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Ἐπὶ κνάφου ἕλκεις · you are dragging [me] on a carding-comb (ε 2396) · Suda

Letters

Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω

Near ε2396

ε2392elbow-rest, head-rest
ε2393thieving
ε2394more thievish, rather thievish
ε2395flooding
ε2396you are dragging [me] on a carding-comb
ε2397scrapes over
ε2398is scratched
ε2399scrape over
ε2400on the cheek

Suda/Ε epsilon/ε2396

← Previous entry,ε2395 Next entry,ε2397 →

Ἐπὶ κνάφου ἕλκεις

you are dragging [me] on a carding-comb

Translated by David Whitehead2 Mar 2006Vetting: high6 revisions

aetiology
biography
botany
clothing
daily life
definition
+5

24 words

Translation

[Meaning] that you are destroying [me]. For fullers card cloaks by collecting a pile of thorns. The pile used to be called a knaphos.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Ἐπὶ κνάφου ἕλκεις· ὅτι διαφθείρεις. οἱ γὰρ κναφεῖς ἀκανθῶν σωρὸν συστρέψαντες ἱμάτια κνάφουσιν. ὁ δὲ σωρὸς ἐλέγετο κνάφος.

Betacode

*)epi\ kna/fou e(/lkeis: o(/ti diafqei/reis. oi( ga\r knafei=s a)kanqw=n swro\n sustre/yantes i(ma/tia kna/fousin. o( de\ swro\s e)le/geto kna/fos.

Notes

cf. Hesychius s.v.; Appendix Proverbiorum 2.81. The ultimate source, mentioned there but not here (but cf. kappa 1854), is the episode in Herodotus 1.92.4 (cf. Plutarch, On the Malice of Herodotus 858E) of Croesus doing this to the friend of Pantaleon (e)pi\ kna/fou e(/lkwn die/fqeire). For a knaphos as an instrument of torture see also kappa 1853.

Linked from1 entry

κ1854Κνάφοςcarding-combIn Herodotus [this means] a thorn dragging through clothes. In times past carders would comb wool by rolling up a heap of thorns. And the heap was called knaphos.

Neighbouring entries

ε2394Ἐπικλοπώτεροςmore thievish, rather thievish ε2395Ἐπικλύσασαflooding ε2396Ἐπὶ κνάφου ἕλκειςyou are dragging [me] on a carding-comb ε2397Ἐπικναίειscrapes over ε2398Ἐπικνίζεταιis scratched

Revision history6 revisions · last 23 Sep 2019

23 Sep 2019tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
28 Jan 2016Revised — David Whitehead
14 Oct 2012coding — Catharine Roth
14 Oct 2012more keywords — David Whitehead
3 Mar 2006another x-ref — David Whitehead
2 Mar 2006added keyword, set status — Catharine Roth
2 Mar 2006Translated — David Whitehead

Cite this entry

Suda On Line, s.v. Ἐπὶ κνάφου ἕλκεις (Adler number epsilon 2396), trans. David Whitehead, 2 Mar 2006. https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/epsilon/2396

Translation by David Whitehead for Suda On Line, revised by Catharine Roth, David Whitehead, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Shown unchanged, under the same licence, non-commercially. Original on SOL ↗