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.

Λαγὼς καθεύδων.

• λαγώς
• καθεύδων, from καθεύδω.

Λαγὼς καθεύδων.

The sleeping hare.

This saying also appears in Erasmus, who explains that it refers to a deception: the hare sleeps with its eyes open, or so the ancient Greeks and Romans supposed, fooling people into thinking it was awake. More about this folk tradition: Lagophthalmos or Hare Eye: An Etymologic Eye Opener.

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

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

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______, φίλον φῶς.

reveal/hide answer

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

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______ καθεύδων.

reveal/hide answer

Λαγὼς καθεύδων.

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Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

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Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

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

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 22

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.

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

• ἐλέφας
• μῦν, from μῦς.
• οὐ
• δάκνει, from δάκνω.

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

An elephant doesn't bite a mouse.

A proverb of incongruity! A mouse is too small to be worthy of the elephant's attention, much less provoke an attack. So, if you're an elephant and you happen to notice a mouse, just let it go; don't sweat the small stuff. You've seen a variation on this saying before in a previous blog post: Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐχ ἁλίσκει. The idea that elephants are afraid of mice is a later legend with no basis in fact. It was not a belief in ancient Greece, although the Roman writer Pliny claimed that elephants hated mice, and the legend seems to have taken shape over the centuries following Pliny. 

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

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

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Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

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Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐλέφας μῦν οὐ δάκνει.

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_______ φύλαττε.

reveal/hide answer

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

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______, φίλον φῶς.

reveal/hide answer

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

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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 21

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.

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

• σκιὰ, from σκιά.
• ἀντί
• τοῦ, from ὁ.
• σώματος, from σῶμα.

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

A shadow instead of a body.

This saying was applied to people who might appear to be powerful but who have no power at all, like a shadow. From the root of Greek σῶμα we get English somatic.

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

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ ______.

reveal/hide answer

Σκιὰ ἀντὶ τοῦ σώματος.

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______, φίλον φῶς.

reveal/hide answer

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

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Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

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_______ φύλαττε.

reveal/hide answer

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

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Γλαῦκας εἰς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

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

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 20

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.

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

• χαῖρε, from χαίρω.
• φίλον, from φίλος.
• φῶς

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

Farewell, dear light.

This saying was used when extinguishing a lamp or candle. 

As Erasmus explains, these words could be used in all seriousness, as when a character in a tragedy is about to die, but the words could also be used in more risque contexts; for example, he relates a story for teaching purposes (docendi causa) about an old woman who is about to have sex, and who thus speaks to the candle before she puts it out so that her lover will not see her wrinkles.

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

Γλαῦκας εἰς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

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______, φίλον φῶς.

reveal/hide answer

Χαῖρε, φίλον φῶς.

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Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

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_______ φύλαττε.

reveal/hide answer

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

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Ἔργου ______ οἱ λόγοι.

reveal/hide answer

Ἔργου σκιὰ οἱ λόγοι.

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

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 19

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.

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

• οὐδέ.
• Ἡρακλῆς.
• πρός.
• δύο, from δύο.

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

Not even Heracles (fights) against two.

In other words: don't pick a fight where your enemies outnumber you. The saying appears in a fragment of the archaic poet Archilochus. Meanwhile, you can read about the exploits of the hero Hercules at Wikipedia: Heracles.

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

_______ φύλαττε.

reveal/hide answer

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

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Ἔργου ______ οἱ λόγοι.

reveal/hide answer

Ἔργου σκιὰ οἱ λόγοι.

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Γλαῦκας εἰς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

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____ διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ.

reveal/hide answer

Θεὸς διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ.

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Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Οὐδὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρὸς δύο.

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

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Greek Proverb of the Day: October 18

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.

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

• φιλίαν, from φίλιος.
• φύλαττε, from φυλάσσω.

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

Preserve friendship.

The nice word-play in the Greek doesn't come through in the English, alas. This is another one of the sayings recorded in the Delphic Maxims of Stobaeus. This is the Attic form of the verb φυλάσσ-. You can see the root of this Greek verb in English "prophylactic." 

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

Μακραὶ ______ χεῖρες.

reveal/hide answer

Μακραὶ τυράννων χεῖρες.

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Γλαῦκας εἰς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

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Ἔργου ______ οἱ λόγοι.

reveal/hide answer

Ἔργου σκιὰ οἱ λόγοι.

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_______ φύλαττε.

reveal/hide answer

Φιλίαν φύλαττε.

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____ διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ.

reveal/hide answer

Θεὸς διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ.

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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 17

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.

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

• γλαῦκας, from γλαύξ.
• εἰς, from εἰς.
• Ἀθήνας, from Ἀθῆναι.

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

(Bringing) owls to Athens.

This refers to a foolish effort: there's no need to bring owls to Athens because Athens is full of owls. The owls that lived in the Parthenon were a symbol of Athens, and the coins of Athens were stamped with owls. Compare the English proverbial phrase, "coals to Newcastle."

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

Ἔργου ______ οἱ λόγοι.

reveal/hide answer

Ἔργου σκιὰ οἱ λόγοι.

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Γλαῦκας εἰς ______.

reveal/hide answer

Γλαῦκας εἰς Ἀθήνας.

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Μακραὶ ______ χεῖρες.

reveal/hide answer

Μακραὶ τυράννων χεῖρες.

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____ διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ.

reveal/hide answer

Θεὸς διὰ πάντα τελευτᾷ.

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Κοσκίνῳ ______ ἀντλεῖς.

reveal/hide answer

Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ ἀντλεῖς.

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

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