s do occur in
S.79 th o u g h m ore rarely than in E ., b u t at anyrate the above p u n ctu atio n ,
adopted by J ebb and K a ib e l , is at least equally possible, or, as in O C T , a
colon after σαφές.
78 Cf. S chwyzer , Griechische G ra m m a tik II 209 A nm . 1. So also Aesch. fr. 180, if the
conjecture oS’ εσ τ’ εκείνος is right.
79 Including some not found in E., e.g. Ph. 327 εύ γε. See ClQ u 39, 1945, 95-105.
E . In terjection s and ex p ressio n s u sed to attract attention or m aintain
contact
puts it (on E . Ba. 644),

1. εα (som etim es repeated). Probably, as D o d d s
“ a gasp o f astonishm ent, perhaps representing the sound o f a sharp intake
o f b re a th ” .
A r. Nub. 1259b: F ax 60: A v. 327,1495: Thesm. 699,1 0 0 9 ,1 1 0 5 80: PI. 824.

PI. Prt. 314D .
E. Italie gives forty-tw o exam ples8081, n o t counting Rh. (5) and Cy. (1).
E .g. A n . 896 έα, τί χρήμα; H F 625: H ip. 905: Or. 1573.
A. Cho. 870: Pr. 114, 298 εα τί χρήμα; 687. Diet, (satyric) Fr. 178a M.
S. O C 1477.
2. εΐα “ Com e o n !” generally follow ed by an im perative or equivalent.

A r. είά νυν Ach. 495: A . 430: Thesm. 663: P ax 459ff. and 517ff. ώ εΐα
νυν, ώ εία πας. / ώ εία εία εία (to encourage m en hauling on a rope), εΐα δή
Thesm. 659, 985. άλλ’ εία Ec. 496: PI. 292, 316, 76082.
PI. Sph. 239B άλλ’ εία δή ... σκεψώμεθα.
Ε. άλλ’ εία Med. 401, 820, 1242: H F 622, 704, 833: Tro. 880: Hei. 1429:
Or. 1060, 1618: Ph. 250, 970, 990, 1708: I A 111, 435: Fr. 495, 8. εία δή Fr.
693 (satyric). ούκ ε ΐα ...; I T 1423: Hel. 1561, 1597: Or. 1622: Fr. 781, 8
έπείγετ’ εία, δμωίδες.
80 T he line is spoken by E ur. in the play, and this exclamation may be given to him as
specially characteristic of the real E ur. in his plays, b u t a lthough it is far less com m on in
Ar. than in E ur., in m ost occurrences there is n o th in g to suggest paratragic usage.
81 E . F r a e n k e l , A g a m e m n o n , ( ) \fo rd 1950, III 580 n. 4, observes “ w ithout exception in
E ur. εα expresses the surprise o f the speaker at some novel, often unw elcome, impression
on his senses.” In Antiope X L V I I I 51 (K am b .), how ever, w here P age ( v .48) calls εα “ a
cry o f joyful surprise” , the chorus k n o w that Lycushas entered a trap and his cry from within
can hardly have surprised them. In PI. Prt. 314 D εα seems to be mainly an expression of
disgust; so also, according to M urray , E. Ion 540, but most editors accept B othe ’s έκ.
82 D e n n is t o n , G reek Particles 14 is mistaken in saying that άλλ’ εΐα is “ perhaps confined to
E u rip id e s” , th o u g h it is certainly most c o m m o n in him.
A. A g. 1650, 1651 εία δή83: Theoroi (O x. Pap. 2162 fr. 1 col. 1, 18). S.
Euryp. Fr. 221 [άλ]λ’ εΓ επειγε: Ichn. Fr. 314, 87 ά γ’ εία δή Io n Omph. (Satyric)
fr. 22 άλλ’ εία.
Pind. Fr. 194, 2 εία τε ιχ ίζ ω μ -ε ν ...!^ the text is uncertain.
3. εΐέν8384 as an interjection has in effect tw o different senses85: a) in replies,

denoting attention to a request o r acceptance o f a statem ent: “ All rig h t” ,
b) (m ore frequently) in tro d u cin g a transition to a fresh p o in t by a backw ard
glance at w hat has been established: “ So far so g o o d , (and n o w ...) ” 86.
a) Ar. Pax 661 είέν, άκοίκο “ All rig h t, I h ear” . Ra. 607 εΐέν, και μ ά /ει;
“ O h, all right, show ing fight, are y o u ?”
PI. R. 350E εγώ δέ σοι, ώσπερ ταΐς γραυσί ταΐς τούς μύθους λεγούσαις, είέν
έρώ καί κατανεύσομαι καί άνανεύσομαι R. 436 C.
E. Ph. 849 εΖέν, πάρεσμεν- τί με καλεΐς σπουδή, Κρέον87; ΕΙ. 907, w here
εΐέν is in reply to λέγ’ εί' τι χρήζει,ς in 905.
A. Ch. 657 είέν, άκούω.
b) A r. Eq. 1078, 1237. N ub.116, 1075. P ax 877, 1284. Th. 407, 1188.
E upol. 351, 5. PI. Com. 174, 1. M en. Peric. 334: Ph. 48: Dysc. 909, 965.
PI. V ery com m on; A st gives over forty exam ples. X . Mem. 2. 6. 8. Smp.
4. 52, 55.
A nt. iv B 3. v 58. D . N ine examples.
E. E l. 596, at the beginning o f a speech, dism issing the rap tu ro u s
em braces and getting dow n to business. A lso b eginning a speech, H F 451,
1214: I T 467: In the m iddle o f a speech, A le. 299: Med. 386: Tro. 945, 998:
H F 1358: Hec. 313: Sup. 1094: Ph. 1615: I A 454, 1185. In conversation,
E l. 618, 959: I T 342: Hel. 761: Ion 275, 756: Or. 77488.
A. Ch. 719 (anap.): Eu. 244.
S. A t. 101: E l. 524: Ph. 1308: O C 477, 1310: Scyr. 10 (P. Oxy. xvii 2077).
N eophron, Med. fr. 2.
4. εχ’ ήσυχος “ W ait a m inute” “ T ake it easy” , often (always in E ur.)

deprecating an interruption.
83 F raenkel observes “It is possible that for Aeschylus and his audience εία δή had the
ring of colloquial speech about it.”
84 On the form see U iilio , RhM. 19, 1864, 33ff.
85 It is not always possible to distinguish, but many passages fall definitely into one category
or the other. LS| does not seem to distinguish.
88 συγκατάΟεσις μέν των εΐρημένων, συναφή δέ προς τα μέλλοντα Timaeus, L e x . Plat. p. 94.
87 Also perhaps anticipatory, as in b ): “ Well, here I am, and now what do you want me
to do?”
88 There seems to be no example of είέν preceded by άλλά, so that in E. Sup. 772 άλλ’ είέν
αίρω is probably corrupt, and F.i.msu;y’s άλλ’ είμ’, έπαρώ may be right.
E. Interjections and expressions used to attract attention 35
A r. PI. 127 Πλ. ά μή λέγ’ .,.Χ ρ. εχ’ ήσυχος: Nub. 1244 (Strepsiades to
an g ry creditor) εχε νυν ήσυχος- εγώ γάρ αύτίκ’ άποκρινοΰμαι...: Thes. 925 μέν’
ήσυχος- ού γάρ προδώσω: Α ν . 1199 αύτη σύ, ποΐ ποΐ ποΐ πέτει; μέν’ ήσυχος
(here m ore literally).
O n an A ttic R F vase depicting sexual intercourse ( B u i t r o n , A V P N ew
E ngl. Coll. p. 107) Ε Χ Ε Η Ε ΣΥ Χ Ο Σ occurs as a fragm ent o f a dialogue(P):
“ steady o n ” “ just a m in u te ” 89. Cf. άτρέμα in Pherec. fr. 6 A. μετά δέ Μέλητα
τίς; Β. εχ’ άτρέμ’, έγώδα, Χαΐρις “ H old on a m inute, / k n o w ...” .
E. Med. 550 άλλ’ εχ’ ήσυχος: H ip. 1313 δάκνει σε, Θησεΰ, μύθος; άλλ’ εχ’
ήσυχος “ B ut w ait, th e re ’s w orse to com e” : I A 1133 εχ’ ήσυχος, κάκεΐνό μοι
το πρώτον άποκρίναι πάλιν.
5. ήν as an interjection (often follow ed by ιδού)90, in response to a com m and.

ήν ιδού A r. P ax 327 παύε παύ’ όρχούμενος. X o. ήν ιδού, καί δή πέπαυμαι: Ra.
1390: Pratin. Fr. 1: H erodas 1 .4 : Luc. 374 άπόθου ... P H T . ήν ιδού, άποτίθεμαι.
ήν stan d ing alone A r. PI. 75 μέθεσθε.. Xp. ήν, μεθίεμεν: M en. Ep. 391: Sam.
305: Fr. 319.
In H ellenistic poetry ήν often coalesces w ith the verb o f seeing to form
ήνίδε, e.g. T heoc. 1. 149: 2. 38.
E. H F 867 ήν ιδού-καί δή τινάσσει, here indicating n o t com pliance but ful
film ent o f a threat.
6. ιδού com plying w ith a request o r com m and expressed o r implied.

“ T h e re !”
A r. F o rty -th ree exam ples, e.g. Nub. 255 κάθιζε τοίνυν. ιδού κάθημαι. F re
q u en t in com edy generally, e.g. E upol. Fr. 149: Pherecr. Fr. 67: M en. Sam.
312, 389. So also H erodas 3. 86. In m any cases ιδού can o f course be translated
literally, “ See” ; b u t it had becom e a regular form ula o f com pliance used w ith
little consciousness o f its literal m eaning, as is show n by Ach. 366 ίδου
θεάσθε91.
E. A n . 250 ή καί πρόσω γάρ των έμών ψαύσεις κακών; Αν. ιδού, σιωπώ:
ibid. 411: E l. 566: Ιοη 742: Ph. 106, 1694, 1700: Or. 221, 229, 1344, 1671:
Βα. 198, 934, 1265: Ι Α 649, 1120, 1144: ΕΙ. 1230 (iamb, dim .): Ph. 1714
(iam b, dim .): Or. 144, (dochm iac). Perhaps Tel. fr. 13, 83 ( A u s t i n ) [ίδ]ού.
πορεύο[μ. Cy. 153, 212, 562.
S. A j. 346: Tr. 1184: Ph. 11 β.
89 I o w e t h i s r e f e r e n c e t o K . J. D o v e r .
90 F o r ιδού alone in the same sense see EG.
91 ιδού is hardly used at all in com edy except in this idiom or with contem ptuous repetition
o f a previous speaker’s w ord, e.g. E q . 703 νή τήν προεδρίαν...ιδού προεδρίαν.
καί δή in the same sense, used several tim es by A eschylus and Sophocles
(five times in HI.), b u t in E. only A le. 1118 and Ph. 387, was perhaps felt
to be less colloquial92; it is n o t rare in com edy, b u t m uch less com m on
than ιδού. It is noticeable th at o f the tw enty examples o f ιδού in E uripides
fifteen are from the last fo u r plays.
7. οισθ’ ούν δ δρασον; and som e parallel expressions93. These are generally
rhetorical questions, follow ed im m ediately by a com m and o r entreaty to
w hich they request attention. T he co rresp o n d in g English idiom w ould
som etim es be “ N o w lis te n ...” or “ I tell you w h a t...” 94 O ccasionally the
interrogative sense o f the phrase is revived by an answ er before the com m and
is given.
A r. A v. 54 άλλ’ οίσθ’ 3 δρασον; τω σκέλει θένε τήν πέτραν. “ Com e on then,

k n o c k ...” ibid. 80: H erm ipp. Fr. 43 οίσθά νυν δ μοι πόησον; M en. Fr. 770
οίσθ’ ο τι ποίησον; Ar. P a x 1061 άλλ’ οίσθ’ δ δρασον; Ιε. ήν φράσης: Eq. 1158.
PI. Phdr. 236D οίσθ’ ώς έχει; παΰσαι... “ N o w listen to me. Stop try in g to
fool m e” .
E. Plec. 225 οίσθ’ ούν δ δρασον; μήτ’ άποσπασθής β ία ... “ N o w listen ; d o n ’t
try to resist” . Ion 1029: Hel. 315, 1233: I A 725: Fr. 647: Held. 451 οίσθ’ 6
μοι σύμπραξον; perhaps I T 759 άλλ’ οίσθ’ δ δράσω; follow ed by Ip h ig en eia’s
solution o f a p roblem : “ I tell you w h a t...” : Cy. 131 οίσθ’ ούν ο δράσεις95;
Σι. ούκ οίδ’, Όδυσσεΰ. Some longer variations, e.g. I T 1202 and Sup. 932,
m ight not be felt as colloquial.
S. O T 543 οίσθ’ ώς πόησον;
8. όρας; “ Y ou see?” “ T here you are” ; p o in tin g (often reproachfully) at

a p ro o f or illustration o f som ething th at the speaker has been saying o r
expecting.
A r. A v. 1616 τί δαί σύ φής; Τρ. ναβασαιτρεΰ. Πι. όρας; επαινεί /ούτος: “ Y ou

see? he too approves” . Nub. 691: Eq. 1164: Ra. 1234 όρας; προσηψεν αύθις
αύ τήν λήκυθον: M en. Sam. 250: Dysc. 695: pro b ab ly Fr. 686a. C om pare the
92 D enniston , G reek Particles 252 notes “ the rarity of this use of καί δή in Euripides is
remarkable” . He seems to prefer the m ore colloquial ιδού.
93 It seems probable that in this type o f phrase the more a b ru p t and em phatic imperative
is substituted for a future or some periphrastic form ; see J ebb on S. O T 543, and for a dif
ferent view K retschmer in G lotta 10, 1920, 112-122; for a good concise critical survey see
K a n n ic h t on li. Hel. 315.
94 Cf. D over ’s note on ίσΟι in A r. N ub. 829.
95 So LP: Ca n t e r ’s δρασον, printed in O C T , is n o t justified. So also in Med. 600 μενεύξη
should not be emended.
p aren th etic use o f ορας; e.g. A r. Th. 496 ταΰθ’, όρας, ού πώ ποτ’ εΐπ εν: ibid.
490 : D . 18. 266 άγαθή γ ’ - ούχ όρας; - τύχη : ibid. 281 96.
Ε . H ip. 313c όρας; φρονείς μεν ε ύ ...: A n . 87 όρας; άπαυδας έν κακοΐς φίλοισι
σοΐς ΕΙ. 1121 όρας; άν’ αύ σύ ζωπυρεΐς νείκη νέα. In Ε. Or. 588, 591 and Βα.
319 όρας is a persuasive w ay o f in tro d u cin g a new argum ent, and may also
be colloquial.
S. E l. 628 όρας; προς οργήν εκφέρει..
9. ούτος used as a vocative, som etim es to attract the attention o f som e

body at a distance, m ore often to call attention to a surprised o r in
d ig n an t question o r an im patient com m and: “ Y ou th ere” : “ I say” : also
ώ ούτος, ούτος συ, the latter being possibly som ew hat m ore brusque or
urgent.
A r. Ach. 564 ούτος συ ποΐ θεΐς; 73^.821 παΰ’ ώ ούτος: V. 1 ούτος τί πάσχεις;
ibid. 395 ούτος εγειρου H i! W ake u p .” ibid. 1364 ώ ούτος ούτος τυφεδανέ και
χοιροθλιψ Ra. 522 επισχες ούτος: Α ν . 1243 άκουσον αυτή “ Listen, you” :
et. saep. (over fifty examples). C ratin. Fr. 51: Crates Frs. 129, 134: E ub. fr.
126: M en. Sam. 312, 657: Mis. 217.
S o p h ro n Fr. 57 (K aibel) ώ ούτος.
PI. Smp. 172A : perhaps Prt. 310B 'Ιπποκράτης.. .ούτος, μή ... αγγέλλεις 97~";
H ero d . 4. 42. 55, 93: 6. 99: 9. 10 (generally αυτή σύ, used in speaking to
slaves)98.
E. Ale. 773 (Heracles to slave) ούτος τί σεμνόν... βλέπεις; Med. 922 (Jason
to M edea) α υ τ ή “ H ere, w hy do you w e e p ...? ” Hec. 1127 ούτος τί πάσχεις99;
ibid. 1280 ούτος σύ, μαίνη; Hei. 1186, 1627: Or. 1567 (O restes to M enelaus)
ούτος σύ: Cy. 552.
A. Sup. 911 ούτος τί ποιείς;
S. A i. 71 ibid. 89 ώ ούτος, Α ϊας: ibid. 1047: Ο Τ 532, 1121:
Tr. 402: O C 1627 ώ ούτος ούτος Οίδίπους, τί μέλλομεν; T he addition o f
a p ro p e r nam e seems to be lim ited to tw o passages in Sophocles, tw o in O ld
!,,i In S. 7 r. 394 A. C. P earso n , CIRev. 39, 1925, 3 and others w ould keep είσορας and
explain it as an instance o f this parenthetic use, but I believe J ebb was right to accept
W a k e f i e l d ’s ώς όρας, n o t because (as J ebb says) that use does n o t suit the idiom o f tragedy,
b u t because a c o m p o u n d verb is less natural in this idiom and it is always the simple verb
tha t is so used elsewhere.
97 So A s t ; b u t as Socrates has himself just been hailed by his friend calling from outside,
οδτος attracting a ttention is n o t needed and A dam is right to print 'Ιπποκράτης, εφην, ούτος
(sc. έστι) “ T h a t’s Η., I said.”
98 ούτος σύ is how e ve r by no means limited to addressing slaves or inferiors; cf. e.g. E. Or.
1567.
99 τί πάσχεις in the sense “ W ha t are you up t o ? ” is also colloquial; see p.41.
C om edy (E up. fr. 206: N icoch. fr. 1) and PI. Smp. 172 A, b u t there is no
reason to suppose th at this m odifies the tone o f the phrase: A thena to Ajax
has first ούτος, then ούτος, Αίας. In O C 1627 we see the effectiveness o f a
direct colloquial expression at a solem n and th rillin g m o m en t in the play,
an expression that sounds just the note o f urgency required.
10. πόΟεν; “ Im possible” : “ O f course n o t” . U sed w ith o u t a verb, either

in answ er to the previous speaker o r to confirm a negative (or virtually
negative) statem ent o f the same speaker.
A r. Ra. 1455 τίσι χρήται; πάτερα τοΐς χρηστοΐς; Δι. πόΟεν; μισεί κάκιστα:
ΙΑ 1144: Ec. 389, 976: Fr. 655: P robably Fr. A desp. 203 πόθεν; ού γάρ
σχολάζω: M en. Dysc. 566.
PI. Smp. 1 7 2 C f Apr. 211 C: Grg. 471 D : H p. Ma. 2 8 5 E :
D . 18. 47 άλλ’ ούκ έστι ταΰτα- πόθεν; πολλοϋ γε και δει: ibid. 140: 19. 30:
24. 157, 195: Aesch. 1. 109.
Ε. A n . 82 μών ούν δ ο κ εΐς ...; Αν. πόθεν; “ O f course n o t” : E l. 657: C on
firm ing a negative statem ent: A le. 781 οιμαι μέν ου- πόθεν γάρ; Elec. 613:
Ph. 1620: ( / / A 1102 πόθεν M u r r a y : μολών LP).
Probably also Ale. 95 (anapaestic conversation betw een m em bers o f
chorus).
In A. Ag. 1507 (lyr.) πώ πώ is th e D o ric equivalent o f πόθεν, and the id io
m atic colloquial sense exactly fits th e context. A pparently A eschylus w anted
this precise sense and used the foreign form appropriate to choral lyric and
duplication in order to m odify the conversational tone. F o r full discussion
see E. F r a e n k e l ’s note ad loc.
11. ποιος used w hen a w ord o f the previous speaker is repeated w ith
disdain or indignation; also used in self-correction.
Ar. Eq. 162 ΑΛ. Τί μ’, ώγάθ’, ού πλύνειν έας τάς κ ο ιλ ία ς...; Λ Η. ’Ω μώρε,
ποιας κοιλίας; “ ‘T rip e ’, you fo o l?” Ach. 109, 157, 761 : Apr. 730, 922, 1178:
Th. 874 et saep. D am ox. Fr. 2. 6. ποιος is similarly used, bu t w ith o u t repetition
o f the noun in Ec. 763 πειθαρχεΐν με τοΐς νομοισι δει; Ποίοισιν, ώ δύστηνε;
Nub. 367 ποιος Ζευς; “ Zeus indeed” . M en. Sam. 466, 468.
PI. Grg. 4 9 0 Ε ποια υποδήματα; φλυαρείς εχων: Tht. 180Β: Euthyd. 291 A
X. Cyr. 1. 4. 28 Νή Δ ” , ώ συγγενές, δι’ ολίγου γε. Ποιου ολίγου; C om pare ποΐ
in A r. Apr. 383 μών θερμόν ή ν ; 11οΐ θερμόν; F or a sim ilar use o f τί see below
p. 40.
T he same idiom occurs in m odern colloquial G reek, e.g. (from a novel)
σου είπα όλη τήν αλήθεια καί δεν μέ πιστεύεις; Ιίοιά αλήθεια; C om pare “ che”
in Italian, e.g. M io d o tto re? Che d o tto re? V eterinario! n o n gli ho mai
fatto curare altro che la serv itii!” 100
E . Hel. 567 ποιας δάμαρτος; μή θίγης έμών πέπλων101. H F 517 (repeating
h er ow n w ord) et μή γ ’ δνειρον.,.τί φημί; ποΓ όνειρα...; Βα. 806 (no repeated
w o rd ) τοδ ήδη δόλιόν ές με μηχανα. At. ποιον τι, σώσαί σ’ εί θέλω τέγναις έμαΐς;
(Ιοη 932 ποιον τεκεΐν φής παΐδα; is n o t exclam atory).
S. Tr. 427 ποιαν δόκησιν;
12. πώς δοκεΐς; πώς οΐει; used to stim ulate the h earer’s atten tio n and add
liveliness to the narrative. T h ere is perhaps no close equivalent in E nglish;
in F ren ch H . v a n D a e l e can translate πώς δοκεΐς (Ar. Ach. 24) by “ vous
pensez com m e” . C om pare also “ figurez-vous” : “ figuratevi” .
A r. Ach. 24 ωστιοΰνται πώς δοκεΐς: PI. 742: Ra. 54 πώς οιει σφοδρά: Nub.
881. 1368. Ec. 399 αναβοα ποσον δοκεΐς: V . 1428 πώς κατεάγη τής κεφαλής
olet σφόδρα: Ραχ 704: E ubul. Fr. 82: D iph. Fr. 96: Theophil. Fr. 2. Cf.
A r. Ach. 12 πώς τουτ εσεισέ μου δοκεΐς τήν καρδίαν;
C om pare Plaut. Bac. 208 immo ut eam credis misera amans desiderat102.
E. H ip. 446 τούτον λαβοΰσα πώς δοκεΐς καθύβρισεν103: Hec. 1160 κάτ’ έκ
γαληνών πώς δοκεΐς προσφθεγμάτων. ( Ι Α 1590 is generally regarded as
spurious) Pir. 38 (w ith a dependent infin. and probably less colloquial)
Ευρυσθεα γάρ πώς δοκεΐς αν άσμενον.. ,λέγειν αν;
So also X en. Mem. 4. 2, 23 νυν δέ πώς οΐει με άθύμως έγειν;
S. Fr. 373, 5 συνοπάζεται δέ πλήθος οί πόσον δοκεΐς104.
13. σον έργον a) w ith an infinitive; b) as an independent statem ent, gen
erally follow ed by an im perative o r its equivalent. “ I t’s for you” or “ it’s
u p to you t o . . . ” (“ task” for έργον is to o form al in this idiom , and “ jo b ” is
rath er to o colloquial).
A r. a) Nub. 1345 σον έ'ρ γ ο ν ...φ ρ ο ν τίζε ι...: ibid. 1397, 1494: Ra. 589 νυν
σον εργον έστι: Ec. 514: Eys. 315, 839. b) Α ν. 862 ίερεΰ, σον έργον, θυε τοΐς
καινοΐς θεοΐς: Eys. 381 : Th. 1208: Cratin. 1 0 8 Λήδα, σον έργον: M en. Dysc. 630.
PI. Smp. 188 E σον έργον ... άναπληρώσαι: Men. 7 5 D : Grg. 459 E. Prt. 335B
ήγησάμενος ούκέτι έμόν έργον είναι may be regarded as the same idiom in
oratio obliqua.
100 Cf. L. S p i t z e r , Italienische U m gangssprache, B onn 1922, 181.
101 A. C. P earson (on Hel. 567) cites as parallel I Λ 837 ποιους γάμους φης; b u t this is
only a surprised question: “ W h a t m arriage is this?”
102 O n this idiom in Latin see J. V a h l e n , Hermes 24, 1889, 473-474.
103 M urray p r i n t s - πώς δοκεΐς; - a n d \)^e c k l e in , πώς δοκεΐς; so als o D A iT Z i n Hec. 1160.
N o d o u b t t h e p h r a s e is s t r i c t l y s p e a k i n g i n t e r r o g a t i v e a n d p a r e n t h e t i c , b u t it s e e m s to h a v e
b e c o m e a s t e r e o t y p e d e x p r e s s i o n , a n d s h o u l d p e r h a p s b e p r i n t e d w i t h o u t p u n c t u a t i o n , as
is n o r m a l f o r p h r a s e s o f t h e s a m e f o r m i n A r i s t o p h a n e s .
104 A ccepting (with P earson ) H erwerden ’s correction o f the M S ούχ οσον δοκεΐς.
E. a) Ph. 444 σόν εργον... λέγειν τοιούσδε μύθους...: I T 1079. b) E L 668:

Jiet. 830, 1288: Ba. 849.
A. Pr. 635 σόν εργον . ,.ύπουργήσαι : S. Ph. 15 εργον ήδη σόν ... ύπηρετεΐν.
T he example from Sophocles is n o t h o w ev er quite the stock expression;
similarly H dt. 8. 102 σόν τό εργον, ώ δέσποτα, γίνεται, A r. P ax 426 ύμέτερον
έντευθεν εργον and A. Eu. 737 έμόν τόδ’ εργον are slightly m ore form al. T here
are also in T ragedy m ore elaborate variants o f the com m on phrase, e.g. A.
A g. 1650 εια δή, φίλοι λοχΐται, τοϋργον ούχ έκάς τόδε: E. H F . 565 νυν γάρ
τής έμής εργον χερός.
F. Η . S a n d b a c h (o n M en. Dysc. 630) prefers to regard σόν εργον as a
solem n, poetic expression used paratragically in Com edy. Some passages,
e.g. A v. 862, Lys. 381, Crat. Fr. 108 lend co lo u r to this, b u t in view o f other
passages w here it seems less likely and o f the exam ples in Plato I am inclined
to agree w ith D o d d s (on E. Ba. 849) in tak in g it as an A ttic colloquialism .
I t is possible that έ'ργον is also used colloquially, as D o d d s suggests, in
E. Ba. 267 ού μέγ’ εργον εύ λέγειν. H e com pares PI. Smp. 187E μέγα εργον
ταΐς έπιθυμίαις καλώς χρήσθαι and A r. Ra. 1100 χαλεπόν ούν έ'ργον διαιρεΐν.
14. τί follow ed by repetition o f the w ords o f th e previous speaker and

expressing surprised o r in dignant rep u d iatio n ; also in self correcdon.
A r. Ra. 649 άτταταΐ Ae. τί τάτταταΐ; μών ώδυνήθης; D iph. Fr. 96; M en.
'Dysc. 215 κατά τρόπον, κατά τρόπον τί; “ H o w do you m ean ‘all rig h t’?”
Sam. 321, 374; Her. 45; Gorg. 28 χαιρέτω. τί χαιρέτω ; οίμωζέτω μεν ούν:
Fr. 11 (D e m .).
So quid in colloquial L atin, e.g. T er. Heaut. 317 A t enim... Clit. Quid
“enimlP Plaut. Rud. 736.
E. Ale. 807 ζώ σ ι.-.T her. τί ζώσι; ού κάτοισθα τάν δόμοις κακά; Ι Α 460
παρθένον, τί παρθένον; "Αιδης νιν νυμφεύσει τάχα. Fr. 300 οΐμοι, τί δ’ ο’ίμοι;
θνητά τοι πεπόνθαμεν. Ph. 1725 (lyr.) ίώ ίώ, δεινά δείν’ έγώ τλάς. A nt. τί τλάς;
τί τλάς; on w hich D .J . C o n a c h e r 105 com m ents “ A n tigone is sarcastically
echoing her father’s self-pitying δεινά...τλάς” : there are, how ever, dif
ficulties about the in terpretation o f this passage, and the text has been
questioned. Perhaps Ion 286 τιμά, τί τιμά; μήποτ’ ώφελον σφ’ ίδεΐν, accepting
H e r m a n n ’s correction o f the M S reading τιμά τιμ ά 106.
i°5 Euripidean D ram a, T o r o n to 1967, 244 n. 22: he accepts an inconsistency here w ith
A n tig o n e ’s attitude in the rest o f the scene.
106 In A. Cho. 767 Ca n ter ’s τί πώς, technically an easy correction o f ή πώς and printed in
O .C .T ., would in any case be different, since the N urse is asking a genuine question and not
expressing indignation or repudiation.
15. τί πάσχεις; “ W h at’s the m atter w ith y o u ? ” “ W hat are you a b o u t? ” 107
Sim ilarly τί πάσχω; “ W h at’s the m atter w ith m e?” “ W hy do I talk (act)
like th is? ” 108 In these expressions πάσχειν has virtually an active sense109.
A r. K . 1 ούτος, τί πάσχεις; ΰαν. φυλακήν καταλύειν διδάσκομαι: Α ν. 1044:
Lys. 880: Nub. 8 1 6 τί χρήμα πάσχεις; Carm. Pop. 4 3 ( D i e h l ) ώ τί πάσχεις; μή
προδώς άμμ ικετεύω. In A r. P a x 383 τί πάσχετ’, ώνδρες; the verb is passive
in sense.
E. Hec. 1127 ούτος, τι πάσχεις; H ip. 340 τέκνον, τί πάσχεις; συγγόνους
κακορροθεις; Ιοη 437 νουθετητέος δέ μοι Φοίβος, τί πάσχει παρθένους βία γαμών;
(rep resenting the direct ώ Φ., τί πάσχεις;) Med. 879 τί πάσχω; 1049 καίτοι
τι π . ; Ιοη 1385: H F 965 ώ παι, τί πάσχεις;
16. τί πράττεις; “ H o w goes it? ” “ H o w do you d o ” 110
A r. Ach. 751 ff. πώς έχετε; M e. διαπειναμες... D i. τί δ’ άλλο πράττεθ’ οί

Μεγαρής νυν; “ H o w goes it in general w ith you M egarians? M e. οια δ ή : so
in indirect fo r m : P a x 695 6 τι πράττει Εοφοκλέης άνήρετο. T r. εύδαιμονει: Call.
Com . Fr. 5: M en. G. 43 τί πράττεις (greeting a new arrival): cf. H erm ipp.
Fr. 58 τί πράττομεν; “ H o w are we d o in g ? ”
C om pare L atin: Quid agis? e.g. H or. S. 1. 9. A Quid agis, dulcissime rerum?
Suaviter, ut nunc est.
E . Or. 732 τί τά δε; πώς έχεις ; τί πράσσεις;
P erhaps S. Ο Τ ΊΜ ΙΑ καί μ’ ήμαρ ήδη . . . λυπεί τί πράσσει- bu t here the verb
m ay d enote action.
17. τί το δεινόν έργάση;
A r. L js. 366 τί δ’ ήν αποδώ τοις κονδύλοις; τί μ’ έργάσει το δεινόν; “ W hat’s

this aw ful th in g y o u ’re g o in g to do? Cf. Eq. 97 τί ποθ’ ήμάς έργάσει...; 1240
τί ποτέ μ’ έργάσει ( = E. Fr. 705).
Ε . Βα. 492 είφ’ 6τι παθεΐν δει- τί με το δεινόν έργάση; A pparently on the
stre n g th o f Lys. 366 D o d d s , perhaps rightly, notes “ T he phrase belongs to
the language o f every-day life” ; so to o W il a m o w it z (on Lys. 366) rem arks
o f Ba. 492 “ ein schoner Beleg, wie sie auch in jene archaisch-stilisierte Tra-
g o d ie V ulgarism en m ischen” .
107 Said “ ad eum quem stulte aut temere aut perperam agentem aliquid viderent” , Cobet ,
Miscellanea Critica, Leiden 1876, 150.
108 Regularly foreshadow ing a change o f mind, as A. S. O wen notes on Ion 1385.
109 This active sense is o f course fairly com m o n in other contexts, e.g. Held. 176 μήδ’
οπερ φιλεΐτε δραν πάθης συ τοϋτο...τούς κακίονας λάβης.
110 See F r a e n k e l , Z u den Phoenissen des Euripides, SB M unchen, Phil.-hist. Kl., 1963,
23. I t is only this phrase that is colloquial, and no such flavour is attached to the com m on
εύ or κακώς πράττειν, or to A. Per. 144 φροντίδα... θιομεθα... πώς άρα πράσσει Ξερξης.
18. φέρε w ith a first person subjunctive.
A r. φέρ’ ίδω (κατίδω) Ach. 4: P ax 361: Eq. 119: Nub. 21, 494 et saep.
W ith other verbs Eq. 113, 706: Nub. 731: V . 54, 826, 848 et saep. Pherecr.
Fr. 67 φέρ’ ϊδ ω : A rchipp. Fr. 47: C ratin. Fr. 53. H d t. 1 .1 1 :1 . 105 : 2. 14 : 7. 103
φέρ’ ϊδω. PI. Grg. 455 A φέρε δή ιδίομεν: Prt. 330B : Phaed. 63B : Theaet.
151 E. A ndoc. De M jst. 128.
E. A n . 333: E l. 870: H F 529, 1059 (lyr.), 1069 (lyr.), 1286: H ip. 864
φέρ’ ...ϊδ ω 111: Ion 544: Sup. 1160: Tro. 1282: Ph. 276: Or. 1281 (lyr. dial.).
Cy. 8 φέρ’ ϊδω : ibid. 492, 557.
S. Phil. 1452 (a n a p .): ibid. 300 φέρε... μάθης. T h e second p erson subj. in
this idiom is unique and c o rru p tio n has been suspected,
φέρε w ith im perative.
T his is m uch less com m on than the subjunctive in com edy and prose
dialogue, and is m ore frequent in Sophocles (always in the form ula φέρ’
είπέ) than in E u rip id e s; in A eschylus it occurs only in Pr. 294, and may
also be colloquial112.
A r. Nub. 1088 φέρε δή μοι φράσον: Ra. 1417: Ec. 710.
H dt. 1. 206: 7. 47 φέρε...είπέ: 7. 100, 16 γ (3rd pers. im p.) PI. Crat. 385B
φέρε δή μοι τάδε είπέ.
Ε . Held. 153 φέρ’ άντίθες γ ά ρ : 7ο« 984: Βα. 1106: Ι Α 44. Cy. 152, 510, 568.
A. Pr. 294 (anap.) φέρε γάρ σήμαιν’ ...
S. φέρ’ είπέ A n t. 534: Ο Τ 390, 536: ΕΙ. 310,376: Tr. 890 (lyr. d ia l.): Ph. 433.
19. ώ τάν113: “ M y dear sir” ; “ my dear chap” . O stensibly a p o lite form o f

address, som etim es used to an equal o r superior, b u t very often w ith a note
o f condescension o r im patience114.
A r. Nub. 1432 ού ταύτον ώ τάν έστίν “ n o t the same th in g at all, m y dear

m an” : Ec. 494: V . 1161 et saep. (tw enty-one exam ples in T o d d ) . A ntiph.
Fr. 33: Alex. Fr. 16, 11 ώ τάν, λαβέ καί μή παίζε: Cratin. Fr. 360: Pherecr.
Fr. 5: M en. Sam. 547: Dysc. 359 (w ith o u t condescension). T h e only ex
amples w ith a p ro p er nam e are M en. Dysc. 247 ώ τά ν... Γοργία and Com.
A non. Fr. 22, 66 D e m . ( = P a g e , Lit. Pap. 65. 61) ώ τάν Φαίδιμε.
111 The separation of φερ from ίδω by four w ords perhaps makes the phrase less colloquial
than the extremely com m on A ristophanic form ula φέρ’ ίδω.
112 At any rate J ebb s “ O h, s p e a k !” at S. 7 r. 890 is probably to o elevated in tone.
113 T he derivation is uncertain: see K retsch m er , G lo tta 1, 1909, 58 (from τάλαν)· ) ebb
on O T 1145.
114 Cf. Hesychius’ definition: προσρήμα τιμητικής λέξεωε, λέγεται δ’ in ειρωνεία πολλάκις.
See also Κ. H o r n a , Hermes 64, 1929, 422 n .3 ; G . B j o r c k , Das Alpha Im p u ru m , Uppsala
1950, 275 277; G . J. de V ries , M nem osyne, Ser. 4, 19, 1966, 225-230.
PI. Λ,ρ. 25 C ώ ταν, άπόκριναι “ A nsw er, my dear fellow ” ; cf. 25 D άποκρίνου,
cl) άγαθέ: Ep. 3. 319 E : D . 1. 26 : 3. 29 : 18. 312: 25. 78 ; in all these examples
from D em osthenes ώ ταν introduces an im aginary objection: “ B ut, my dear
s ir ,...”
E . Held. 321 (Iolaus to D em o p h o n , in the m iddle o f a long speech); here,
if th e text is s o u n d 115, it is a purely respectful form o f address, ibid. 688 ούκ
έ'στιν, ώ ταν, ή - ο τ ’ ήν ρώμη σέθεν (servant to Iolaus, courteously, b u t w ith a
to u ch o f im p atien ce): Ba. 802 (D ionysus to P entheus, ostensibly respectfully,
b u t w ith an u n d e rc u rre n t o f irony): Cy. 536.
S. O T 1145 6δ’ έστίν, ώ τα ν... (C orinthian herdsm an to T heban, w ith the
condescension o f superior know ledge): Ph. 1387 (N eoptolem us to Philocte
tes, courteously, b u t w ith som e im patience.): Ichn. 98.
115 K . H o r n a , loc. cit. emends to ώ παΐ, on the g r o u n d that ώ ταν is unsuitable from Iolaus
to D e m o p h o n . It is a m ore serious objection that elsewhere ώ ταν is always used in dialogue,
real o r imaginary.
F. P articles
1. άρα “ So” , indicating logical connection, b u t less form al than οϋν.

(D .p . 41.)
A t. (in form άρα) IA 3 κακόν άρα ταΐς πλευραΐς τι προυφείλεις μ έγα : ibid. 839.
Gorg. Ft. 11a 12: PI. Cbrm. 161 A εστιν άρα ώς εοικεν αιδώς ούκ αγαθόν:
La. 186 A: Gy. 2 2 0 D : D . 5. 2 τά κελευόμεν’ ήμάς άρα δει ποιεΐν ταΰτα φοβου-
μένους; 24. 203: 29. 40: 45. 70. D . notes th at “ in D em osthenes connective
άρα has always a colloquial to n e ” .
E. Ion 312 ήμ,εΐς σ’ άρ’ αϋθις, ώ ξέν’, άντοικτίρομεν : Η F 581 ούκ άρ’ ' Η ρακλής
καλλίνικος ώς πάροιθε λέξομαι: I T 542 όρθώς ποθείς άρ’ είδέναι τάκεΐ, γύναι.
S. A j. 269.
T h. (in dialogue) 5. 100 ή που ά ρ α ...: 3. 113. 4.
2. άρα γε adding liveliness o r em phasis to a question. (D . p. 50)
A t. A v. 307 “ Can they be threaten in g u s? ” V. 668: Nub.A65: P ax 114

Cratin. Ft. 360: M en. E pit. 623.
C om m on in prose dialogue, e.g. PI. Cri. 4 4 E άρά γε μή εμού προμηθη;
“ Y o u ’re not really w orrying ab o u t me, are y o u ?” Eutbphr. 6 A : X . Mem.
1. 5. 4: 3. 2. 1: A nd. 1. 41 (in dialogue): D . 3. 27: 23. 43.
C om pare m odern G reek άραγε “ I w o n d er i f ’ : “ Can it be th a t? ”
E. Elec. 745 άρ’ έκλογίζομαί γε.
3. άτάρ mainly expressing a break-off, a sudden change o f topic. (D . pp.

51 ff.)
Extrem ely com m on in A r. (c. 50 exx. in T o d d ). Also com m on in prose

dialogues o f PI. and X. H dt. 14 exx., including 4 in dialogue.
E. Very com m on: 32 exx. in A l l e n and I t a l ie , always in iambics except
Tro. 266 (lyr.) and Med. 184 (anap.).
A. Pe. 333: Pr. 341, 1011.
S. O T 1052: Tr. 54, 761.
άτάρ (αύτάρ) is extrem ely com m on in H o m er and occurs five tim es in
E le g y 11,! and six times in Pindar (possibly affected by H om eric influence);
1IH T he Homeric form ?.ύτάρ occurs ten times.
F. Particles 45
b u t the striking co n trast betw een its frequency in E ., Ar. and prose dialogue
and its rarity in A. and S., to g e th e r w ith its absence from m ore formal
prose, suggest that, as D e n n is t o n observes, in the later fifth century it was
felt to be colloquial.
4. γ · ·· ούν and γουν in ironical or sarcastic exclamations. (D. pp. 449, 455.)
A t. Eq. 344 ιδού λέγειν. καλώς γ ’ άν ούν σύ π ρ ά γμ α ... μεταχεφίσαιο: Ec.

806: ibid. 794 χαριέντα γοΰν πάθοιμ’ ά ν: Eq. 87: Th. 845: PI. 565.
Ε . Med. 504 καλώς γ άν ούν δεξαιντο μ’ ο’ίκοι,ς ών πατέρα κατέκτανον: ibid.
588 καλώς γ ’ αν ούν σύ τώ δ’ υπηρετείς λόγω : Or. 1602 ευ γουν θίγοι,ς άν χερνίβων
“ A fine th in g for you to to u c h ...” : Hel. 1227: Ph. 618.
T his use is apparently confined to E uripides and A ristophanes, γοΰν in
general is rare in A eschylus (not before A g.) and m ost com m on in Euripides,
A ristophanes and Plato.
5. δαί follow ing an in terro g ativ e; “ a colloquial form o f δή” LSJ. (D.
pp. 262-263).
A r. V ery com m on (forty-five exam ples inToDD),generally in sh o rt phrases

e.g. Eq. 493 τί δαί; I f 1212 πώς δ α ί; et saep.; also fairly often intro d u cin g a
com plete sentence, e.g. Eq. 351; Nub. 1266; A v . 826; Th. 140. D iph. Fr. 17:
M en. Dysc. 8 5 117.
PI. D e n n i s t o n cites eight exam ples, b u t notes that MSS vary. In all these
passages δαί is ignored in the text and apparatus o f O C T ; see B luck on
Meno 71 C 4. X en. Mem. 4. 2. 33: Cyr. 5. 1. 8, bu t MSS vary.
E. Ion 275 τί δαί τόδ’ ; Hel. 1246 ?τώς δαί; In fo u r passages, E l. 244, 1116;
Med. 1012; I A 1443, there is an unm etrical variant δέ. I A 1447 (δέ P et
fort. L : δαί L 2) ; Cy. 450 πώς δ α ί; In Med. 339 H o u s m a n ’s τί δαί; may be right
(δ’ αύ A V L B : δ’ούν P).
P a g e (on Med. 339) holds that in the fo u r passages from E l. and I A δαί
should be excluded by the dignity o f the situations, and that fo r the same
reason H o u s m a n ’s em endation is ruled out. Similarly J ebb (on S. A n t. 318,
A pp. p. 250) w rites: “ Each passage in w hich the MSS ascribe δαί to him
(E uripides) should be tested by o u r sense o f the degree in w hich, there, he
m eant to reproduce the language o f everyday life” . I d o u b t the validity o f
this very subjective criterion, and o f the assum ption that E .’s use o f collo
quialism s was entirely regulated by som e single principle. If δαί virtually
disappeared after the fifth and early fo u rth century it m ight well be “ co r
rected ” in som e o f our M SS, and there seems little reason to d o u b t it in
117 T h e extreme rarity o f δαί in N e w Com. and the existence o f variants have led some
scholars to exclude it; b u t see S andbach on Dysc. 85.
m ost o f the passages cited, still less, w ith P o r s o n , E l m sl ey and others, to

rem ove it from E uripides even w here no variant exists.
A. Ch. 900 που δ α ί...; probably Pr. 933 τί δαί Μ.
5. A n t. 318 τί δαί ρυθμίζεις...; (δαί LA : δέ r Plut. Mor. 509C).
H om er: som e M SS have δαί in 11. 10, 408; Od. 1, 225 and 24, 299; bu t
it seems likely that it was a purely A ttic form .
6. δέ δή “ in surprised, o r em phatic and crucial q u estio n s” (D. p. 259);

always w ith p ostponed interrogative.
Ar. Nub. 1178 φοβεΐ δέ δή τ ί ; Κ. 858: P ax 227: Α ν. 67, 112, 155: Ra. 805
κρίνει δέ δή τίς ταΰτα; Perhaps M en. E p. 480: Dysc. 893118.
PI. Crit. 4 4 A ήν δέ δή τί το ένύπνιον; Euthypbr. 3 Ε : X. Mem. 4. 2. 19, 21 :
D . 8. 70 είπέ μοι, σύ δέ δή τ ί... αγαθόν πεποίηκας; 19. 6 119.
Ε. Held. 963 εΐργει δέ δή τίς τόνδε μή θνήσκειν νόμος; Sup. 147 ήλθον δέ δή
π ώ ς .. ; ibid. 457: EL 237, 974: 77Α 206, 1246 δράσεις δέ δή τί; Ph. 709, 1277:
Or. 101, 425.
In general the use o f postp o n ed interrogatives in anim ated dialogue was
probably characteristic o f the spoken language; it is m uch m ore com m on in
E uripides than in Aeschylus or Sophocles, and also tends to be used m ore
mechanically. See G. T h o m s o n , P o stp o n em en t o f Interrogatives in A ttic
D ram a, ClQ u 33, 1939, 147-152, w ho gives the follow ing figures, rep resen t
ing the num ber o f lines divided by th e n u m b e r o f examples : A eschylus 326,
Sophocles 258, E uripides 143, A ristophanes 106.
7. δηλαδή: “ O f course” “ N aturally ” . (D . p. 205)
A r. V . 442: Ec. 1157: Epich. Fr. 149 ( K a ib e l ) : PI. Com. Fr. 85: Alex.
Fr. 173, 6: Philem . Fr. 70: M en. Epit. 454, 473, 540, 696: Peric. 311, 369:
Sam. 339: FI. 16: Fr. 751: Dysc. 142.
H dt. 4. 135: 5. 118, 3: 6. 39, 2. Cf. PI. R. 452 A τί γελοιότατου .. ; ή δήλα
δή ό τι... “ Is it not obviously th a t...? ”
In m odern colloquial G reek δηλαδή generally has the sense “ th at is to
say” , e.g. Έ γώ όμως ξέροο... δηλαδή το μαντεύω “ B ut I k n o w ... th a t’s to say,
I guess.”
E. Or. 789 δηλαδή σιγάν άμεινον120: Ι Α 1366.
S. Ο Γ 1501.
ns SceGoMMi: and S anobach tui foe.

n ” A m ong prose writers D enniston cites only Plato for this usage.
120 SrARKUi(on Ar. V . 442) is clearly mistaken in regarding this as a poetical w ord, and
the distribution suggests that it is colloquial rather than, as J ebb (on O T 1501), W ec k lein
and di B enedetto (on Or. 789) think, prosaic.
F. Particles 47
8. κάτα, κάπειτα in tro d u cin g surprised, in d ig n an t o r sarcastic questions.

(D . p. 311).
A r. In stichom ythia. Th. 637 αποδυσον αυτόν κάπειτ’ άποδύσετ’ εννέα

παίδων μητέρα; Ραχ 369: Ra. 647. In m id-speech. Ach. 126: Be. 529.
E. In stichom ythia. Or. 419 κάτ ουκ άμύνει Λοξίας τοΐς σοΐς κακοΐς; Sup.
1058 κάπειτα: Ιοη 548, 1286: H F 266: Ph. 598: Or. 443: I A 894. In m id
speech. Ale. 701: 831: A n . 391: 600: 1279: Sup. 246: 1095: /A E 1287: Ion
1408: Ph. 548: Ba. 1207.
S. O C 418: {A n t. 1019, cited by LSJ in this connection, is merely a state
m ent o f result, “ and so .. ” ).
ειτα, w ith o u t καί, is used in the same sense.
A r. Nub. 1214 είτ’ άνδρα των αύτοΰ τι χρή προϊέναι; ούδέποτέ γ ’ : Ec. 535:
PI. 79: A n d p h . 217 15 ειτ’ ούκ επωδούς φασιν ίσχύειν τινές; “ A nd to think
th a t som e d e n y ...:” M en. Dysc. 153.
PI. Tht. 148E : Spb. 222B Crt. 438C : A p . 28B : D. 1. 24: 21. 203.
E. A n . 666 ειτ’ εγώ μέν ού φρονώ ... σοί δ’ έ'νεστι νους; Ale. 696, 957 : Ι Α 384.
9. μέν in q uestion s: “ R eally” . (D. pp. 366-367)
A r. A v . 1214 υγιαίνεις μέν; sarcastically “ A re you sure you’re all rig h t? ”

Th. 97.
PL Chrrn. 153C : Men. 8 2 B.
E. Ion 520 εύ φρονείς μέν; Ale. 146: Med. 676, 1129: Hel. 1226121.
10. ού γάρ άλλα “ (For) really” . (D. p. 31)
H ip p on. Fr. 1, 1 ού γάρ άλλ’ ήκω “ I ’ve really com e” : Phoenix Fr. 3, 15.
A r. Ra. 58 ού γάρ άλλ’ έχω κακώς “ I really am in a bad w ay” : Eq. 1205:
Nub. 232: Ra. 498, 1180: Ec. 386: E up. Fr. 73. (Ar. Ra. 192 is d o u b tfu l; it
m ay be b etter to take ού γάρ by itself and punctuate before αλλά: “ N o, not
I; I h a p p e n e d ...” ; similarly Lys. 55.)
PI. Euthd. 2 8 6 B: 305 E.
Exam ples in later colloquial G reek are H erod. 6. 101: 7. 36: perhaps also
A ct. A p . xvi 37 ού γάρ αλλά έλθόντες αύτοί ήμας έξαγαγέτο^σαν: “ They m ust
really com e th e m se lv e s...” 122.
E. Ba. 785 ού γάρ άλλ’ υπερβάλλει τάδε “ This really is beyond an y th in g ” :
Sup. 570: I T 1005.
11. τί δή γάρ ου; “ W hy ever n o t? ” (D .p . 211)
121 Generally printed as a question, but see D ale ad loc.

122 Cited by H eadlam - K nox on H erod. 6.101. M ost editors how ever punctuate ού γάρ·
αλλά... “ N o ; rather let them c o m e ..”
M en. Dysc. 365 τί δή γάρ ούχί; Sam. 79.

PI. Prm. 138B, 140E.
E. Or. 1602 Με. εύ γοΰν θίγοις αν χερνίβων. . . Ορ. τί δή γάρ ου; δη w ith an
interrogative is com m on enough at all levels, b u t it is possible th a t this
particular phrase is colloquial.
12. τοi in asides o r soliloquies. “ Y ou k n o w ” . (D. p. 538)
Ar. Lys. 919 ή τοι γυνή φιλεΐ με δήλη ’στη/ καλώς: Th. 904: Ec. 321.
E. H E 1105 εκ τοι πέπληγμαι (solilo q u y )123: perhaps Fr. 300 οίμοι, τι δ
οϊμοι; θνητά τοι πεπόνθαμεν, th o u g h lack o f context prevents certainty. T o
these examples from D . we should probably add H ip. 342 εκ τοι πέπληγμαι-
ποΐ προβήσεται λόγος; F rom 337—343 P h aed ra’s th o u g h ts are in the past;
the N u rse’s questions in 338 and 340 are ig nored, and her com m ent in 342
may well be virtually an aside. T he same phrase is repeated in 934, and
perhaps even here is an aside.
13. γάρ τοι follow ing a dem onstrative p ro n o u n , conveying assent or

approval. G reek Particles 88 (3) (“ A colloquial id io m ” D.)
Ar. Th. 171 ταΰτα γάρ τοι γνούς έγώ/έμαυτόν έθεράπευσα “ Y ou know ,
th a t’s just w h y ...” , ibid. 81: Lys. 46: V . 588: Ra. 73.
X en. Mem. 2. 3. 6: 3. 5. 19.'
E. Held. 716 τοσόνδε γάρ τοι θάρσος, ούδέν άλλ’ έχω.
14. ώς (“ fo r” ) . . . γε (D .p . 143).
A r. Ach. 327; V . 218, Lys. 865 et saep.

PI. Ale. I 131 E. X en. Cyr. 1. 4. 13.
E. Ale. 800 ώς τοΐς γε σεμνοΐς.,.ού βίος αληθώς ο βίος.
H ip. 651: A n . 923: Hec. 346, 433: Sup. 294: E l. 901: I T 1035: Ion 739,
935,1301,1416: Or. 93,1212: Ba. \ 2 1 2 \I A 1005,1010. Cy. 168,247,336,439.
A. Per. 260: Pr. 77.
S. A n t. 1312: Ph. 117, 812: O C 4 5 .
D e n n is t o n (loc. cit.) notes th at this collocation is “ especially com m on in
E uripides and A ristophanes, and seems to becom e alm ost a stereotyped
idiom , in which γε often retains little fo rce.” If this happened in the late
fifth century (there are only tw o earlier examples), the idiom may at th at
tim e have had a colloquial flavour.
123 D iinnim <>\, (; reek Particles 538 remarks that “ on the w hole there is a homeliness and
na’ivete in this use of τοι that makes it unsuited to serious d ram a.” Such na’i vete, how ever,
may be used in tragic contexts, as in this passage, to give an effect o f pa thos; com pare Lear’s
“ Let’s see; I feel this pin prick.”
G. M etaphorical exp ression s
1. μια όδω: “ A t one g o :” “ A t the same tim e ” :
E. Hel. 765 ή -πόλλ’ άνήρου μ’ ένί λόγω 124 μια θ’ όδω.

T h e transition from doing several things on the same journey to doing
th em at one g o ” is easy, and is assisted by the m etaphorical use o f οδός
to denote a course o f action. T he expression sounds rather colloquial, bu t
th e only evidence is H erodas 5. 66 μιή δει σε όδω γενέσθαι ποικίλον “ Y ou m ust
be tatto ed all in one jo b ” , i.e. as well as being flogged, which is the only
close parallel k now n to me. S. E l. 1314, cited by K a n n i c h t , ήτις μια σε τη δ’
όδω θανόντα τε καί ζώντ’ έσεΐδον is som ew hat similar, b u t there may here be
a reference to the literal hom ecom ing o f O re stes125. C om pare also A r. Pax
1155 τή ς αύτής οδού “ on your w ay” : “ w hile you are about it” .
2. νεανικός used to indicate qualities associated w ith you th : o f persons

“ lively, im p etu o u s” , o r in bad sense “ rash” “ in so len t” : o f things “ large”
“ v ig o ro u s” .
A r. Eq. 611126: V . 1205 “ h igh-spirited” . E . 1307 έτυπτεν έμένεανικώς:

ibid. 1362: PI. 1137 κρέας νεανικόν “ a fine large piece o f m eat” : Alex. Fr. 188:
A n tip h. Fr. 190. (In A r. E . 1067 the w ord is used in the literal sense
“ y o u th fu l” .)
PI. Grg. 50 8 D τό νεανικόν δή τούτο του σου λόγου “ to use your forcible
expression” ( D o d d s ): R. 563 E αρχή καλή καί νεανική: Lys. 2 0 4 Ε : Ep. 3.
318B : D . 3. 32 μέγα καί νεανικόν φρόνημα: 13. 25.
Ε. H ip. 1204 νεανικός φόβος127 “ violent panic” : Fr. 185, 6 νεανικόν
βούλευμα.
νεανικός is n o t used at all, literally o r m etaphorically, in serious poetry,
ap art from E., and in the fifth century is apparently confined to E. and
124PrF.RSON’s correction of the MS έν όλίγω.

125 J e b b s tre ss e s t h e lite r a l s e n s e : “ w h o h a v e s e e n t h e e c o m e h o m e th is d a y , first as d e a d
a n d t h e n i n li f e .” I<AiBELtakes μ ια όδω as “ b e i d e r s e l b e n V e r a n l a s s u n g ” , b u t a d d s “ die h ie r
οδό: heiB t, w e ll O r e s t s H e i m k e h r in e r s t e r L i n i e v o r s c h w e b t . ”
126 N eil ad loc. observes that νεανικός “ gay, da shing” was used by young A thens of what
they approved as “ g o o d style” .
127 B a r r e t t n o tes th a t “ th e use seem s o d d ly u n d ig n ifie d f o r tr a g e d y ” .
Com edy. W hen it is used in the later fo u rth century in the scientific w ritings
o f A ristotle and T heophrastus (e.g. A rist. H A 602b 23: T h p h r. H P 5. 1. 11)
the m etaphor had presum ably becom e w orn and th e colloquial flav o u r had
disappeared. A poetic equivalent o f som e m etaphorical uses o f νεανικός may
be seen in ήβη and ήβάν (e.g. Pi. P. 4. 295: E. Or. 696.
3. ούδαμοΰ. “ N o w h ere” used m etaphorically in the sense “ o u t o f the

ru n n in g ” 128.
PI. Pbd. 72C λήρον τον Τόνδυμίωνα άποδείξειεν καί ούδαμοΰ άν φαίνοιτο διά
τό καί τάλλα πάντα ταύτόν έκείνω πεπονθέναι, καΟεύδειν: Grg. 456 Β ούδαμοΰ
άν φανήναι τον ιατρόν: X. Mem. 1. 2. 52 ώστε μηδαμοΰ παρ’ αύτοΐς τούς άλλους
είναι προς αύτόν: D . 18. 310: 19. 116.
C om pare Ter. Eun. 293 Neque virgost usquam neque ego, qui illam a conspectu
amisi. N on usquam is here used first literally, th en m etaphorically: “ T he
g irl’s now here and so am I ” .
E. I T 115 τούς πόνους γάρ άγαθοί τολμώσι, δειλοί δ’ είσίν ούδέν ούδαμοΰ:
H F 841 θεοί μέν ούδαμοΰ: A n . 210 Σκΰρον ούδαμοΰ τίθης.
S. A n t. 183 τούτον ούδαμοΰ λέγω.
A. Per. 498 θεούς δέ τις το πριν νομίζων ούδαμοΰ τότ’ ηΰχετο, b u t this m ay be
nearer to the literal sense: “ not believing th at th e gods existed” .
4. ράων είναι, γίγνεσθαι: “ T o feel easier” .
T heopom p. Com. Fr. 62, 5 ταΰτ’ ήν ποιής ράων έσει την ούσίαν “ Y o u ’ll feel
b etter in your p o ck et” : Philipp. Fr. 18 Εύριπίδου μνήσθητι, καί ράων έσει:
Com. Adesp. Fr. 478.
D . 45. 57 των γεγενημένων άποδυράμενος τά π λεΐσ τα... ώσπερεί ράων έσομαι
(N ote the apologetic ώσπερεί).
E. H F 1407 φίλτρον τοΰτ’ έχων ράων έσ η ; Ion 875 (anap.) ράων έσομαι: Fr.
332 βλέπουσα δ’ εις τά των πέλας κακά ράων γένοι’ άν.
T h e phrase was used as a medical term referring to bodily health, e.g.
H p. Loc. Horn. 34, b u t in the m etaphorical sense was probably colloquial.
5. τριβών: “ Practised” : “ A n o ld h an d ” .
A r. K. 1429 τριβών ιππικής: ΑόνΑ 869 των κρεμαθρών ούπω τρίβων των
ενθάδε. Cf. 1C 1132 τριβωνικώς “ like an old h a n d ” 129.
12N T hat the m etaphor is from racing is show n by Deni. 18.310 ούδαμοΰ.., ού πρώτος,
ού δεύτερος...ούχ έκτο:, ούχ όποστοσοϋν. See D orm s nn PI. Grg. 456 B 8, w here he cites a
similar use o f μηΟαμοϋ in an Attic defixio ( A u d o l l e n t , Defixionum Tabellae, Paris 1904
49.18).
12j Here there is also, as S t a r k i e notes, a play on τρίβων “ an old cloak” ; but S t a r k i e
is surely w rong in saying (on Λ ill). 869) that τρίβων is poetical in this sense, and used here
with a grandiloquent air.
G. M etaphorical expressions 51
H d t. 4. 74 τρίβ ων αύτής (καννάβι,ος). Cf. A n tip h o Fr. 33 τρφωνευόμενοι.

(ήτοι, άντί. του τριβάς έμποίοΰντες, ή άντί του τεχνάζοντες άπό τρίβουνες είναι,
πραγμάτων. H arpocr.)
C om pare callidus, th o u g h its use is n o t confined to colloquial Latin.
E . Med. 686 τρίβουν τα τοι,άδε: E l. 1127 τρίβων γάρ ούκ είμ’ : Βα. 717 τριβών
λόγω ν: Cy. 520 του Βακχίου τούτου τρίβων. [ Rhl\ 625 τρίβων τα κομψά.
C om pare Fr. 473 φαύλον άκομψον ...λέσχης άτρίβωνα130.
130 I f this is the only occurrence LSJ is n o t justified in counting the w ord as poetic.
H . M isc e lla n e o u s
1. άλλως: “ M erely” “ ju st” .
Ar. Nub. 1203 π ρ ό β α τ’ άλλω ς: A ntiph. Fr. 68, 3 άλλως γάρ ούκ έπ ίσ τα μ α ι
χρησ τω ε άγοράζειν. Vet. Com. fr. 5. 8 ( D e m .) κά.λλως όνειδος “ an insult,
n o th in g else.
PI. Cri. 4 6 D άλλο:>ς ενεκα λόγου “ just fo r the sake o f a rg u m en t” : Theaei.
176D γης άλλως άχθη R. 4 9 9 C: D . 19. 24 όχλος άλλως: 35. 25 ηγούντο είναι
την συγγραφήν άλλως ύθλον καί φλυαρίαν.
Ε. 77-0.476 άριθμόν άλλως: Ion 537 σον γεγώ τ’ ή δώρον άλλως; Hec. 489, 626 :
Hei. 755, 1421: Fr. 360, 27 σχήματ’ άλλως.
S. Ph. 947 ειδωλον άλλως.
T huc. 8. 78 άλλως όνομα καί ούκ έργον (in rep o rted speech).
2. αύτός w ith a noun in the dative.
Ar. 77^. 3 Παφλαγόνα... αύταΐσι βουλαΐς άπολέσειαν οί θεοί131: ibid. 7, 849:
V . 119, 170, 1449: Nub. 1302: P ax 1288: Th. 826: Ec. 691: 7la. 226, 476,
560: Fr. 287: Pherecr. Fr. 108, 5: Lysipp. Fr. 5.
H dt. 2. 47 αύτοΐς ίματίοις “ clothes and all” : nine o th er exam ples, one w ith
συν. X. Cyr. 1. 4. 7: 3. 3. 40.
E. Med. 164 (anap.) αύτοΐς μελάθροις: Pro. 986 αύταΐς Ά μύκλαις: H ip. 1341
αύτοΐς τέκνοισι καί δόμοις: H F 1306 αύτοΐσιν βάθροις: Or. 1515 αύτοΐς Φρυςί:
Βα. 946 αύταΐσι βάκχαις: Cy. 705 αύτοΐσι συνναύταισι. Ion 32 αύτω συν άγγει
is the only exam ple in trag e d y o f the sin g u la r in this idiom , an d o f σύν;
H ip. 1213 αύτω σύν κλύδωνι, as B a r r e t t p o in ts o u t, is n o t an exam ple o f
this idiom.
A. Pr. 223 αύτοΐσι συμμάχοισι: 1047 (anap.) αύταΐς ρίζαιε. Th. 551 αύτοΐς
έκείνοις άνοσίοις κομπάσμασιν is a variation o f the com m on type; .so also
perhaps S. A t. 27 αύτοΐς ποιμνίων έπιστάταις S. Fr. Inc. 958 (possibly from
a Satyric drama) αύτοΐσιν ΐπποις. C o n trast Pind. New. 9. 24 κρύψεν δ’ άμ’
ίπποις.
Fairly com m on in H om er (thirteen examples, including three w ith σύν,
according to S t a r k ie on Ar. 12 119).
l:n Ei.MSLEY(on Med. 164) remarked that this idiom is especially associated w ith the ruin
or destruction o f the thing o r person referred to.
H. Miscellaneous 53
T huc. 4. 14 αύτοΐς άνδράσι “ crew and all” So also αύτοΐς άνδράσι 2. 90. 6:
7. 25. 4: 8. 102. 3.
^ 3. (αύτό) δείξει, and sim ilar expressions: “ W e shall see” . In some contexts
tim e will sh o w ” w ould be the E nglish equivalent, b u t frequently the
reference is to the im m ediate future.
A r. V . 994 δείξειν έοικε: Ra. 1261 δείξει δή τάχα: D . 2. 20 δοκεΐ δ’ εμοιγε...

δείξειν ούκ ές μακράν, a v ...C ra t. Fr. 177 αύτό δείξει.: PI. Tht. 2 0 0 Ε έ'φη αρα
δείξειν αύτο: Hipp. Μα. 288Β 'Ό τι μέν επιχειρήσει, εύ οίδα- εί δέ.,.εσται
καταγέλαστος, αυτό δείξει. These tw o are the m ost com m on form s o f the ex
pression, and the Scholiast on Hipp. Ma. 2 8 8 B refers to αύτό δείξει as
παροιμία επι των άπιστούντων τι μή γενέσθαι, th o u g h it is often used where
no question o f disbelief is concerned.
In som e passages εργον is inserted as subject o f δείξει132, o r other verbs
are substituted. A r. Lys. 375 τούργον τάχ’ αύτό δείξει: PI. Prt. 324A αύτό
διδάξει: R. 4 9 7 C δηλώσει τότε “ experience will sh o w ” : D . 19. 157 αύτό
δηλώσει.
Ε. Μη. 822 δειςειν δ έοικεν η τάλαιν’ όσον στένει, πράξασα δεινά. In view o f
the im personal use o f δείξειν elsew here, we should perhaps take it as im
personal in this passage, and ή τάλαινα as subject only o f στένει. “ W e shall
see fo r ourselves, it seems, how ...A n . 265 το δ’ έ'ργον σημανεΐ τάχα: Ph. 623
αυτό σημανεΐ: Βα. 976 τάλλα δ’ αύτό σημανεΐ. T he use o f σημανεΐ seems to be
a E u rip idean variant o f the usual expressions; Cf. Hel. 151 πλους αύτός
σημανεΐ.
S. Fr. 388 τάχ’ αύτό δείξει τούργον.
4. δρά γ ’ εϊ τι δράσεις: “ A ct, if yo u ’re going to .”
H ero d. 7. 47 φέρ’ εί φέρεις τι: T heoc. 5. 78 εια λέγ’ εΐ τι λέγεις. Com pare
also PI. R. 350 E εΐπερ τούτο ποιήσεις, ποίει. So in colloquial Latin, e.g.
Plaut. Pers. 146 age si quid agis: Poen. 1237: M art. 1 .4 6 . 1 fac si fads.
Ε. I A 817 δρα γ ’ εΐ τι δράσεις133, ή άπαγ’ οΐκαδε στρατόν.
T h e phrase in E uripides sounds colloquial, th o u g h in the parallels cited
from later G reek and Latin the verb in the protasis is in the present tense,
and I know no parallel in fifth century G reek. Possibly how ever A. Ag.
1059 εΐ τι δράσεις τώνδε μή σχολήν τίθει is a poetic variation o f an existing
colloquial idiom . F or a sim ilar b u t m ore polite expression see A g. 1049
πείθοι’ αν εί πείθοιο and 1394 (ironically) χαίροιτ’ άν εί χαίροιτε.
132 Cf. Ar. Th. 782 χωρεΐ, χωρεΐ, “ It g o e s!” and P a x 472 χωρεΐ τούργον.
133 go P 2: δρα εΐ τι L P: δρα δ’ εΐ τι Fix, Wecklein. E ng la n d accepts F. W. S c h m id t ’s
ορα τι δράσεις.
5. ές τόδ’ ήμέρας “ up to n ow ” .
E. Ale. 9 καί τόνδ’ έσωζον οίκον ές τόδ’ ήμέρας: Ph. 425 ού μεμπτός ήμΐν ο
γάμος ές τόδ’ ήμέρας: ibid. 1085 ζ ή ...έ ς τόδ’ ήμέρας.
5. O C 1138 τα λοιπά μου μέλου δικαίως, ώσπερ ές τόδ’ ήμέρας.
This idiom seems to be confined to tragedy (m ainly E uripides) and late
p rose; see K u h n e r - G e r t h I 279. D a l e (on Ale. 9) suggests th a t “ day” is
here m etaphorical, like o u r colloquial “ late in the day” , and the G reek ex
pression may also be colloquial.
6. καλώς (ευ) used elliptically o r w ith έχειν, λέγειν, ποιεΐν to express approval
and g ra titu d e 134.
1. καλώς έχει o r καλώς alone, the latter being probably the m ore collo
quial.
A r. A . 785 τον μισθόν όπόθεν λήψομαι. Βδ. παρ’ έμού. Φι. καλώς: Eq. 23:
M en. Epitr. 293, 354: Peric. 1014-1015 λαμβάνω ...κ αί καλώς έχει “ and
th an k y o u ” .
Ε. Med. 777 δοκεΐ μοι ταύτά καί καλώς έχει “ I agree and I th an k h im :”
the opposite sense occurs in Med. 533 6πη γάρ ούν ώνησας ού κακώς έχει “ I
am not u n g ratefu l:” Ion 417 καλοίς- έχω δή πάνθ’ όσων έχρήζομεν “ T h a n k y o u ”
or “ G o o d ” . In H E 599 and Or. 1216 καλώς means “ G o o d ” .
2. καλώς (εύ) λέγειν or ποιεΐν.
A r. Ach. 1050 καλώς γε ποιών, οστις ήν “ T hanks to him , w hoever he w a s:”
P ax 271 εύ γε ποιών άπόλωλ’ έκεΐνος “ and a g o o d job to o ” : Ec. 804: PI. 863 :
H dt. 5. 24. 4 νυν ών, εύ γάρ έποίησας άπικόμενος “ A n d now , as you have been
g o o d enough to co m e:”
M en. Sam. 63 A. πάρεισιν. B. εύ γ ’ έπόησαν. Peric. 989.
PI. Pbd. 6 0 C εύ γ ’ έποίησας άναμνήσας με “ T hanks for the re m in d e r:”
X en. Cyr. 1. 4. 13: D . 20. 110. Papyri, e.g. Zen. Cair. 59. 479 εύ δ’ έποίησας
γ[ραψας]135. Luc. Cat. 27 εύ γ ’ έποίησαν ύπακούσαντες “ G o o d ! T h e y ’ve
obeyed the call.”
E. Med. 472 εύ δ’ έποίησας μόλων “ B ut th ankyou fo r co m in g ” (here w ith
a note of sarcasm ): I A 642 χαΐρ’- εύ δέ μ’ άγαγών πρός σ’ έποίησας, πάτερ
“ and thankyou for sending for m e :” H ip. 715 καλώς έλεξας “ T h an k y o u for
your w ords” (B a r r e t t ) 136: Ale. 1104 καλώς έλεξας “ N o, th a n k y o u .” T he
phrase w ith έλεξας is no d o u b t less colloquial than the elliptical καλώς or
κάλλιστα in the sense o f courteous refusal, e.g. A r. Ra. 508 and 888.
134 I am indebted here to a useful article by J. H. Q uincey , G reek Expressions o f T hanks,

J H S 86, 1966, 133 158.
135 See Η. A. S t e e n , Les Clich6s Epistolaires dans les Lettres sur Papyrus G recques,
Class, et Med. 1, 1938, 139ff.
136 B. reads έλέξαΟ’.
H. Miscellaneous 55
S. A i. 94 In answ er to Aias “ I will crow n your shrine w ith trophies

o f p u re g o ld ” A th en a’s καλώς έλεξας is surely an expression o f (feigned)
g ratitu d e, and here im plies acceptance. T he am biguity in καλώς λέγειν is
m uch th e same as in “ th a n k y o u ” , the force o f w hich often depends on tone
and gesture.
Q u in c e y (op. cit. 135-138) thinks th at καλώ ς έχει, found in Com edy as a
form ula o f polite refusal, derives this sense from its use to mean “ I am
c o n te n t” . F o r this he gives as exam ples A r. Ra. 532 άμέλει καλώς· έ χ ’ αύτά
“ A ll right, take th e m :” Ach. 946 ήδη καλώ ς έχει σοι; w hich he takes as a
qu estio n “ A re you satisfied?” Lys. 1. 23, 39: Is. 2. 11: X en. Hell. 7. 3. 10.
E . H ip. 50 ώστε μοι καλώς έχειν: Hei. 1579—1580 ’Έ τ ’, ώ ξέν’, ές το
πρόσθεν —ή καλώς έχει —πλεύσωμεν “ O r will this do fo r y o u ?” This use, which
does n o t occur elsew here in tragedy, Q u in c e y regards as “ mildly colloquial” .
T h e Helena passage sounds rather colloquial, b u t it is doubtful w hether
this usage can really be distinguished from the very general use o f καλώς
έχει in the sense “ it is w ell” .
7. καλώς “ nicely” “ p ro p e rly ” (som etim es ironical).
A r. Ays. 919 ή τοι γυνή φιλεΐ με, δήλη ’στίν καλώς “ She’s fond o f me, you
know , it’s pretty clear” . Cf. 1A 453 δώσετον καλήν δίκην. PI. R. 506B καλώς
ήσθα καί —άλαι καταφανής ότι σοι ούκ άποχρήσοι. D . 23. 122 καλήν γ ’ υβριν...
υβρισμένοι “ a pretty m ockery” .
C om pare the adverbial use o f the n euter in Theoc. 3. 3 το καλόν πεφιλημένε:
H ero d . 1. 54 πλουτέων το καλόν: A lciphr. E p. 1. 36 πεινήσω τό καλόν “ I shall
be g o o d and h u n g ry ” . Pulchre is similarly used in colloquial Latin, e.g.
Plaut. True. 636 pulchre ludificor. Cf. also Ael. Ep. 2 έπέκοψε τό σκέλος πάνυ
χρηστως.
Ε. Ιοη 1410 λήψομαί σ’ εγώ καλώ ς: ΕΙ. 965 καλώς άρ άρκυν ες μεσην πορεύεται:
Cy. 631 διάπυρος δ’ έστιν καλώς.
' s. Ο Τ 1008 καλώς ει δήλος ούκ είδώς τί δράς “ I t’s p retty c le a r ..” : A nt.
739 καλώς έρήμης γ ’ άν σύ γης άρχοις: perhaps Fr. Inc. 934 τον καλώς εύδαίμονα.
8. ούδέν πράγμα: “ N o m a tte r” : “ I t ’s no concern” .
A r. P a x 244 τουτί μεν... ούδέν ήμΐν πράγμα: Ec. 462: cf. ibid. 670 τι γαρ
αύτώ πράγμα μάχεσΟαι;
PL Grg. 44 7 Β ούδέν πράγμα, ώ Σώ κρατες: Euthphr. 3C τό μέν καταγελασΟήναι
ίσως ούδέν πράγμα: ibid. 4 D ώς ούδέν ον πράγμα εί καί άποθάνοι: Hip. Μα.
291 Α άλλ’ έμοί ούδέν πράγμα. F o r the positive equivalent c f.X . A n . 4. 1. 17
δήλον ήν ότι πράγμα τι είη.
Ε. Med. 451 κάμοί μέν ούδέν πράγμα.
9. δσον ούπω “ just n o t yet” i.e. “ any m inute n o w ” .
M en. Asp. 112—113 ζή δέ καί σωθήσεται δσον ούδέπω. A ch. T at. Leuc. and
Clit. 3. 24. 2 άφιξονται δέ δσον ούδέπω.
Ε. Βα. 1076 δσον γάρ ούπου δήλος ή ν .,.κ α ί... “ barely'visible w h e n ...
Thuc. 6. 34. 9 (in a speech) δσον ούπω πάρεισιν “ they’re practically h ere” .
Possibly colloquial, th o u g h there is no exam ple in O ld C om edy or Plato.
10. ούκ αν ώόμην: “ I w o u ld n ’t have th o u g h t it” .
M en. Epit. 369 εί μή τι καταπέπω κε. . . Δα. ούκ αν ώόμην. A desp. N ov.
C om ., ( D e m .) 22. 18 olov πεποίηκας, θύγατερ- ούκ αν ώιόμην. C om pare Plut.
De. 7 ranq. A n . 4 7 4 E αί γάρ τοιαύται διαθέσεις (i.e. com posure and tra n
quillity) εάν τι συμβή των άβουλήτων, μή δεχόμεναι το ούκ άν ωμήν καί το άλλ’
ήλπιζον...
E. Ale. 1088 σίγησον- οιον είπας. ούκ άν ώόμην.
11. ουτω “ offhand” : “ w ith o u t m ore a d o ” .
A r. Ra. 625 ουτω δέ βασάνιζ’ άπαγαγών “ Ju st take him away and to rtu re
h im ” .
PI. Smp. 176Ε ουτω πίνοντας προς ήδόνην “ d rin k in g just as w e please” :
Grg. 464B : Euthphr. 3B ώς ουτω γ ’ άκούσαι “ at first hearing” : Phrd. 2 3 7 C
νυν μέν ούτως ούκ έχω είπεΐν “ offhand” : X . Oec. 12. 10: D . 20. 18 ουτωσί
μέν άκούσαι.
Ε. Ale. 680 ού βαλών ούτως άπει “ Y ou can’t attack me and go o ff just
like th a t” , i.e. w ith o u t paying fo r it; here ούτως is virtually equivalent to
impune™. P robably also Held. 374 (lyr.) ούχ ούτως ά δοκεϊς κυρήσεις. Cy. 558.
S. A n t. 315 ή στραφείς ούτως ί ω ; “ Shall I just tu rn and g o ? ” Ph. 1067
οΰτΐυς άπει; “ A re you going w ith o u t a w o rd ? ” (O T 256 ούδ’ ... ακάθαρτον
ύμας είκός ήν ούτως έάν, is rather different, since ούτως probably goes w ith
άκάθαρτον.)
12. όχλον παρέχειν: “ T o be a nuisance” .
H dt. 1. 86. 5 λιπαρεόντων καί όχλον παρεχόντων... PI. Phd. 84 D έπιθυμεΐν

μέν άκούσαι, όκνεΐν δέ όχλον παρέχειν: R. 450Β. X en. A n. 3. 2. 27 αύται γάρ
<σκηναί> όχλον παρέχουσιν άγειν “ are a nuisance to carry” .
E. Med. 337 όχλον παρέξεις, ώς έοικεν, ώ γύναι: Hei. 438 ούκ άπαλλάξη
δόμων καί μή...όχλον παρέξεις δεσπόταις; Or. 282.137
137 With ουτω in the sense impune com pare sic in colloquial Latin, e.g. Ter. A d . 454 nisi
facient quae illos aequum est, haud sic auferent.
H. Miscellaneous 57
T h e regular colloquial phrase is o f course πράγματα παρέχειν138, but

όχλον παρεχειν th o u g h apparently n o t found in C om edy may also be collo
quial in tone.
οχλος in the sense nuisance” , “ tro u b le ” , as distinct from the usual sense
cro w d may in itself have a colloquial flavour.
T h u c. 1. 73. 2 (in a speech) δι’ όχλου έ'σται. A r. Ec. 888 δι’ όχλου τουτ’
εστι τοΐς θεωμένοις. D . 19. 24 οί δ’ άντιλέγοντες οχλος άλλως (where, as
Sa n d b a c h on M en. Sic. 150 suggests, there may be overtones o f being
one o f the m ob). M en. Sic. 150 όχλος εί φλυάρου μεστός... E. Ion 635 σχολήν
όχλον τε μέτριον139.
N o t in A. o r S., th o u g h όχλεΐν “ to annoy” occurs in Pr. 1001 and Ο Γ 4 4 6 .
13. και προς (τε προς) used adverbially: “ and besides” (very often καί
πρός γε)
A r. Acb. 1229 και ι^ρος y z ... Eq. 578: P ax 19 καί σαυτόν γε πρόε: Ra. 415
κάγωγε πρός: ibid. 611: PI. 1001. Anaxil. Fr. 24.
H d t. 5. 67. 5 και δη προς: 1. 71. 3. PI. Men. 9 0 Ε καί άμαθία γε πρός: Grg.
469Β. D . 4. 28.
Ε. Held. 641 και πρός γ ’ εύτυχεΐς...: H ip. 893 καί πρός γε: Med. 704: ibid.
407 προς δ έ ...: A n . 375 ήμας τε πρός: ΕΙ. 261: I T 548: ibid. 1214: Hei. 110:
Ph. 610 καί κατακτενώ γε πρός: ibid. 877: Or. 622: Cy. 542.
A. Pr. 73, 929: Cho. 301 καί πρός πιέζει χρημάτων άχηνία (προσπιέζει Μ).
14. πώς έχεις; “ H ow are y o u ? ” “ H ow do you stan d ?”
A r. Eq. 7 ώ κακόδαιμον, πώς έχεις; Lys. Fr. 1 τί έστι; πώς έ'χομεν; Anaxil. Fr.
16 πώ ς έχεις; ώς ισχνός εί: Philem . Fr. 125 πώς ήμϊν έχεις; A ntiph. Fr. 140
πρός άμυγδάλας δέ πώς έχεις; Β. είρηνικώς.
Pi. Smp. 174Α πώς έχεις πρός τό έθέλειν...;
Ε. Or. 732 πώς έχεις; τί πράσσεις; Hei. 313 πώς δ’ εύμενείας τοισίδ’ έν
δόμοις έχεις;
15. τί γάρ πάθω; expressing assent or resignation under some form o f com
pulsion. “ W hat else can I d o ? ” “ H ow can I help it? ”
A r. Ejs. 884 (a m o th er is sum m oned to h er crying child) οίον το τεκεΐν
καταβατέον- τί γάρ πάθο.»; Α ν . 1432: Ec. 860: Nub. 798 τί εγώ πάθω; M en.
Sam. 604: probably Phasm. 8 τί γάρ αν τις πάθοι;
138 T here are n um erous examples in Comedy, and in T h p h r. Char. 15 πράγματα μή μοι
πάρε-/ε is cited as the typical response o f the surly man to a polite question.
139 A. S. O w en is, I think, right to take the w o rd in this sense; see his note ad loc.
H dt. 4. 118. 3 ήμεΐς μέν πιεζόμενοι... όμολογίη χρησόμεθα. τί γάρ πάθωμεν μή

βουλομένων ύμέων τιμωρέειν; PI. Euthyd. 302 Ε ώμολόγηκα. τί γάρ πάθω; Luc.
D Deor. 9 πειρασομεθα- τί γάρ άν καί πάθοι τις;
E. Hec. 614 ώς μέν αξία, πόθεν; ούκ άν δυναίμην- ώς δ’ έχω —τι γαρ παθω; —
κόσμον τ ’ άγειρασ’ ... Sup. 257 στέργειν ανάγκη, τί γάρ πά θω ; Ph. 895 το μέλλον,
εί /ρή, πείσομαι- τί γάρ πάθω;
See Λ . C. P e a r s o n ’s n ote on Ph. 8 9 4 f.; b u t tw o passages cited there,
A n . 513 (lyr.) ώμοι μοι, τί πάθω ; and Tr. 792 (lyr.), seem to be rath er dif
ferent: merclv “ W hat is to becom e o f m e?”
16. ώς έ/<ν> “ Straightaw ay” “ J u st as I am ” .

A r. Eq. 488 άλλ’ ειμ ι’ πρώτον δ’ ώς έχω τάς κοιλίας...καταθήσομαι: Lys.
376: Ec. 533 άλλ’ ώσπερ εΐχον ωχόμην: Pherecr. 108, 21: A n tip h . 199 ί'ωμεν
ώσπερ έχομεν: H dt. 4. 114. 5 οργή ώς είχε έλθών...
E. Hec. 614 ώς μέν αξία, πόθεν; ...ώ ς δ’ έχω - τί γάρ πάθω; Ε. seems to be
using a conversational phrase in a slightly different sense “ as far as I can” ;
as N e i l observes (on Eq. 488) the tone o f ώς έχω is often rath er apologetic.
This phrase w ould then be one o f a cluster o f co lloquialism s; on πόθεν and
τί γάρ πάθω see pp. 38 and 57.
I. C o llo q u ia l form s and syntax
1. έγωδα.
A r. V ery com m on, e.g. Ach. 5, 118, 904: Eq. 469, 873: V . 1181, 1205:
Ra. 836 et saep. M en. Peric. 749.
E. Med. 39: I T 544: Ph. 716. Perhaps I T 852 (dochmiacs) w here M urray
and P l a tn a u er accept B r u h n ’s έγωδ’ ά μέλεος for εγώ μέλεος L Ρ. Or. 546
έγω δ’ H e r m a n n : εγώ δ’ codd. is m ore doubtful.
S. O C 452: Fr. 566, 3 (141 N .) from Σύνδειπνοι, apparently pro-Satyric:
see P ea r so n II 200.
T he frequency o f this exam ple o f crasis in Com edy and its rarity in T ragedy
suggest th at it may have been felt to be rath er colloquial. So also έγωμαι
w hich, in the phrase ώς έγωμοα, is fo u n d in Com edy (Ar. Thes. 442: Men.
E p. 1118: Sam. 298) and in prose dialogue (PI. Phaedr. 264 E : Phil. 21 E)
b u t n o t in T ragedy.
2. οίδας, οϊδατε.
E. A le. 780 οίδας: Sup. 1044 κατοίδατε L P : κατείδετε ELMSLEY,rec. W ec k -

l e in , M u r r a y , w h e re “ y o u h av e seen ” gives b e tte r sense.
T hese inflections o f οίδα probably go back to H om er ( Od. 1.337 οίδας140)
and are found in T heognis (491, 957, οίδας: 375 οίσθα), H ipponax and
H ippocrates. T hey occur several times in H e ro d o tu s; thus 3. 72 οίδας:
2. 17, 4. 46, 7. 214 οΐδαμεν: 2. 43 οΐδασι and once in A n tip h o n (II A 3). They
seem to be established as Io n ic 141. In post-classical w riters οίδας etc. are
again com m on. In the A theists οίσθα is m ore frequent than οίδας (S c h m id ,
A tt. IV 599) b u t in the p o p u lar language o f the Ptolem aic papyri and the
N .T . οίδας is alm ost in v ariab le142 (M ayser , p. 321). In the period betw een
H ero d o tu s and the K oine w e find these form s appearing occasionally in
X e n o p h o n ; thus Mem. 4. 6. 6 οίδας (w ith οίσθα six lines above): Oec. 20. 14
140 M o st editors p rin t οίδας. See also P. C h a n t r a i n e , G ram m aire H om erique I, Paris
1948, 469.
141 See S m y t h , Ionic, O x fo rd 1894, 585; F. B e c h t e l , G riechische D ialekte, Berlin 1921,
III 211; K u h n e r - B l a s s , A usfiihrliche G ram m atik der griechischen Sprache II, H annover-
L eipzig 1892, 290-291.
142 S im il a r l y w e f i n d έ'φης i n s t e a d o f εφ ησθα ( M a y s e r 321).
οΐδασι c o d d .: A n . 2. 4. 6 οί'δαμεν, and later in N ew Com edy, Philem . Fr.

44, 4 οίδας (οίσΟα in v. 3) Strato Com. Fr. 1. 26: Phoenicid. Fr. 3. 2: also
[Lys.] 11. 1 συν οΐδασι: [PI.] Ale. II 141 E οΐδαμεν.
In the text o f E uripides the rare appearance o f form s com m on in post
classical times naturally causes suspicion. If these forms are genuine in
E uripides they may be explained as due to direct b o rro w in g from Ionic,
and similarly οίδας in the K oine may be due to direct Ionic influence at a
later date. Ionic m ust how ever have b egun to influence the p o p u la r language
o f A thens, out o f w hich the K oine m ainly developed, before the end o f the
fifth century, and it is possible th at οίσθα and οίδας existed side by side in
the spoken language in the tim e o f E uripides, and rem ained so until even
tually the m ore “ reg u lar” form p re d o m in a te d 143. I f so, the fo rm οίσθας
attributed to Cratinus (see Fr. 105 K ock) and found in Alex. 15, 11 and
M enander, Epit. 481, Mis. 250, Fr. 286 w ould arise from a confusion o f the
co-existing form s οίσθα and οίδας.
3. άν w ith im perfect indicative (rarely aorist) denoting repeated a c tio n 144.
A r. Very com m on; Sea to n (loc. cit.) gives ab o u t fifty examples.

H dt. T w enty-tw o exam ples: PI. A p . 22B : X . T w elve examples (S e a t o n ):
Lys. 7. 12: D. 18. 219.
E. Ph. 401 ποτέ μεν ε π ’ ήμαρ είχον ε ιτ ’ ούκ είχον άν. (C onfusion betw een
άν and αύ is obviously possible, bu t there is no reason to d o u b t the MS
reading). K .-G . I p. 212 cite I no Fr. 13 ( N a u c k 402) εϊπερ άν τροφή δόμο',ς
παρήν but άν is an addition to m end the m etre; there are m ore probable
corrections and N a u c k takes the w hole line as an in te rp o la tio n 145.
S. Ph. 291, 294, 295, 442, 701 (lyr.).
T huc. 7. 71. 3 Perhaps Isoc. 6. 52, th o u g h άν ώμολογεΐτο could be taken
as past potential.
4. βούλει (or θέλεις) used paratactically w ith subjunctive. T h e “ p o etic”

form θέλεiv w ould perhaps m odify the colloquial character o f this idiom .
A r. Lys. 938 βούλει μυρίσω σε; Eq. 36: Α ν . 813: Ra. 127 et saep. PI. Com.
Fr. 21: Phylill. Fr. 8 βούλεσθε.,.φράσω;
PI. Phdr. 228E βούλει... άναγνώμεν; 2 6 3 E : 272C : Prt. 317D et saep. D . 18.
180: Aesch. 3. 163: X. Mem. 2. 1. 1: 3. 5. 1: 4. 2. 13.
143 Cf. H erodian, II 559, 13 ( L e n t z ) οίσθα, οΐδα;: έκατέρως Ά ττικώ ρ.

144 F or a discussion o f this usage see R. C. S e a t o n , CIRev. 3, 1899, 342-345.
145 T here seems in fact to be no certain exam ple o f this co n stru ctio n in a su b o rd in ate
clause in the classical perio d , w hereas in the K oine it becom es com m on in subordinate
clauses but alm ost ceases to be used in principal sentences; see Λ. D e b r u n n e r , D as helle-
nistische N eb en satziterativ p rateritu m m it άν, G lo tta 11, 1921, 1-28.
I. C olloquial form s and syntax 61
So in colloquial Latin, e.g. Plaut. Mil. 355 vin iam faciam?

E. Sup. 566 βούλει συνάψω μύθον; Hec. 1042: Hei. 1427: Ph. 722, 909: Or.
218: in Ba. 719 and Fr. Inc. 1036 the verb used is θέλειν. C om pare Fr. 308
(lyr.) πά ρ ες... ύπερβώ. Cy. 149.
S. E l. 80 θέλεις μείνωμεν; O T 651 τί σοι θέλεις. . . είκάθω; Ph. 761 βούλει
λάβω μαι;
5. T h e articular infinitive in exclam ations, often w ith the subject in the

accusative.
A r. A v . 5 τό 8’ έμέ.,.περιελθεΐν: ibid. 7: Nub. 268: Ra. 530 (probably ex

clam atory): 741: Ec. 787: PI. 593:
PI. Smp. 177C 146: X en. Cy. 2. 2. 3.
E . A le. 832 άλλά σου to μή φράσαι: Med. 1052: Fr. 439.
5. Ph. 234.
T h e infinitive w ith o u t article is also used in exclam ations, b u t it occurs in
a lyric passage in A eschylus, Eu. 837, and in A g. 1662; it is found in A risto
phanes only in IT. 835 and perhaps Nub. 819, as com pared w ith seven examples
o f the articular in fin itiv e147; m oreover, in general the article tends to be m ore
rarely used in poetic as contrasted w ith prosaic and colloquial language, so
th a t the articular infinitive in exclam ations, n o t found in tragedy apart
fro m E. and S. Ph. 234, m ay have been regarded as m ore colloquial.
6. T h e genitive o f exclam ation w ith o u t interjection.
T his genitive w ith an interjection, e.g. φευ της άνοιας is an A ttic usage,
appearing first in A eschylus and fairly com m on in b o th tragedy and com edy;
b u t th e genitive alone seems to be colloquial. A n invocation o f a god preced
ing the genitive m ight be regarded as equivalent to an interjection, b u t apart
from tw o passages in E. this usage too is confined to colloquial contexts;
perhaps it is less m arkedly colloquial than the bare genitive.
A r. Nub. 818 τής μωρίας, το Δία νομίζειν: Ec. 787 της μω ρίας...: Ach. 87
των άλαζονευμάτων: Alex. Fr. 144 του ταλαίπωρου πάθους: M en. Epitr. 371
άδικου πράγματος: ibid. 1101 : Djsc. 669 τής γλυκείας διατριβής “ W hat fu n !”
A spis 18: Sic. 346: p robably Dysc. 91.
X . Cyr. 2. 2. 3 τής τύχης, το εμέ κληθέντα δεύρο τυχεΐν: T heoc. 15. 75
χρηστού κώκτίρμονος άνδρός. (In PI. Prt. 341 Β there is a series o f bare gen-
146 In PI. Phd. 9 9 Β τό μή διελέσθοα, cited by S t a h l , Synt. d. gr. V erb., H eidelberg 1907,
II 673, as exclam atory, should p ro b ab ly be tak en as an instance o f anacoluthon.
147 O th e r exam ples o f the exclam atory infinitive w ith o u t article are S. A j. 410: Ichn. 74:
D . 21. 209: 25. 91.
itives, b u t th ere, as A dam n o te s, th e p o in t is to illu stra te uses o f δεινός and

the in te rje c tio n m ay h av e been o m itte d as irrelev an t.)
Preceded by invocation: A r. P ax 238 ώναξ ’Άπολλον, της θυειας του
πλάτους: Eq. 144 ω Πόσειδον, τής τέχνης: Ach. 64: Α ν . 61: Nub. 152 : Lys.
967: PL Com. Fr. 123: M en. Epitr. 396 ’Άπολλον καί θεοί, δεινού κακού:
Perk. 382-383, 807.
PI. R. 509C Ά πολλον, έφη, δαιμόνιας υπερβολής.
Ε. Βα. 263 τής δυσσεβείας148: Med. 1051 άλλα τής εμής κακής, το και
προέσθαι...
Preceded by invocation: Or. 1666 ώ Λοξία μαντεΐε, σών θεσπισμάτων.
L A . 327 ώ θεοί σής άναισχύντου φρενός.
7. T he im perfect used to describe the sudden realisation that som ething
has been, and still is true. In this idiom the verb is nearly always the im perfect
o f είμί, and is generally accom panied by άρα149.
Ar. Eq. 384, 386, 1170 (όίρ’ είχες): V . 314, 451, 821: P ax 676: Cratin. Fr.
24: Pherecr. Fr. 1: 24. C om pare τουτί τί ή ν ; “ W hat can this b e ? ” A r. PC 183:
Ra. 39. M en. Fr. 350, 622.
H dt. 3. 65. 3: 4. 64. 3: PI. Smp. 19 8 D : Phd. 68B et saep. X . Oec. 1. 20:
D . 55. 1 ούκ ήν άρα... χαλεποότερον ούδέν...150 “ It strikes me th e re ’s really
n o th in g w orse than a bad n e ig h b o u r” .
T heocr. 5. 79 ή στωμύλος ήσθα κομάτα.
Ε. H ip. 359 Κύπρις ούκ άρ’ ήν θεός: ibid. 1169: Med. 703: A n . 418: Held.
65: H F 341: Tr. 412, 1161, 1240: I T 351, 369, 569: Hel. 616, 746, 931: Ion
184 (parodos) ήσαν w ith o u t άρα151: Or. 721, 1667: I A 944, 1330 (lyr.): Frs.
148 R e i s k e ’s correctio n o f the MS εύσεβείας, w hich seems im possible. D o d d s rightly notes

th at τής δυσσεβείας is a colloquialism . H e m akes ho w ev er a clear distinction betw een the
exclam atory genitive stan d in g alone and the genitive preceded by αλλά in Med. 1051 o r by
an invocation, and holds th at the naked genitive is to o colloquial fo r tragedy, especially for
the highly stylised utterance o f a C horus-leader, and th erefore thinks δυσσεβείας a false
em endation, in spite o f its suitability in o th e r respects and the sim ilar c o rru p tio n in Hel. 1021.
Invocations may well m odify the bare colloquial genitive, b u t I d o u b t w h eth er a mere
άλλα w ould have any such effect; if n o t, we have at least one exam ple o f this usage in tragedy.
As fo r this context, it is true th at a form al com m onplace is the characteristic c o n trib u tio n
o f a C horus-leader in dialogue passages, b u t elsew here in E. apparent colloquialism s are
given to a C horus-leader: so A n . 181 and 727 colloquial use o f χρήμα (p. 20): Ion 113 ου
τί που (p. 24): Hel. 325 οΙσΟ’ οϋν ο δράσον; (ρ. 36): Ph. 444 σον εργον (ρ. 39). 1 should therefore
be inclined to accept τής δυσσεβείας here.
149 Som etim es άρα in v e rs e ; see D e n n i s t o n , G reek Particles 44.
160 “ A c h a r a c t e r i s ti c a ll y n a i v e o p e n i n g t o a n a iv e little s p e e c h ” . ( D e n n i s t o n , o p . cit.
p. 37).
151 Possibly Ion 324 τις ποτ’ ήν άρα; b u t the m eaning may be “ w ho was sh e?”
I. C olloquial form s and syntax 63
54, 75, 161, 334 το δ’ ήν άρα (as often in Plato), 736, 810, 934 (accepting
P o r so n ’s supplem ent).
S. Ph. 978: O C 1697: Frs. 577, 686, 931: perhaps also O C 117, w here
τις άρ’ ήν; may be taken as “ W ho can it b e ? ” Fr. T r. adesp. 110, 374. (In A.
Th. 491 and A g . 542 the reference is probably to past time.)
H orn. Od. 16. 420 ούκ άρα τοΐος εησθα: Od. 13. 204: Hes. Op. 11 : Theog.
700, 788.
P ytherm os (ap. A then. 625 C) ούδέν ήν άρα τάλλα πλήν ό /ρΰσος.
8. Second person singular im peratives in -a o f com pounds o f βαίνω, e.g.

κατάβα ( = κατάβηθι).
A r. πρόβα Ach. 262: κατάβα V . 979: Ra. 35: εμβα Ra. 377: Ec. 478:
μετάβα Alex. Fr. 14. B laydes on V . 979 quotes D iog. L. 2. 5. 20 φησίν...
Πλάτωνα άναβήναι έπί το βήμα καί είπεΐν, Νεώτατος ώ ...τούς δέ δικαστάς
έκβοήσαι κατάβα, κατάβα. M en. Djsc. 633 κατάβα.
F ro m th e examples in A ristophanes and from the appearance o f άνάβα in
vase inscriptions (K r e tsc h m e r 196) it is clear that th e shorter form was
used in colloquial contexts. W hether it should be regarded as distinctively
colloquial depends on w h eth er the longer form was norm ally used in form al
w ritin g , and the n u m b er o f instances is hardly sufficient to establish this.
In H o m e r w e have the form s μετάβηθι Od. 8. 492 and κατάβηθι Od. 23. 20;
th e occurrence o f κατάβηθι in A r. Lys. 873 and έπανάβηθι in Eq. 169 confirm s
th e existence o f those form s at that tim e, and possibly they occur less fre
q u en tly in C om edy than the shorter form s because they w ere m ore literary;
in Sophocles O C 162 (lyr.) w e have μετάσταθ’, άπόβαθι and in D em osthenes
58. 70 άνάβηθι. F o r διάβα and sim ilar form s in m odern G reek see T h u m b ,
H an d b u ch § 218. C om pare Lesbian πω in Ale. 278(a) χαΐρε καί πω : παράστα
M en. Fr. 124: άνστα T heoc. 24. 36.
E. E l. 113 (lyr.) έμβα: Ph. 193 ώ τέκνον, εσβα δώμα: Ale. 872 (lyr.) πρόβα,
βάθι κευθος οίκων.
T h eo g n . 847 λάξ έπίβα δήμοι κενεόφρονι.
N O T E O N T H E D IS T R IB U T IO N A N D D R A M A T IC S IG N IF IC A N C E
O F C O L L O Q U IA L E X P R E S S IO N S
F or several reasons statistical analysis o f the colloquial expressions col

lected here, giving the distrib u tio n betw een plays, cannot be expected to
produce results o f any great value. T h o u g h these expressions are an in
teresting feature o f the style o f E uripides they are probably n o t sufficiently
num erous to be treated statistically. M o reo v er, unlike e.g. certain m etrical
phenom ena w here all examples have equal value and com pleteness can be
guaranteed, these colloquialism s are n o t hom ogeneous, since they range
from obvious colloquialism s w hich have a noticeable effect to som e w hich
are borderline cases, w hich som e scholars m ight reject and w hose effect in
any case w ould certainly be slight; and th o u g h I have cast the net fairly wide
there may well be om issions. It is no d o u b t possible that as betw een dif
ferent plays some o f the discrepancies w ould cancel out, b u t there is the
further point that the effect o f a colloquialism depends mainly on its context:
it may serve to im part a m ore casual tone or greater liveliness to dialogue,
b u t it may equally well add force to the expression o f pathos, in d ig n atio n ,
or any other em otion, so that there is unlikely to be any significant co r
relation betw een different types o f play and num bers o f colloquial expres
sio n s152. H ow ever since I m ade a cou n t for my ow n satisfaction, perhaps I
may as well include here a table giving the titles o f plays in the generally
accepted chronological order, the num b er o f colloquialism s in each play and
this num ber expressed as a percentage o f the n u m b er o f lines in each play,
counting only iambic trim eters and trochaic te tra m e ters; examples o f collo
quialism in anapaests and lyric m etres are to o rare to affect the picture.
Play N o. O'
0
Alcestis 25 3.2
M edea 40 3.7
H eracleidae 27 3.0
H ippolytus 30 3.0
152 T here are o f course som e colloquialism s w hich th ro u g h their m eaning always have the
same significance; e.g. the idiom atic use o f έρρειν and άποφΟείρεσΟαι always expresses
in d ig n atio n or co ntem pt.
N o te o n the d istribution
A ndrom ache 33 3.5

H ecuba 25 2.7
Supplices 27 2.9
H eracles 44 4.4
Ion 39 3.4
T roades 20 2.5
Electra 34 3.6
Iphigenia in Tauris 27 2.4
H elena 49 4.1
Phoenissae 40 3 .2 153
O restes 56 4.4
Bacchae 33 3.5
Iphigenia in Aulis 38 3.4
[Rhesus] 7 0.9
Cyclops 48 8 .0 154
I regard the Rhesus as non-E uripidean, mainly on other than linguistic

g ro u n d s; b u t the rarity o f colloquialism s as com pared w ith all o th er plays
also tells to som e extent against E uripidean authorship. Exam ination
o f the d istrib u tio n o f colloquialism s w ithin plays does no t yield m uch
th a t is o f interest and im portance. As m ig h t be expected they hardly occur
at all in opening m onologues or in epilogues. In other parts o f the plays
they are slightly m ore com m on in passages o f stichom ythia, particularly
if “ tw o line stichom ythia” is included, and very m uch less com m on in
m essenger speeches; o u t o f 587 colloquialism s only 19 occur in messenger
speeches, and in 8 o f these the m essenger is q u o tin g the w ords o f som ebody
else. Perhaps the chief p o in t o f interest is that only fifty colloquialisms are
given to characters o f hu m b ler status, such as attendants, retainers, guards
and the like, and in passages o f dialogue betw een a servant and a main
character colloquial expressions are as likely to be given to a king o r queen
as to a servant. In Ion 742 it is possible th a t three colloquialism s given to the
old retainer, com bined w ith his sententious rem arks, are intended to mark
his status, but in general it is clear that E uripides does n o t use these ex
pressions to differentiate status, b u t rather as a slight colouring o f his dialogue
style, in keeping w ith a general tendency to present heroic characters as
som ew hat less rem ote than those o f A eschylus, or even Sophocles. In
addition there are som e m ore specific effects, and I conclude w ith some
observations on these.
153 If m essenger speeches, w hich take up 358 lines, are discounted, the percentage is 4. 1.
134 In a satyric dram a there are o f course also n o n -trag ic features o f vocabulary, apart trom
colloquialism s in the p resen t sense.
N O T E O N T H E S T Y L IS T IC A N D D R A M A T IC S IG N IF IC A N C E O F
C O L L O Q U IA L E X P R E S S IO N S
T o discuss from this p o in t o f view all passages w here colloquialism s

occur w ould involve m uch tedious rep etitio n o f im pressions w hich are
after all largely subjective. I have accordingly lim ited m yself to a few com
m ents, for w hat they are w o rth , on selected passages, m ainly to illustrate
my previous observations on the variety o f effects produced by the use o f
colloquial language.
Ion 517-562. This lively passage o f dialogue in stichom ythia has a flavour
o f com edy and eight, perhaps nine, colloquialism s co n trib u te som ething to
the liveliness and conversational tone o f these exchanges. (H ere and else
w here colloquial language is o f course only one am ong m any aspects o f style
that contribute to the total effect). Exam ples are: 520 ευ φρονείς μέν; 525 ώς
τί δη: 537 άλλως: 540 εα: 544 φέρε...άψώμεθ’ : perhaps 546 ού γάρ ύστερόν
γέ πω : 548 κατα πώς άφικόμεσθα; 551 προξένων εν του κατέσχες; 554 τοΰτ’
έκεΐν’.
Alcestis 773-802. H ere seven colloquialism s co n trib u te to the im pression
o f the casual, carefree m anner o f H eracles, w ho at this p o in t in the play
has some resem blance to the roisterin g Heracles o f Comedy. Exam ples are:
773 ούτος: 780 οΐδας: 781 οιμαι μέν ού: πόθεν γάρ; 785 το της τύχης: 794 οίμοα
μέν: 800 ώ ς.,.γ ε . O n the o th e r hand in 807 τί ζώσιν; expresses rather the
lively indignation o f the servant. W hen H eracles learns the tru th he speaks in a
different tone and in 831-832 κάτα follow ed by an indignant questio n and
άλλα σου το μη φράσαι add force to his in d ig n atio n against him self and those
w ho have misled him. In his final speech Heracles is w holly heroic in tone
and form al in language, w ith no colloquial expressions.
In the Heracles the hero is o f course a w holly tragic figure. In the m essenger
speech (963 ff.) the speaker describes the attem pts o f A m p hitryon to check
the m ounting frenzy o f H eracles and quotes his w o rd s ; here the everyday
expressions ώ παΐ, τί πάσχεις; (965) and ού τί που (966) are perhaps intended
to suggest the quiet conversational tone by w hich the father tries to soothe his
son and bring him back to norm al. W hen H eracles wakes from sleep,
restored to sanity but bew ildered by his su rro u n d in g s, there are in his
soliloquy several colloquialism s: ού που (1101): πόθεν (1102) έκ τοι πέπληγμαι
N o te o n th e stylistic 67
(1105): “ I can’t have gone back to H ades, can I? ...O f course n o t . . . I ’m

am azed you k n o w ...” T hese, in their context, suggest som ething o f the
m o v in g sim plicity o f L ear’s w ords w hen his m adness is passed and con
sciousness has re tu rn e d : “ I will n o t sw ear these are my hands; let’s see; I
feel this pin p ric k .”
Hecuba 613—614. T ow ards the end o f H ecuba’s lam ent for h er daughter,
sacrificed at the to m b o f Achilles, the simple colloquial phrases ώς μέν άξια,
πόθεν; and τί γάρ πάθω; give an added touch o f pathos.
Orestes 211 ff. In the sick bed scene, w here Electra is tending h er brother,
colloquial expressions in the first tw enty-five lines serve to emphasise the
note o f intim acy and tenderness in this scene. These are: βούλχ θίγω ; (218)
ιδού (221 and 229) μάλιστα (235).
Hndromache 547 ff. In the altercation betw een Peleus and M enelaus eight
colloquialism s are given to Peleus, including three examples o f κλαίειν in
the sense o f m aking som ebody sm art for som ething (577, 634, 758) and tw o
o f φθείρεσθαι in the sense “ to Hell w ith yo u ” ; it is unlikely to be coincidence
th a t these expressions are given to Peleus, w ho in o th er ways is represented
as a g ru ff and choleric old man.
Medea 667-708. In the dialogue in stichom ythia betw een Aegeus and
M edea, w ith its calm er and m ore m atter o f fact tone as com pared w ith the
passion o f the preceding scene, it is n o t surprising to find a n um ber o f collo
quialism s. This applies particularly to A egeus, to w hom in fact m ost of these
expressions are given: 677 μάλιστα: 686 τριβών: 693 τι χρήμα; 695 οΰ που:
703 άρ’ ή ν : 704 καί πρός γ ’. O n the other hand in a very different context, in
the great m o nolog ue o f M edea, there is no th in g incongruous in using the
d o w n rig h t directness o f colloquial phrases τί πάσχω (1049) and άλλα τής
έμής κάκης (1051) to add em phasis to the passionate utterances o f M edea.
M o st o f these exam ples have illustrated the use o f a series o f colloquialisms
and som etim es o f a cluster o f them in a line o r tw o, w here they may have a
certain cum ulative effect. T here are also passages w here a single such expres
sion may have som e significance. T hus in Electra 326 in E lectra s w ords μέθη
δέ βρεχθείς τής έμής μητρος πόσις, p a rt o f h er tirade against A egisthus, the
direct, colloquial βρεχθείς “ soaked” em phasises the note o f bitterness and
co n tem p t in h er speech. In Hippolytus 1362 I have already referred to the
strik in g use o f the strongly colloquial κακοδαίμων in a highly em otional
p assage155; in 113 the colloquial use o f χαίρειν in την σήν δέ Κύπριν πόλλ’
έγώ χαίρειν λέγω em phasises the casual unconcern o f H ippolytus in his
ignorance o f the im m inent vengeance o f A p h ro d ite. In Bacchae 785 ού γάρ
155 See p. 14.

68 N o te on the stylistic
άλλ’ υπερβάλλει τάδε the colloquial ού γάρ άλλά “ this is really beyond the
lim it” stresses the k in g ’s rage; in 802 th e politeness, often tinged w ith
irony, o f ώ ταν in the m o u th o f D ionysus accentuates the sinister m ockery
o f the dialo g u e156.
15β I cannot believe that at this p o in t D ionysus is ab o u t to m ake a genuine offer and w ould
be w illing to forego his vengeance.
S E L E C T B IB L IO G R A P H Y
A m a t i , C .: C o n trib u to alle ricerche sull’uso della lingua familiare in E uripide S tu d lt 9 1901

125-248.
A nagnostopoulos , G .- P .: T h e language o f A ristophanes. Άθηνα 36, 1923, 1-60.
A udollent , A .: D efixionum T abellae, Paris 1904.
B ally , C h .: T raite de stylistique frangaise, H eidelberg 1909 and 1921.
B lass - D e b r u n n e r : G ram m atik des n eutestam entlichen G riechisch, G o ttin g en 1949.
D e n n i s t o n , J. D .: T he G reek Particles, O xford 1954.
D es P l a c e s , E .: Style parle et style oral chez les ecrivains grecs. M elanges Bidez, pp. 267-
286.
D ittm a r , W .: Sprachliche U n tersu ch u n g en zu A ristophanes und M enander, Diss. Leipzig
1933.
D o v e r , K . J .: L o stile di A ristofane. Q u ad . U rbinati 9, 1970, 7-23.
G a u tier , L .: La langue de X e n o p h o n , G eneva 1911.
G u a r in i , G . : La lingua degli Ichneutae di Sofocle, A egyptus 6, 1925, 313-329.
H ofmann , J. B .: L ateinische U m gangssprache, H eidelberg 1936.
K retschm er , P .: D ie G riechischen V aseninschriften ihrer Sprache nach un tersu ch t, G titers-
lo h 1894.
L ammermann , K . : V on der attischen U rb an itat u nd ihrer A u sw irk u n g in der Sprache, Diss.
G o ttin g e n 1935.
L o t t i c h , O . : D e serm one vulg ari A ttic o ru m m axim e ex A ristophanis fabulis cognoscendo.
M a n c i n i , A .: II D ram m a satirico greco. A nnali della R. Scuola N orm ale di Pisa, Filosof. e
F ilo lo g ., 11, 1897, 72-79.
M a y s e r , E .: G ram m atik der griechischen Papyri aus der Ptolem aerzeit I, Leipzig 1906 and
1926.
P f i s t e r , F .: V u lgargriechisches in d er P s.-X en o p h o ntische Αθηναίων Πολιτεία, Philologus
27, 1914, 5 5 8 ff.
R a b e h l , W .: D e Serm one D efixionum A tticaru m , D iss. Berlin 1906.
Radermacher , L .: N eu testam en d ich e G ram m atik , T iibingen 19252.
R osenkranz , B .: D er lokale G ru n d to n u nd die personliche E igenart in der Sprache des
T h u k y d id es u. der alteren attischen R ed n er. IF 48, 1930, 127-178.
S c h w y z e r , E .: D ie V u lgarsprache der attischen Fluchtafeln, N Jb b 5, 1900, 244ff.
S e l v e r s , F .: D e m ediae com oediae serm one, Diss. M iinster 1909.
S e t t i , G . : II lin g u ag g io d e fu s o com une presso A ristofane, M useo italiano di antichita
classica 1, 1899, 113-130.
S m e r e k a , J .: Studia E u rip id ea, L eopoli 1936.
S t e e n , H . A . : Les Cliches E pistolaires dans les lettres sur Papyrus grecques, Class, et M ed.
1 ,1 9 3 8 ,1 1 9 -1 7 6 .
S p i t z e r , L .: Italienische U m g angsprache, B onn 1922.
T arrant , D .: C olloquialism s, sem i-proverbs and w ord-play in Plato, ClQu 40, 1946, 109-
117.
Select bibliography
T arrant , D .: M ore colloquialism s, sem i-proverbs and w ord-play in P lato. C lQ u. N .S. 8,

1958, 158-160.
T hesleff , H .: Studies in the Styles o f P lato, H elsinki 1967.
W u n d e r lic h , H . : U nsere U m gangssprache in der E ig e n a rt ihrer S atzfugung dargestellt,
Berlin 1894.
C om m entaries m ost frequently referred to are as follow s:

A eschylus. A g am em n o n : E . F r a e n k e l , O xford 1950.
Sophocles. T he Plays in Seven V ols.: R. C. J e b b , C am bridge 1893-1932.
T he F rag m en ts: A . C. P e a r s o n , C am bridge 1917.
E uripides. A lcestis: A. M. D a l e , O xford 1954.
B acchae: E. R. D o d d s , O xford 1960.
E lectra: J. D . D e n n i s t o n , O xford 1939.
H elena: A. M. D a l e , O x ford 1967.
H elena: R. K a n n i c h t , H eidelberg 1969.
H eracles: U. v o n W i l a m o w i t z - M o e l l e n d o r f f , G o ttin g en 1909.
H ip p o ly tu s: W . S. B a r r e t t , O xford 1964.
H ypsipyle: G . W. B o n d , O xford 1963.
Io n : U. v o n W i l a m o w i t z - M o e l l e n d o r f f , Berlin 1926.
I o n : A. S. O w e n , O xford 1939.
M edea: D . L. P a g e , O xford 1938.
O restes: V. D i B e n e d e t t o , Firenze 1965.
P hoenissae: A. C. P e a r s o n , C am bridge 1909.
A ristophanes. A ch arnenses: W . R e n n i e , L o n d o n 1909.
E cclesiazusae: R. G . U s s h e r , O xford 1973.
E q u ite s: R. A. N e i l , C am bridge 1901.
N u b es: K . J. D o v e r , O x ford 1968.
V espae: W . J. S t a r k i e , L o n d o n 1897.
V espae: D . M. M a c D o w e l l , O xford 1971.
M enander. D yscolos. E . W . H a n d l e y , L o n d o n 1965.
Reliquiae Selectae (O C T ): A . W . G o m m e and F. H . Sa n d b a c h , O xford 1973.
IN D E X O F C O L L O Q U IA L W O R D S A N D E X P R E S S IO N S
αγχόνη 10 εύδαιμονοίης 13
αληθές 23 έχ’ ήσυχος 34
άλλως 52
άμεινον 27 ήκιστα 14
άν (iterative, w ith past tense) ήν 35
60
άνω κάτω 10 ήν άρα 62
άπέρρειν 12 θαυμασίως ώς 14
άποκτείνειν 11 θέλεις + subj. in parataxis 60
άποφθείρεσθαι 17
άρα 44 ιδού 35
άρ’ ήν ΐνα τί 29
62
άρά γε 44 καί πρός 57
άτάρ 44 κακοδαίμων 14
αύτός + n o u n in dative 52 κακώς όλούμενος 15
αύτο δείξει, σημανεϊ 53 καλώς ποιεΐν 54
αυτό τούτο 27 καλώς (ironical) 55
βούλει + subj. in parataxis 60 κάπειτα 47
βρέχεσθαι 12 κάτα 47
γάρ τοι κλαίειν 15
48
γέρων τύμβος 12 λέγειν τι 25
γ ’ ούν, γοΰν 45
ϊ ' μαινοίμην γάρ άν 16
οαι 45 μάλιστα 16
δέ δή 46 μάλλον μάλλον 17
δηλαδή 46 μέν in questions 47
δρα γ ’ εϊ τι δράσεις 53
μη ζφην 17
έ'α 33 μια όδώ 49
έγώδα 59
νεανικός 49
εια 33
νεκρός 12
εΐέν 34
εις + genitive 27 οιδας, οϊδατε 59
εις καλόν 28 οίδ’ ότι 29
έκεΐνο see τοΰτ’ εκείνο οιμαι (μέν) 23
έ'μβα 63 οϊμοι 17
έν + genitive 27 οισθ’ ό δράσον; 36
έν καλώ 28 όπως + fut. indic. 29
έρρειν 12 δρας; 36
έ'σβα 63 όσον οΰπω 56
ές τόδ’ ήμέρας 54 ού γάρ άλλά 47
Ind ex o f colloquial w ords and expressions
τί δή γάρ ού; 47
ούδαμοΰ 50
τί w ith repeated w o rd 40
ούδέν πράγμα 55
τί πάσχεις; 41
ούκ αν φθάνοις 24
τί πράττεις; 41
ούκ άν ώόμην 56
τί το δεινόν; 41
οΰ τί π ο υ; 24
τί τοΰτο; 31
ουτος (vocative) 37
τί χρήμα; 21
οΰτω (‘w ith o u t m ore a d o ’) 56
τό + genitive (in periphrasis) 20
οίίτω (pleonastic) 19
το ι 48
δχλον παρέχειν 56
τοϋτ’ έκεΐνο 31
πόθεν; 38 τριβών 50
ποιος; 38
υγιές ούδέν 25
πολλοΰ δει 19
πονεΐν 17 φέρε + subj. o r im per. 42
πρός see καί πρός φθείρεσθαι 17
π ώ ςδο κ εΐς; 39
πώς έχεις; 57 ■χαίρειν λέγω 26
χρήμα 20
' >
ραων Τ
είναι 50ν
->
ώ ς .,.γ ε 48
σόν εργον 39 ώς έχω 58
ώς τί δή 29
ταϋτα sc. δράσω 30
ώ τάν 42
τις (‘som eone o f im p o rtan ce’) 25
τί γάρ π ά θω ; 57 G enitive o f Exclam ation 61
τί δ’ ε ϊ...; 30 Infinitive o f E xclam ation 61

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HERMES

ZEITSCHRIFT FUTR KLASSISCHE PHILOLOGIE

FRANZ STEINER YERLAG GMBH .WIESBADEN

THOMAS J. BATA LIBRARY

FRANZ STEIN ER VERLAG GMBH · W IESBADEN

FRANZ ST E IN E R VERLAG GMBH · WIESBADEN

A lle R ech te v o rb eh alten

T h e language o f A ttic T ragedy in speeches and dialogue, taken as a whole,

o f language is into four levels: poetic, prosaic, neutral and colloquial. In

treatise o r o f philosophical argum ent, e.g. διάγνωσής, ελκώδης, βούλησής,

11 O u r ow n language show s how easily one could go w ro n g ; e.g. both “ lo ” and “ b e h o ld ”

o f colloquialism found in T ragedy. T h e language o f O ld Com edy also in­

o r prosaic. T here is, how ever, as we m ig h t expect, som e difference in this

27 W. B. S t a n f o r d , Aeschylus in his Style, D u b lin 1942, has an interestin g account o f

W ithin each g ro u p the o rd er is alphabetical, generally according to the first

A. E x a g g era tio n : em p h a sis

1. άγχόνη in the w eakened sense “ tro u b le ” , “ annoyance” .

2 . ανω κ ά τ ω : 1) “ U pside d o w n ” “ In co n fu sio n ” .

3. άποκτείνειν “ T o irrita te ” : “ T o be the death o f ’.

31 In view o f the colloquial associations o f this phrase DODDsAendering “ making high

άποΟνήσκειν, έκθνήσκειν are used in the co rresp o n d in g sense in A ntiph.

4. βρέχεσΟαι: “ T o be soaked” (of hard drinking).

5. γέρων τύμβος and sim ilar expressions. “ O ld m an w ith one fo o t in the

In ancient w riters on C om edy τυμβογέροντες is cited as one o f th e m ocking

6. έρρειν, άπέρρειν and o th er com pounds, generally in the im perative or

:i:i O n ο’ίμο'. see p. 17.

35 If we accept, w ith P earso n , Cobet ’s correction o f the M SS άπαιρ’.

A r. Nub. 316, 380: V . 48: A v. 126: PI. 2 0 3 ,4 4 0 (ήκιστα πάντων), 1157:

9. θαυμασίως (θαυμαστά) ώς and sim ilar expressions.

A r. Ec. 386 ύπερφυώς ώς: PI. 750.

10. κακοδαίμων: “ p o o r devil” : also as a term o f abuse “ you w re tc h ” .

βαρυδαίμων, suggest th a t E . is here using a w o rd th at w ould norm ally have

A r. P ax 2 δος αύτώ, τώ κάκιστ’ άπολουμένω “ G ive it to him , blast him ” ;

A. Sup. 925 κλαίοις άν εί ψαύσειας: S. A n t. 754: OT. 401, 1152.

14. μάλιστα (som etim es strengthened by γε o r πάντων) in assenting to a

15. μάλλον μάλλον and sim ilar phrases.

16. μή ζωήν: “ I ’m dam ned if 1 w ill” .

17. οϊμοι expressing annoyance or im patience; norm ally in tragedy it is

E. Ph. 614 Polyneices, o rd ered to leave T hebes, replies ειμι, μή πόνει

45 On άποκτείνειν, also colloquial in this sense, see p. 11.

A r. V . 634 οΰτω ραδίως (M a c d o w el l translates “ so easily” , referring back

2. πολλού (γε) δει: “ F ar from it” .

46 F o r a n o th e r colloquial use o f οΰτο;ς see below p .5 6.

3. τό w ith genitive used periphrastically fo r the simple n oun. Som e­

4. χρήμα is used in various colloquial idiom s, o f w hich those th a t are

H d t. 3. 53 τυραννίς χ. σφαλερόν54: 3. 80: 4. 150: 8. 16. PL Ion 534B κούφον

excitem ent o r im patience, b u t I d o u b t w hether, especially in E uripides,

56 R. A . N e i l (on A r. E q. 89), follow ing T h o m a s M a g i s t e r , says “ confined to p o ets” ;

3. ου τί που, ου που in incredulous o r relu ctan t questions. (D . p. 492.)

4. ούκ αν φθάνοις w ith a participle: “ Y ou w o u ld n ’t be to o s o o n ...” i.e.

H d t. (im perative) 7. 162 ούκ άν φθάνοιτε άπαλλασσόμενοι: PI. (im perative)

5. Indefinite τις, τι used to d enote a) som eone o f im portance; b) w ith

a) C ratin. Fr. 54 βουλομένους τινάς είναι: M en. Fr. 156 K.

64 So LP and O .C .T . Some ed ito rs p rin t φέρει LA

7. χαίρειν depending on έαν, λέγειν o r κελεύειν, and used to express dis­

A r. Th. 64 τούτον μέν έα χαίρειν “ N ev er m ind h im ” : PL 1187: Ach. 200

66 Apparently also a colloquial expression for polite refusal; cf. Plut. M o r . 2 2 E έν τη

2. αύτο τούτο “ just th a t” “ precisely” .

M en. Sik. 372 ή σώζετ’, αύτό τούτο “ o r is she safe, just th a t? ”

1C 1250 εις Φιλοκτήμονος. M en. Dysc. 25 έν γειτόνων: Peric. 147. H d t. 1. 36. 1

70 M a d v i g ’s correction of έν τώ LP; but I should prefer, with W i l a m o w i t z , the more

5. ίνα (ως) τι δη; or ότι τι δή; w ith ellipse o f subjunctive o r indicative71

C om pare the use o f ίνα w ith subjunctive in p o p u la r H ellenistic G reek,

8. ταΰτα used elliptically for ταΰτα ποιήσω (δράσω) in response to a com ­

o f colloquialism found in T ragedy. T h e language o f O ld Com edy also in

3. τό w ith genitive used periphrastically fo r the simple n oun. Som e

7. χαίρειν depending on έαν, λέγειν o r κελεύειν, and used to express dis

8. ταΰτα used elliptically for ταΰτα ποιήσω (δράσω) in response to a com

9. ούτος used as a vocative, som etim es to attract the attention o f som e