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ἀλλʼ ἐξάνοιγε μηχανὰς τὰς Σισύφου,
The imperative ἐξάνοιγε (aorist active, 2nd person singular) is formed with the augment and the -ε ending characteristic of the Attic aorist of verbs in -νυμι (cf. ἄνοιγε). However, the prefix ἐξ- here is not a simple spatial 'out' but implies the 'unveiling' or 'unearthing' of a scheme, a usage reinforced by the genitive object μηχανὰς. The construction relies on the specific semantic range of μηχανή, which here denotes not merely a 'device' but a 'plot' or 'stratagem' (specifically the Sisyphian trick of escaping death or deceiving the gods), a meaning that resonates with the play's broader themes of legal and rhetorical trickery. The reference to Sisyphus is particularly apt in a comedy where the protagonist Dicaeopolis seeks to outwit the state and the chorus through legal loopholes, as Sisyphus was proverbially the 'cleverest' of men, often associated with trickery and evasion of justice.
Acharnians. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.