Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

______ μελάντερος.

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Κανθάρου μελάντερος.

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______ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα.

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Κύκλος τὰ ἀνθρώπινα.

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Ἄλλην ______ βαλάνιζε.

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Ἄλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε.

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Ἐλαίῳ ______ σβεννύεις.

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Ἐλαίῳ πῦρ σβεννύεις.

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______ ἀντί ἀλφίτων.

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Ῥήματα ἀντί ἀλφίτων.

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Κανθάρου μελάντερος.

Blacker than a dung-beetle.

The word μελάντερος is a comparative form, so it takes a genitive complement: κανθάρου. As Erasmus explains, the dung-beetle was a foul creature held in low regard. The ancient Egyptians, on the other hand, considered the dung-beetle to be sacred; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Dung-beetle. You can see the Greek root μέλαν- in English melanin and melancholy.

Κύκλος τὰ ἀνθρώπινα.

Human things (are) a circle.

The words are from Aristotle's Physics, referring to the way that humans are born and then die, and then more humans are born, and then die, and the same is true of all things in time, coming into being and then passing away. Aristotle then goes on to speculate that time itself, ὁ χρόνος αὐτὸς, appears to be, εἶναι δοκεῖ, some sort of circle, κύκλος τις: καὶ γὰρ ὁ χρόνος αὐτὸς εἶναι δοκεῖ κύκλος τις.

Ἄλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε.

Shake down acorns from some other oak.

In other words: stop borrowing money from me; go borrow from somebody else! The verb βαλανίζω is from the noun βάλανος, meaning "acorn," i.e. "acorn-ize." From the Greek root ἄλλ-, we get English words like allograph, which is a signature that someone makes for another person. 

Ἐλαίῳ πῦρ σβεννύεις.

You're putting out a fire with olive oil.

This is one of Plutarch's adynata. Compare the English "putting out a fire with gasoline" i.e., you're not putting the fire out; you're making it worse.

Ῥήματα ἀντί ἀλφίτων.

Words in place of barley.

The implication is that words cannot fill your stomach the way barley can; talk is a poor substitute for food when you are hungry. Compare the English saying, "Fine words butter no parsnips." The root in Greek ῥῆμα is the same root you see in ῥήτωρ, and thus also in English rhetoric.

______ μελάντερος.

reveal/hide answer

Κανθάρου μελάντερος.

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______ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα.

reveal/hide answer

Κύκλος τὰ ἀνθρώπινα.

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Ἄλλην ______ βαλάνιζε.

reveal/hide answer

Ἄλλην δρῦν βαλάνιζε.

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Ἐλαίῳ ______ σβεννύεις.

reveal/hide answer

Ἐλαίῳ πῦρ σβεννύεις.

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______ ἀντί ἀλφίτων.

reveal/hide answer

Ῥήματα ἀντί ἀλφίτων.

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

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