1165.
mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-46
Line 1165
ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ὑπαποκινεῖν. κρητικῶς οὖν τὼ πόδε
The verb ὑπαποκινεῖν (to start moving, to set out) is a hapax legomenon in the surviving corpus of Aristophanes and rare in the broader Attic corpus. Here, the prefix ὑπο- combined with ἀποκινεῖν creates a specific nuance of 'setting in motion' or 'urging forward' that is distinct from the simple ἀποκινεῖν, likely emphasizing the promptness or the physical act of rising to depart for the meal. The form is an infinitive used in a periphrastic construction with the implied subject of the preceding context, functioning as a purpose or result clause in the comedic dialogue.
1169.
mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-47
Line 1169
This is not a complete sentence but the first element of a 171-letter compound noun (λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιομελιτοκαταβλητοσιμειοσιχοπτοφαλλοκρεπτοπεριστεραλεκτρυονοπτοκεφαλλιοκιγκλοπελειολαγωοσιραιοφαλληγοσσαιβιβλιοφαρμακοκηληκισσελοφιλλοκωστοκεφαλοκεραυνόπτομο-), which Aristophanes constructs in Ecclesiazusae (1167) to satirize the pretentious verbosity of contemporary politicians and the absurdity of the Athenian political lexicon. The word is a syntactic marvel, a 'spondee' of the lexicon, composed of seventeen distinct roots (e.g., λοπάδιον 'dining tray', τεμαχίο 'slice', σέλαχος 'shark', γαλεός 'mackerel', etc.) to describe an impossibly elaborate dish, serving as a parody of the 'long-winded' speeches of the assembly and the tendency of politicians to pile up qualifications and details to obscure meaning.
1170.
mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-48
Line 1170
κρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματο-
This is a single hapax legomenon composed of six distinct elements (κράνιον, λείψανον, ὀδριμύς, τρίμμα, and the adjectival suffix -ο-) to form a compound adjective describing a 'cranial-bone-scraps-bitter-crumb' or 'bitter, crumbly bone-scraps from a skull.' The word is a quintessential example of Aristophanic 'comic hyperbole' (or 'grotesque compound'), where the author stacks morphemes to absurd lengths to satirize the extreme poverty and meager diet of the characters (specifically Praxagora's description of the food in the utopia of the women). The construction is syntactically regular for a compound adjective but semantically and morphologically unique in surviving Greek literature, serving as a focal point for the play's theme of inversion and the absurdity of the proposed social experiment.
1171.
mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-49
Line 1171
σιλφιοτυρομελιτοκατακεχυμενο-
This hapax legomenon is a striking example of Aristophanic compounding, merging four distinct nouns (σέλφιον, τυρός, μέλι, κατακεχυμένον) into a single attributive participle to describe a specific, elaborate sauce. While the individual components are common, their combination into a single lexical unit is unique in extant Greek literature, reflecting the playwright's tendency to create grotesque, hyper-specific descriptions of the 'new cuisine' associated with the wealthy or the exotic. The form also demonstrates the phonological assimilation of the initial sigma in the compound to the following tau, resulting in the double sigma spelling.
1172.
mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-50
Line 1172
κιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστερα-
This string is not a coherent sentence but a composite of three distinct birds (chickens, jays, and doves) combined into a single hyper-compound adjective, likely representing the title or a specific line of the lost play 'The Birds' or a satirical reference within the 'Ecclesiazusae' context regarding the 'Birds' comedy. The construction exemplifies Aristophanes' penchant for creating 'hapax legomena' through excessive compounding to evoke a specific comic effect, possibly mocking the verbose titles of contemporary plays or the chaotic nature of the assembly. The specific combination 'κιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστερα' is not attested in the surviving manuscripts of the 'Ecclesiazusae' and appears to be a modern reconstruction or a misinterpretation of a fragmentary line; the standard text of 'Ecclesiazusae' does not contain this specific compound, suggesting a textual crux or a confusion with the title of Aristophanes' lost play 'The Birds' (Περὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων) or a specific reference to the 'Birds' comedy within the text. The compound itself is a linguistic curiosity, combining 'κιχλη' (chick), 'κλέπτης' (thief), 'συμφύρ' (mixture?), 'φαττός' (fowl?), and 'περιστερά' (dove), creating a nonsensical yet humorous term that highlights the absurdity of the situation.
1173.
mvp-tlg0019-tlg010-sanjaya-com-eng1-51
Line 1173
λεκτρυονοπτεκεφαλλιοκιγκλοπε-
This string represents the notorious 'comic neologism' (or 'word-creation') found at line 1077 of the Ecclesiazusae, where Praxagora lists the absurd names of the new laws in a manner that satirizes the tendency of politicians to coin obscure terms. The word is a portmanteau constructed from lectron (couch), optos (roasted), kephalio (head), kinklo (belt), and pe (feet), creating a single, grotesque compound that has no precedent in serious Attic prose and serves as a pinnacle of Aristophanic linguistic absurdity.
