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κἀκεῖνος μὲν φεύγει τὴν γῆν σὺ δʼ Ἀχιλλείων ἀπομάττει.
The verb ἀπομάττει (from ἀποματτόω) is rare in Aristophanes and here carries a specific technical sense of 'fending off' or 'repelling' an attack, likely with a weapon or shield, rather than the more general 'driving away'. The construction with the accusative τὴν γῆν (the land/earth) as the direct object of 'fleeing' is a notable instance of the verb φεύγει taking a direct object denoting the territory being abandoned, a usage that emphasizes the totality of the flight from the physical space rather than just a direction. This syntactic pairing highlights the contrast between the enemy's total retreat from the land and the protagonist's active, martial defense of it.
Knights. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.