Laconic phrase
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look up laconic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
A very short or terse statement, named after Laconia, an area of modern and ancient Greece. Due to the militaristic traditions of the people of ancient Sparta, the most important city in Laconia, the Laconians focused less on the development of education, arts, and literature. Some view this as having contibuted to the Laconian characteristically blunt speech. The Spartans were especially famous for their dry wit, which is called "laconic" after the region and its people. Laconic Speech in modern usage is attributed to ones using as few words as possible, while being terse and concise.
[edit] Examples
- The most famous example comes from the time of the invasion of Phillip II. With key Greek city-states in submission, he turned his attention to Sparta and sent a message: "If I win this war, you will be slaves forever". The Spartans sent back a one word reply: "If." Another version claims the famous exchange was: "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city." Their reply was "If." Subsequently, Philip and Alexander both would leave them alone.
- Before the Battle of Thermopylae, Dienekes the Spartan, when told the Persian arrows blocked out the sun, responded with "Good, we shall fight in the shade".
- When Spartan mothers presented the shield to their sons, when they were leaving for battle, they used to speak to their sons the laconically short phrase: Συν ται η επι ται! , "With it or on it!", implying that the son should return (victoriously) with his shield, or (his cremated body in an urn) on it, but by no means after having saved himself by throwing away his heavy shield when fleeing.
- When the Spartan King Leonidas was in charge of guarding the narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae with just 300 Spartan men in order to delay the invading Persian army, the Persian leader Xerxes offered to spare his men if they gave up their arms. King Leonidas replied "Molon Labe" (Greek "Μολών Λαβέ"), which translates to "Come and get them."
 |
This vocabulary-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
