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† καί με κακίσταις † ἔκνισε· κᾆθʼ ὅτʼ ἀπεδειρόμην,
The text exhibits a clear crux at the beginning of the sentence. The transmitted reading is corrupted by the inclusion of the dagger symbol (†) in many critical editions, indicating a lacuna or a severe textual corruption. The verb ἔκνισε (he crushed/bruised) requires a direct object, which is missing if we take the text literally as 'and he crushed me with the worst things.' The most widely accepted conjecture, proposed by scholars such as Dindorf and adopted by most modern editors (e.g., K. J. Dover, A. M. Dale), is that the text should be restored as καί με κακίστ' ἔκνισε (and he crushed me with the worst [words/acts]), where κακίστ' is an adverbial accusative of quality or a shortening of κακίστοις λόγοις. However, some editors, noting the parallel with the later clause, suggest the corruption might involve the omission of a noun like 'words' or 'blows'. The presence of the dagger in the prompt indicates a recognized textual uncertainty that requires critical resolution before syntactic analysis can proceed with certainty.
Wasps. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.