1314.
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Line 1314
εἱειειειλίσσετε δακτύλοις φάλαγγες
The verb εἱειειειλίσσετε is a comic neologism formed by reduplicating the syllable 'ει' three times to mimic the rapid, rolling sound of the fingers (δακτύλοις) as they strike the lyre or chime the rhythm for the phalanx (φάλαγγες) of frogs. This onomatopoeic construction serves as a phonetic pun, collapsing the distinction between the action of 'rolling' or 'turning' the fingers and the military 'phalanx' formation, thereby satirizing the frogs' attempt to mimic human military drills through their own croaking and limb movements.
1315.
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Line 1315
The phrase ἱστόπονα πηνίσματα is a striking compound adjective paired with a rare noun. ἱστόπονα (warp-weaving) is a coined compound, and πηνίσματα (warp-threads) derives from πηνίς, a term for the warp thread used in weaving, appearing here with metonymic force to denote the loom's threads themselves. The combination is a rare, almost technical, metaphorical usage found only in this passage, where Aristophanes employs weaving terminology to describe the 'threads' of a story or argument, likely alluding to the intricate construction of tragedy or the 'weaving' of a plot.
1327.
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Line 1327
The phrase ἀνὰ τὸ δωδεκαμήχανον refers to a specific prop or stage direction indicating the use of a 'twelve-oared' boat or mechanism, likely a representation of the river Styx or a boat crossing. The term δωδεκαμήχανον is rare and possibly a technical term for a stage apparatus or a metaphorical reference to the number of oars, which may allude to the mythological significance of the number twelve in the context of the journey to the underworld.
1336a.
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Line 1336a
This hapax legomenon (or rare compound) appears in the description of Hades in the Frogs. The term is a compound of μέλας (black), νεκρός (dead), and εἴμων (robe/dweller). While the semantic components are transparent, the specific compound is a striking example of Aristophanic comic invention, likely coined to evoke the grim, shrouded atmosphere of the underworld in a way that is both descriptive and rhythmically suited to the iambic trimeter. The form εἴμων, usually meaning 'garment' or 'dweller', here functions as a substantive epithet for the realm or its inhabitants, creating a dense, allusive image of a 'black-robed-dead' place. This construction exemplifies the poet's tendency to create new compounds for metrical and comic effect, pushing the boundaries of Attic usage.
1346.
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Line 1346
ἐγὼ δʼ ἁ τάλαινα προσέχουσʼ ἔτυχον
The phrase προσέχουσ' ἔτυχον presents a notable syntactic feature where the aorist of τυγχάνω ('to happen', 'to meet') governs a present participle (προσέχουσ' from προσέχω). While τυγχάνω often takes an infinitive or accusative with infinitive, the construction with a participle, particularly one indicating an attendant circumstance or simultaneous action ('happening to be paying attention'), is less common and requires attention to the aspectual interplay: the present participle emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action at the moment of the 'chance' encounter, rather than the action itself being the object of the chance. This specific usage highlights the colloquial, dramatic rhythm of Aristophanic dialogue, where the syntax mirrors the immediacy of the character's realization.
1349.
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Line 1349
The adverbial prefix εἱ- in εἱειειειλίσσουσα is a rare, intensifying reduplication (or 'pleonastic' doubling) of the standard εἰ- found in εἱλίσσω. While εἱλίσσω generally means 'to wind' or 'to twist', the triple or quadruple vowel extension here serves a specific comic function, mimicking the visual and auditory sensation of continuous, convoluted, or excessive twisting motion. This morphological play is characteristic of Aristophanic onomatopoeia, where the form of the word enacts the action described, distinct from standard Doric or Attic verbal forms found elsewhere in the corpus.
1351.
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Line 1351
The verb ἀποδοίμαν is an optative of ἀποδίδωμι in the first person singular, functioning as a curse (optative of wish). The form is metrically contracted from ἀποδοίμην (or ἄποδον), a rare morphological variant in tragedy and comedy where the augment and the ending are fused or the augment is omitted in the optative, creating a specific metrical fit for the iambic trimeter here. This construction is distinct from the more common indicative or subjunctive forms and highlights the performative, imprecatory nature of the speaker's wish for the addressee to 'pay the penalty' or 'make restitution' in a context of intense hostility.
1353.
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Line 1353
ἐμοὶ δʼ ἄχεʼ ἄχεα κατέλιπε,
The construction ἄχεα κατέλιπε (accusative plural of the noun ἄχος used as the direct object) exhibits a rare pleonastic intensification where the verb's meaning 'to leave behind' is reinforced by the repetition of the noun in a form that emphasizes the overwhelming, cumulative nature of the grief. While the repetition of a noun with a verb of leaving (καταλείπω) is attested, the specific use of the plural ἄχεα to denote 'layers of grief' or 'grief piled upon grief' in this context, rather than a simple plural of number, represents a sophisticated poetic usage where the plural functions semantically as a mass noun of intensity, a nuance often missed even by advanced readers accustomed to standard prose usage.
1361.
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Line 1361
σὺ δʼ ὦ Διὸς διπύρους ἀνέχουσα
The epithet διπύρους (double-baked) is a rare and distinctive hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, used here to describe the cakes offered to Demeter (implied by the context of the sentence, though the noun is elided). This specific compound adjective highlights the ritualistic preparation of the 'bikatos' or 'bikatos' cakes, which were central to the Thesmophoria festival, a key context for the play's satire of the Eleusinian mysteries. The use of this precise technical term for a ritual object, rather than a generic word for 'cake', signals Aristophanes' engagement with the specific liturgical vocabulary of the cult, grounding the comic address in the actual material culture of the mystery rites.
1379.
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Line 1379
καὶ λαβομένω τὸ ῥῆμʼ ἑκάτερος εἴπατον,
The form εἴπατον is a dual aorist indicative active of λέγω, used here to indicate that the two speakers (Dionysus and Xanthias) spoke in unison or simultaneously. This dual form is rare in Attic comedy, where the plural is more common even for pairs, but it serves a specific dramatic function here to emphasize the coordinated action of the two characters as they take the turn to speak.
1384.
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Line 1384
κόκκυ, μέθεσθε· καὶ πολύ γε κατωτέρω
The imperative 'μέθεσθε' (let go) is addressed to the chorus, who in performance are likely representing the birds or the underworld spirits accompanying the descent, while 'κόκκυ' functions as an interjection mimicking the cuckoo's cry or a specific call to the bird-characters. This line occurs during the descent into Hades, where the chorus sings of the underworld's sounds; the adverb 'κατωτέρω' (lower down) signals the physical progression of the characters' movement in the staging, emphasizing the verticality of the journey into the depths of Hades, a motif central to the play's comic geography.
1388.
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Line 1388
σὺ δʼ εἰσέθηκας τοὔπος ἐπτερωμένον.
The phrase ἐπτερωμένον modifies τοὔπος (τὸ ὄψος) in the accusative, yet the verb εἰσέθηκας (you brought in) takes a direct object. This construction relies on the accusative of respect (or accusative of the predicate) where the participle describes the state of the object upon its arrival, rather than a standard accusative of the thing brought. The imagery of 'speech' (ὄψος, here meaning 'report' or 'news') being 'winged' is a direct allusion to the Homeric motif of winged words (e.g., *Iliad* 2.340), but Aristophanes applies it ironically to the arrival of a specific, perhaps trivial or scandalous, report in the context of the play's satire on contemporary Athenian politics and the recent execution of generals.
1408.
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Line 1408
αὐτὸς τὰ παιδίʼ ἡ γυνὴ Κηφισοφῶν
The phrase 'ἡ γυνὴ Κηφισοφῶν' is a standard nominative appositive construction identifying the wife of the character Kallias (the 'Cleisthenes' of the play is his father, but the wife is Kallias's wife, Kallipides's wife, or simply a reference to the wife of Kallias). The specific name 'Kephisophon' refers to the wife of Kallias, a prominent Athenian general and politician during the Peloponnesian War. The phrase is not a grammatical anomaly but a clear identification of a specific historical figure, which is crucial for understanding the satirical context of the play, where Aristophanes mocks the political and social elite of Athens. The use of the definite article 'ἡ' before the noun 'γυνὴ' and the name 'Κηφισοφῶν' is typical for such appositional constructions, where the name is in apposition to the noun, clarifying the identity of the person being referred to.
1437.
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Line 1437
εἴ τις πτερώσας Κλεόκριτον Κινησίᾳ,
The participle πτερώσας (aorist active participle of πτερόω) is a rare and vivid metaphorical usage, literally meaning 'to wing' or 'to give wings to,' employed here to denote the act of slapping or striking someone on the backside (a common euphemism for a beating). The syntax relies on the participle functioning adverbially with the implied subject of the conditional clause, creating a compact, colloquial idiom characteristic of Aristophanic comedy that would be obscure to a reader relying solely on standard grammatical paradigms.
1444.
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Line 1444
The sentence presents a gnomic antithesis relying on the polysemy of πίστ(α). Here, the first πίστ refers to 'security' or 'guarantee' (derived from πίστις as a pledge), while the second refers to 'trustworthiness' or 'reliability' (derived from the adjective πιστός). This wordplay, contrasting the objective fact of a 'pledge' with the subjective failure of 'faith', is a hallmark of Aristophanic irony regarding the instability of political alliances and human nature in the play.
