[B-Greek] Figures of Speech from extra-biblical literature

mrt mrt at hisurfer.net
Tue Jan 13 21:48:44 EST 2004


NEFOS not vefos
I've been corrected re. NEFOS which from literature can be shown that it is
used figuratively, of a dense throng of people, dense numbers, a large
crowd.    Here's a quote:
"A 'cloud' is used ... for a dense mass of living beings from the time of
Homer downwards."  Westcott

NEFOS MARTURWN - a cloud of witnesses.  for a host of witnesses, a multitude
of w'.(Heb 12:1)

Other expressions of NEFOS include: cloud of death.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hom%2e+Od%2e+4%2e180&vers=original&word=ne%2ffos#word1

Or similiar to our Eng. 'heat of the battle,' NEFOS takes on a sense like
~"thick of the fight"
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3aabo%3atlg%2c0012%2c001%3a17%3a243&vers=original&word=ne%2ffos#word1


----- Original Message ----- 

Apparently my post on the thread 'Idioms in the NT!' elicited some positive
comments to me both on and off list, danke.  And so it seems that this is a
topic of interest among the b-greekers. For we often find that even the
figurative expressions are humorous or entertaining in and of themselves
e.g. Cada cerdo tiene su San Martin [Spanish] ~every dog has his day.  But I
must pause here a give caveat - Those who have an xenophobia should stop
here, since the following may be <as clear as mud>  For I sought to produce
another list of idioms and general figures of speech, this time from the
Classics and throughout.

The following are sorted in alphabetic order.  Sometimes there is a Latin
equivalent, so these are shown [L].  More less for Carl's entertainment I
suppose, laudator temporis acti <grin>  And sometimes we have something very
close to the Grk. expression in English [Eng]. When possible I also give a
source where I knew the figure of speech is found.  For those who can add to
the list, please do.  Related comments always welcomed.  If there are errors
~C'est la vie.


AETOS EN NEFELAISI - an eagle in the clouds. an idiom for an unattainable
object. somewhat similar to Eng. ~pie in the sky

ALFA KAI W (MEGA) - the first and last letters. ie. first & last, the
beginning and the end, the whole (cf. Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13)

BOUS EPI GLWSSHi - an ox on the tongue. an idiom - a weighty reason for
silence (Aeschylus)

GHN hORW - I see land. ie. I see the end of my work, completion of the work
is near, cf. Eng. the end is at hand (Diogenes)

DIS KRAMBH QANATOS - cabbage twice is death. ie. warmed over, served a
second time is very bad cf. Crambe repetita [L] - cabbage dished-up again,
annoying repetition

EIS ANHR OUDEIS ANHR - one man no man. cf. our Eng. ~two heads are better
than one.

EIS ONUCA - to a finger nail. an idiom (from the sculptor's practice of
applying the finishing touches to the model w. his nail) to perfection, w.
great precision or nicety  cf. Ad unguem [L]

EPEA PTEROENTA - winged words. ie. a tale? I'm not sure here (cf. Homer)

EPI XUPOU AKMHS - on razor's edge. ie. at the critical moment (Homer)

hEWS KORAKES LEUKOI GENWNTAI - till the crows turn white. ie. never!

KINEIN PANTA LIQON - to move every stone. cf. Eng. idiom - leave no stone
unturned

KAKOU KORAKOS KAKON WON - From a bad crow a bad egg; fig. like father like
son

KOLOIOS POTI KOLOION - Jackdraw with jackdraw. cf. Eng. birds of the same
feather flock together (Aristotle)

KREISSWN CRHMATWN - superior to money. i.e. not able to be bribed

MONOMACIA - a single combat. ie. a duel (e.g. Psa 151 David vs. Goliath)

MOUSWN ORNIQES - the birds of the Muses. ie. the poets

NEKROS OU DAKNEI - a dead man doesn't bite.  ie. dead men tell no tales

NEFOS MARTURWN - a cloud of witnesses.  for a host of witnesses, a multitude
of w'. (Heb 12:1)

hO ELEFAS THN MUIAN OUK ALEGIZEI - an elephant doesn't trouble himself about
a fly  :-)

ONOU POKAI - Ass's wool. something that does not exist  :-)

ORNIQWN GALA - birds' milk. any marvelous good fortune

OUDEN OUTW PIAINEI TON hIPPON hWS BASILEWS OFQALMOS - nothing so fattens a
horse as the king's eye; a person's affairs prosper best when he sees to
them himself (Plutarch)

OUDEN PROS EPOS - nothing to the word.  ie. not to the point, off the
subject

hO FILOS hETEROS EGW - a friend is a second self (Aristotle)

PANTA KALWN EXIASI - they are letting out every reef. idiom for they are
doing all they can (Euripides)

POLLA METAXU PELEI KULIKOS KAI CEILIOS AKPOU - there's many a slip 'twixt
the cup and the lip (Aristotle)

PUR MACAIPAi MH SKALEUEIN - don't poke a fire w. a sword.  ie. don't provoke
an angry man (Pythagorean proverb)

SKIAMACIA - shadow-fighting. ie. a mock fight

SKIAS ONAR - the dream of a shadow. for anything fleeting or unreal (Pindar
~ SKIAS ONAR ANQPWPOI)

SPEUDE BRADEWS - make haste slowly (favorite saying of Emperor Augustus) cf.
Festina lente [L]

SUKINH MACAIRA - a fig-wood sword. a weak and ineffective argument

SUKINOI ANDRES - fig-wood men. weak, good-for-nothing fellows (Theocritus)
:-)

TA SUKA SUKA, THN SKAFHN SKAFHN LEGEIV - to call figs figs, a tub (a boat) a
tub (a boat). to call things by their right name however coarse, speak
frankly (Lucian II A.D.) cf. our Eng.  ~to call a spade a spade

TRISKAIDEKAPACUS - a fellow thirteen cubits tall. ie. a big lunkhead
(Theocritus)

hUDRAN TEMNEIS - you're wounding a Hydra (a many-headed serpent monster who
grew two heads in the place of every head that was cut off). ie. you're
laboring in vain or you're making the matter worse.  re. hydra cf. Eng. ~a
hydra-headed organization

hUMWN DE KAI hAI TRICES THS KEFALHS PASAI HRIQMHMENAI EISIN - yea, even the
very hairs of your head are all numbered. ie. I know you very well,
intimately (Matt 10:30)

hUSTERON PROTERON - the latter (become) the former or the later first. This
transferred over to the Eng. hysteron proteron.  cf. also our expression
~putting the cart before the horse.

e.g. when I said on a recent post that the English translation NET also put
ARCIEREUS (high priest) for "priest" at Heb 6:20.  This should be reversed
and corrected to read "priest" for ARCIEREUS.  That's what you call hUSTERON
PROTERON.
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2004-January/027768.html


Michael Tarver
Oregon, USA
<'\\><  laus Deo




More information about the B-Greek mailing list