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χὤτι γʼ ἐν Ἐκβατάνοις δικάσεις, λείχων ἐπίπαστα.
The verb λείχων (licking) combined with ἐπίπαστα (grease/fat smeared on top) is a specific reference to the ritual of anointing the body with oil and then scraping off the dirt and oil with a strigil, but here used metaphorically and insultingly to suggest the addressee is so dirty or greedy that he must lick the grease off his own body. This phrase likely alludes to the specific practice of eating or licking food that has been smeared on the body, a common trope in Aristophanic comedy to depict the lower-class or gluttonous nature of the character (Cleon) being addressed. The phrase is a vivid example of the poet's use of visceral, physical imagery to convey moral and social degradation.
Knights. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.