Κρόταλον

Κρόταλον
Adler number: kappa,2476
Translated headword: rattle

Translation:
Properly a reed that is cut and fashioned purposely to make a sound, if one shakes it with one's hands, as though [from] 'accomplishing a rattling.'[1] So he[2] is saying, "you will be clear and articulate in speech, just like rattles;" meaning supple-tongued, well spoken.
Greek Original:
Κρόταλον: ἰδίως ὁ σχιζόμενος κάλαμος καὶ κατασκευαζόμενος ἐπίτηδες ὥστε ἠχεῖν, εἴ τις αὐτὸν δονοίη ταῖς χερσὶ καθάπερ κρόταλον ἀποτελῶν. τρανὸς οὖν ἔσῃ, φησί, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν διηρθρωμένος, καθάπερ τὰ κρόταλα: ἀντὶ τοῦ εὔγλωττος, εὔστομος.
Notes:
The headword is accusative singular, as it appears in Aristophanes, Clouds 260 (Web address 1). The comments here are drawn from the scholia to this line. For the headword see also kappa 2477.
[1] Etymologizing the word κρόταλος ('rattle') as a combination of κροτος ('rattling sound') and ἀπο-τελ-ῶν ('accomplishing').
[2] Aristophanes (or his character Socrates) speaking to Strepsiades.


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