§1.66Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς πὰρ κολοιὸν ἱζάνει: διὰ τὸ φιλάλληλον τοῦ ζώου.
Ἀεὶ κολοιὸς πὰρ κολοιὸν ἱζάνει: A jackdaw always sits next to a jackdaw: because of the animal's love for its own kind.
§1.67Κινήσω τὸν ἀφ’ ἱερᾶς: ἐπὶ τῶν τὴν ἐσχάτην βοήθειαν κινούντων τέτακται.
Κινήσω τὸν ἀφ’ ἱερᾶς: I will move the piece from the sacred line: applied to those who resort to the last resort.
* * δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πεττευόντων· περὶ τούτοις κυκειόν † τις ψῆφος οἷον ἱερὴ καὶ ἀκίνητος τεῶν νομιζομένη.
It is derived from board-game players; among them, there was a certain piece which was considered, as it were, sacred and immovable.
§1.68Τιθωνοῦ γῆρας: ἐπὶ πολυχρονίων καὶ ὑπεργήρων.
Τιθωνοῦ γῆρας: The old age of Tithonus: said of those who live long and are very old.
ὁ γὰρ Τιθωνὸς κατ’ εὐχὴν τὸ γῆρας ἀποθέμενος τέττιξ ἐγάνετο.
For Tithonus, having cast off his old age in accordance with a prayer, became a cicada.
§1.69Οἰταῖος δαίμων: οὗτος ὁ δαίμων ὕβριν καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν πάνυ ἐμίσησεν.
Οἰταῖος δαίμων: The Oetaean divinity: this divinity utterly hated insolence and arrogance.
§1.70Ἐπὶ βωμόν: εἴρηται ἀπὸ τῶν θυομένων πρὸς τοῖς βωμοῖς.
Ἐπὶ βωμόν: To the altar: said from those sacrificed at the altars.
§1.71Φωκαέων ἀρά: οἱ Φωκαεῖς τῆς αὑτῶν ἐκπεσόντες γῆς ἐπηράσαντο μηδέποτε κατελθεῖν εἰς αὐτήν.
Φωκαέων ἀρά: The curse of the Phocaeans: the Phocaeans, having been expelled from their own land, bound themselves by a curse never to return to it.
§1.72Φασηλειτῶν θῦμα: ἐπὶ τῶν εὐτελῶν καὶ ἀναίμων.
Φασηλειτῶν θῦμα: The sacrifice of the Phaselians: said of cheap and bloodless things.
φασὶ γὰρ τοὺς Φασηλείτας ταρίχους τοῖς θεοῖς θύειν.
For they say that the Phaselians sacrifice cured fish to the gods.
§1.73Καρικὸν θῦμα: ἐπὶ τῶν ἄσαρκα μέλη θυόντων.
Καρικόν θῦμα: The Carian sacrifice: said of those who sacrifice parts without meat.
οἱ γὰρ Κᾶρες κύνας ἱερουργοῦσι.
For the Carians sacrifice dogs.
§1.74Εὔρυμνος: οὗτος πειρώμενος διαβάλλειν Κάστορα πρὸς τὸν Πολυδεύκην, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὴν μεγίστην δίκην.
Εὔρυμνος: Eurymnus: this man, trying to slander Castor to Polydeuces, paid them the greatest penalty.
§1.75Δειλαιότερος εἶ τοῦ παρακύπτοντος: φοβούμενός τις τὸν Ἡρακλέα κατέδυ εἰς σπήλαιον καὶ διὰ δειλίαν ἀπέθανεν.
Δειλαιότερος εἶ τοῦ παρακύπτοντος: You are more cowardly than the peerer: someone, fearing Heracles, went down into a cave and died of cowardice.
ἐντετύπωται ἐν τῷ λίθῳ ἀνθρωποειδὴς εἰκὼν, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ὑπερέχει τοῦ σπηλαίου· καλεῖται δὲ παρακύπτων. §1.76Ἐν πέντε κριτῶν γόνασι κεῖται: τὸ παλαιὸν πέντε κριταὶ ἔκρινον τοὺς κωμικούς.
An image of human form is carved in the stone, with its head projecting out of the cave; and it is called "the peerer." Ἐν πέντε κριτῶν γόνασι κεῖται: It lies on the knees of five judges: in the old days, five judges used to judge the comic poets.
§1.77Βοιωτίων νόμος: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰς ἀρχὰς ἠρεμαίως ἐχόντων, αὖθις δὲ σφοδρῶς ἐπιγιγνομένων.
Βοιωτίων νόμος: The Boeotian tune: said of those who have quiet beginnings, but afterwards come on violently.
§1.78Ἁρπαγὰ Κοτυττίοις: Κοτύττια ἑορτή τις ἐστὶ Σικελικὴ, ἐν ᾗ περί τινας κλάδους ἐξάπτοντες πόπανα καὶ ἀκρόδρυα ἐπέτραπον ἁρπάζειν.
Ἁρπαγὰ Κοτυττίοις: Plunder at the Cotyttia: the Cotyttia is a Sicilian festival in which, having tied flat cakes and tree-fruits around certain branches, they permitted people to snatch them.
§1.79Μέγα στόμα ἐνιαυτοῦ: οἱονεὶ πολλὴ παῤῥησία πάντων, εὐφορίας γενομένης.
Μέγα στόμα ἐνιαυτοῦ: The great mouth of the year: as it were, a great freedom of speech for all when abundance has come.
§1.80Εἰκῇ τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσυκοφαντήτως τὰ πράγματα ἐπιτελούντων, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς ἦγε καὶ ἔφερε τὰ ἀλλότρια.
Εἰκῇ τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ: At random like Heracles: said of those who accomplish things without being falsely accused, since Heracles used to carry off and plunder the property of others.
§1.81Οὐχ ἱππολέκτας † περισσὰς πλῶμες: ἐπὶ τῶν βραχέα κεκτημένων.
Οὐχ ἱππολέκτας πλῶμες: We do not sail on redundant horse-cocks: said of those who possess little.
§1.82Χαμαὶ ἀντλεῖς, Φακὸν κόπτεις: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειρούντων.
Χαμαὶ ἀντλεῖς, Φακὸν κόπτεις: You are bailing water onto the ground, you are chopping lentils: said of those who attempt impossible things.
§1.83Τίς τρόπος ἵππων: ἐπὶ τῶν παρηλλαγμένον τι καὶ ἀλλόκοτον ποιούντων.
Τίς τρόπος ἵππων: What sort of behavior of horses?: said of those who do something unusual and strange.
§1.84Χαλκιδίζειν: ἐπὶ τῶν γλισχρευομένων.
Χαλκιδίζειν: To act like a Chalcidian: said of those who are stingy.
οἱ γὰρ ἐν Εὐβοίᾳ Χαλκιδεῖς ἐπὶ φιλαργυρίᾳ ἐκωμῳδοῦντο.
For the Chalcidians in Euboea were lampooned in comedy for their love of money.
§1.85Πρόσω καὶ χελιδὼν ὁλοσχοίνους παρεῖται.
Πρόσω καὶ χελιδὼν ὁλοσχοίνους παρεῖται: And further ahead, the swallow has let go of the rushes.
§1.86Οὐκ ἐπαινεθείη οὐδὲ ἐν περιδείπνῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν μηδενὸς ἀξίων.
Οὐκ ἐπαινεθείη οὐδὲ ἐν περιδείπνῳ: He would not be praised even at a funeral feast: said of those who are worth nothing.
εἰώθεσαν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις τὸν τελευτήσαντα ἐπαινεῖν, καὶ εἰ φαῦλος ἦν.
For they were accustomed at the feasts to praise the deceased, even if he was worthless.
§1.87Σῦκον αἰτεῖς: κατὰ τῶν κολακευόντων.
Σῦκον αἰτεῖς: You are asking for a fig: against flatterers.
οἱ γὰρ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐκολάκευον τοὺς γεωργοὺς βουλόμενοι λαμβάνειν τὰ πρώϊμα σῦκα.
For the Athenians used to flatter the farmers, wishing to get the early figs.
§1.88Μυσὶ κανθαρίς: ἐπὶ τῶν μηδενὸς ἀξίων.
Μυσὶ κανθαρίς: A Spanish fly to the Mysians: said of those who are worth nothing.
§1.89Κέρδος αἰσχύνης ἄμεινον· ἕλκε μοιχὸν εἰς μυχόν.
Κέρδος αἰσχύνης ἄμεινον· ἕλκε μοιχὸν εἰς μυχόν: Gain is better than shame; drag the adulterer into the inner chamber.
§1.90Κύρνια ἄτη: Κύρνος νῆσος ἦν πάλαι ἄβατος τοῖς πλέουσι διὰ συνεχεῖς λῃστείας.
Κύρνια ἄτη: Cyrnian ruin: Cyrnus was of old an inaccessible island for sailors because of continuous piracies.
§1.91Κωφότερος τοῦ Τορωναίων λιμένος: λιμήν ἐστι καλούμενος περὶ Τορώνην τῆς Θρᾴκης· οὗτος δὲ ἔχει ** καὶ μακρὰς τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ πελάγους καθαιρέσεις, ὡς μὴ ἀκούεσθαι τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν τῆς θαλάσσης ἦχον.
Κωφότερος τοῦ Τορωναίων λιμένος: Deafer than the harbor of the Toronaeans: there is a harbor so called near Torone in Thrace; and it has... and long inlets from the open sea, so that the sound of the sea is not heard by those inside it.
§1.92Ἀκροκορινθία ἔοικας χοιροπωλήσειν: ἐπὶ τῶν παρ’ ὥραν θρυπτομένων γυναικῶν· οἷον, ἔοικας μισθαρνήσειν ἐν Κορίνθῳ· τὸ γὰρ γυναικεῖον μόριον χοῖρος λέγεται.
Ἀκροκορινθία ἔοικας χοιροπωλήσειν: You look like an Acrocorinthian woman about to sell pigs: said of women who behave coquettishly out of season; as if to say, "you look like you are going to hire yourself out in Corinth." For the female pudenda is called a pig.
§1.93Ἐκ παντὸς ξύλου: κατ’ ἔλλειψιν λέγεται·
Ἐκ παντὸς ξύλου: From any wood: said elliptically.
τὸ γὰρ πλῆρες, ἐκ παντὸς ξύλου κύφων ἂν γένοιτο· ἐπὶ τῶν τὸ μὲν εἶδος εὐκαταφρονήτων, εἰς δὲ χρείαν ἀναγκαίαν πιπτόντων.
For the full form is: "From any wood a collar could be made." Said of those who are contemptible in appearance, but fall into necessary use.
§1.94Ἄρκτου παρούσης τὰ ἴχνη ζητεῖς: ἐπὶ τῶν δειλῶν κυνηγῶν.
Ἄρκτου παρούσης τὰ ἴχνη ζητεῖς: With the bear present, you are looking for its tracks: said of cowardly hunters.
§1.95Σικελὸς ὀμφακίζεται: ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ μηδενὸς ἄξια κλεπτόντων.
Σικελὸς ὀμφακίζεται: A Sicilian steals sour grapes: said of those who steal things of no value.
§1.96Οὐδὲν ἦν ἄρα τὰ ἄλλα πλὴν ὁ χρυσός.
Οὐδὲν ἦν ἄρα τὰ ἄλλα πλὴν ὁ χρυσός: Other things, then, were nothing except gold.
§1.97Τὸ θερμὸν τοῦ ὀβελοῦ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναιρουμένων τὰ χείρονα ἀντὶ τῶν κρειττόνων· ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπείρως δρασσομένων κατὰ τὸ θερμὸν τῶν ὀβελίσκων.
Τὸ θερμὸν τοῦ ὀβελοῦ: The hot part of the spit: said of those who take the worse things instead of the better; derived from those who unskilfully grasp spits by their hot part.
§1.98Ἀκεσίας ἰάσατο: Ἀκεσίας ἐγένετο ἰατρὸς ἀφυὴς, ὃς τὸν πρωκτόν τινος ἀλγοῦντος κακῶς ἰάσατο.
Ἀκεσίας ἰάσατο: Acesias cured: Acesias was an unskilled physician, who badly treated someone suffering in his anus.
§1.99Τρίτῃ κεφαλῇ καὶ τρίτῳ ἐγκεφάλῳ: ἐπὶ τῶν ἀχθοφορούντων οὐ μόνον κατὰ τῶν ὤμων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς.
Τρίτῃ κεφαλῇ καὶ τρίτῳ ἐγκεφάλῳ: With a third head and a third brain: said of those who carry burdens not only on their shoulders but also on their head.
§1.100Ἐπὶ σπειρῶν σχοινίον: ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς πλεοναζόντων.
Ἐπὶ σπειρῶν σχοινίον: A rope upon coils: said of those who repeat the same things to excess.