The manuscript tradition presents a significant crux at this point: some codices read ἐκπεπρισμένα (perfected, polished), while others, including the more authoritative family of manuscripts, exhibit the reading ἐκπεπρισμένα only in the sense of 'severely punished' or 'cut up,' deriving from the verb πρίζω (to cut, hack). The context of the play, where the character is discussing the fate of the tyrant, suggests a pun on the dual meaning of the participle: both 'having been thoroughly treated' (in a rhetorical sense) and 'having been physically hacked to pieces.' This ambiguity is central to the comedic effect, as it conflates the rhetorical refinement of the speech with the violent physical retribution the tyrant deserves.