Κανθάρου μελάντερος

blacker than a dung-beetle

Translated by David Whitehead13 Jul 2006Vetting: high5 revisions

2 notes · 19 words

A proverb. Menander in Treasury [sc. uses it].¹
Also: 'wiser than a dung-beetle', in reference to villains and degenerates.²

Greek original · Adler’s text

Κανθάρου μελάντερος· παροιμία. Μένανδρος Θησαυρῷ. καὶ Κανθάρου σοφώτερος, ἐπὶ τῶν πονηρῶν καὶ κακοήθων.

Betacode

*kanqa/rou mela/nteros: paroimi/a. *me/nandros *qhsaurw=|. kai\ *kanqa/rou sofw/teros, e)pi\ tw=n ponhrw=n kai\ kakoh/qwn.

Notes (2)

For the dung-beetle see already kappa 310.
1Menander fr. 239 Kock, 202 K.-Th., 180 K.-A.; also in Photius, and in several of the paroemiographers. ↩
2Zenobius 4.65, etc. ↩

Linked from1 entry

κ310Κάνθαροςdung-beetle[The term comes] from the pack-ass [ka/nqwn], that is the donkey; and from the seminal fluid [o)ro/s], that is the seed. For they say that the dung-beetle is conceived in this way. Whenever it finds a compacted piece of…

Neighbouring entries

κ309ΚάνθαροςKantharos, Cantharus κ310Κάνθαροςdung-beetle κ311Κανθάρου μελάντεροςblacker than a dung-beetle κ312ΚανθήληKanthele, Canthele κ313Κανθήλιοςpack-ass

Revision history5 revisions · last 24 Dec 2014

24 Dec 2014Revised — David Whitehead
27 Jan 2013Revised — David Whitehead
27 Jan 2013Revised — David Whitehead
14 Jul 2006x-ref — David Whitehead
13 Jul 2006set status — Catharine Roth
13 Jul 2006Translated — David Whitehead