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μὴ οὐ καταξαίνειν τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐς φοινικίδα;
The verb καταξαίνειν (to cut, tear, or hack) is used here in a comic, hyperbolic sense, referring to the physical mutilation or dismemberment of the character Dikaiopolis (or a specific character depending on the immediate context of the play's action) as a form of punishment or threat. The construction μεν...δε (implied in the rhetorical question's force) or the simple use of the negative particle μεν with the interrogative particle ου creates a strong rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, effectively meaning 'Are we not going to cut this man to pieces?' The use of the preposition ες (instead of the more common εις) with the accusative φοινικίδα (a Phoenician cloak) is notable; it suggests the act of cutting the man *into* the cloak or *into* pieces resembling the cloak, or perhaps a specific reference to the cloak itself being the instrument or target of the violence. The phrase 'cut into a Phoenician cloak' is a metaphorical or literal threat of dismemberment, playing on the idea of reducing a man to the size or shape of a garment, or perhaps a reference to a specific scene where the character is being forced into a ridiculous or humiliating position involving the cloak.
Acharnians. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.