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ὡς οὗτος ἤδη καικίας καὶ συκοφαντίας πνεῖ.
The verb πνεῖ ('blows') is used here with the genitive case (and implicitly the accusative object of the mental state) to denote 'to be full of' or 'to breathe out' a specific quality. This construction, where πνέω governs the genitive of the quality being exhaled, is a characteristic Aristophanic usage that personifies abstract vices as physical emissions, distinct from the standard construction with εἶναι + genitive or simple dative of possession. The phrase captures the aggressive, almost physical projection of the character's malice.
Knights. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.