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Sunday, August 04, 2024

A Threatening Hand Gesture

Plutarch, Life of Timoleon 11.2 (tr. Ian Scott-Kilvert):
Finally he stretched out his hand with the palm upwards, and then, turning it downwards, declared that he would overturn the city in the same way.

τέλος ὑπτίαν τὴν χεῖρα δείξας, εἶτ᾽ αὖθις καταστρέψας ἠπείλησε τοιαύτην οὖσαν αὐτῷ τὴν πόλιν τοιαύτην ποιήσειν.
ἠπείλησε is stronger than declared: see Liddell-Scott-Jones, s.v. ἀπειλέω, sense II = threaten.