Aristophanes Wasps 719

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Wasps. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.

Current edition Experimental

English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (English) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Σφῆκες Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 729-759 focus
Translations (1)
Wasps (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; 1938 compilation). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 719 focus

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

724. mvp-tlg0019-tlg004-sanjaya-com-eng1-37

Line 724

πλὴν κωλακρέτου γάλα πίνειν.
The compound adjective κωλακρέτης (here in the genitive κωλακρέτου) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, constructed from κῶλον ('limb, joint') and κρέω ('to rub'), literally 'rubbing the joints.' In this context, it describes a dog that is rubbed down or anointed, a practice associated with pampered pets or hunting dogs. The term is semantically opaque without knowing the specific colloquialism of the time regarding the care of dogs in the Athenian household, where such anointing was a sign of excessive luxury or a specific training ritual for hunting dogs, contrasting with the wild nature of the 'wasps' (the chorus) who are otherwise associated with biting and fighting.