Greek Proverb of the Day

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Ἡφαίστειος δεσμός.

• Ἡφαίστειος
• δεσμός

Ἡφαίστειος δεσμός.

The Hephaestean bond.

Erasmus provides a very cool-sounding Latin version of the Greek: Vulcanium vinculum (Vulcan was the Roman name for the god Hephaestus). The saying alludes to the famous incident in the Iliad when Hephaestus forged a chain-link net to bind his wife Aphrodite in bed with her lover Ares; you can read about this story at Wikipedia: Hephaestus and Aphrodite.

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

Καὶ ______ ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

reveal/hide answer

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

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Ἡφαίστειος ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἡφαίστειος δεσμός.

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Ἀεργοῖς ______ ἑορτά.

reveal/hide answer

Ἀεργοῖς αἰὲν ἑορτά.

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______ αἰδοῦ.

reveal/hide answer

Πρεσβύτερον αἰδοῦ.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 31

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Πρεσβύτερον αἰδοῦ.

• πρεσβύτερον, from πρέσβυς.
• αἰδοῦ, from αἰδέομαι.

Πρεσβύτερον αἰδοῦ.

Respect an elder.

This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. This one also has a comparative adjective; πρεσβύτερος is the comparative form of πρέσβυς, meaning "older, elder." This is the root of the English word "Presbyterian." Greek πρεσβύτερος is also the origin of English "priest."

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

Καὶ ______ ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

reveal/hide answer

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

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______ κρέας νέμει.

reveal/hide answer

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

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Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

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______ αἰδοῦ.

reveal/hide answer

Πρεσβύτερον αἰδοῦ.

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Ἀεργοῖς ______ ἑορτά.

reveal/hide answer

Ἀεργοῖς αἰὲν ἑορτά.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 30

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Ἀεργοῖς αἰὲν ἑορτά.

• ἀεργοῖς, from ἀεργός.
• αἰὲν, from αἰέν.
• ἑορτά, from ἑορτή.

Ἀεργοῖς αἲὲν ἑορτά.

For lazy (people), (it's) always a holiday.

The saying is reported in one of the idylls of Theocritus; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Idyll 15. The adjective ἀεργός is an alpha-privative: ἀ-εργός, not-working, and it is being used substantively here: lazy people.

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

---

Καὶ ______ ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

reveal/hide answer

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

---

Ἀεργοῖς ______ ἑορτά.

reveal/hide answer

Ἀεργοῖς αἰὲν ἑορτά.

---

______ κρέας νέμει.

reveal/hide answer

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

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______ δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

reveal/hide answer

Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 29

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

• ἄγουσιν, from ἄγω.
• ἑορτὴν, from ἑορτή.
• οἱ, from ὁ.
• κλέπται, from κλέπτης.

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

The thieves are having a holiday.

The saying refers to people who are able to steal with impunity; it's a fragment of Cratinus, a comic poet who flourished in the 5th century B.C.E. He was one of the most famous comic playwrights, but only fragments of his plays survive.

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

______ κρέας νέμει.

reveal/hide answer

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

---

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἄγουσιν ἑορτὴν οἱ κλέπται.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

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Καὶ ______ ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

reveal/hide answer

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

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______ δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

reveal/hide answer

Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

---

And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Click here to subscribe/unsubscribe to the email list.

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 28

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

• καί
• καλὸν, from καλός.
• ποιῶν, from ποιέω.
• πρόσεχε, from προσέχω.

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

Even doing good, take care.

This saying reminds us that the outcomes of all actions are unforeseen: good deeds should lead to good outcomes, but be careful — you cannot take good outcomes for granted.

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

______ δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

reveal/hide answer

Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

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Καρδία ______.

reveal/hide answer

Καρδία ἐλάφου.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

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Καὶ ______ ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

reveal/hide answer

Καὶ καλὸν ποιῶν πρόσεχε.

---

______ κρέας νέμει.

reveal/hide answer

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

---

And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Click here to subscribe/unsubscribe to the email list.

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 27

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

• λύκος
• κρέας
• νέμει, from νέμω.

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

A wolf is distributing the meat.

This is something like the proverbial "lion's share." You know that the wolf is going to be constantly taking for himself even while he is "sharing" the meat with others. 

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

Καρδία ______.

reveal/hide answer

Καρδία ἐλάφου.

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______ καθεύδων.

reveal/hide answer

Λαγὼς καθεύδων.

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______ δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

reveal/hide answer

Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

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Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

---

______ κρέας νέμει.

reveal/hide answer

Λύκος κρέας νέμει.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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Click here to subscribe/unsubscribe to the email list.

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 26

Here is today's proverb from the blog with a LOLcat and vocabulary too! This is a repeat of a proverb you've seen before, but the vocabulary list is new. The vocabulary links go to Logeion.

Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

• μῦς.
• δακὼν, from δάκνω.
• παῖδα, from παῖς.
• ἀπέφυγε, from ἀποφεύγω.

Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

A mouse, having bit a child, ran away.

A child is small, but a mouse is even smaller, so the saying is used when someone, small though he may be, attacks an enemy greater than himself and gets away with it. The accusative form is παῖδα, but the final vowel is elided before the following vowel: παῖδ' ἀπέφυγε. From the root of Greek παῖς (παῖδ-), we get English words like pedagogy and pediatric.

And here's a quiz covering the past five cats (answers at the blog only, not in the email):

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ ______ ἔχεις.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐκτὸς πηλοῦ πόδας ἔχεις.

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______ δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

reveal/hide answer

Μῦς δακὼν παῖδ᾿ ἀπέφυγε.

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Καρδία ______.

reveal/hide answer

Καρδία ἐλάφου.

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______ καθεύδων.

reveal/hide answer

Λαγὼς καθεύδων.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

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And to finish up, here's a random LOLCat too:

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