[Meaning] yesterday's food, strictly speaking.[1] It was a custom among young diners and overnight guests to take take possession,[2] from the leftover dinners of those who were asleep, the juices[3] mixed[4] for such a prank. But personally I think[5] instead that the term was created by the orator from 'leftovers', that is 'old things'; because
Aeschines is making his accusations after mixing together old matters.
*(ewlokrasi/a: to\ xqizo\n brw=ma kuri/ws. e)/qos h)=n toi=s ne/ois deipnou=si kai\ nuktereu/ousi katasxei=n tw=n koimwme/nwn tw=n e(w/lwn dei/pnwn tou\s zwmou/s, pro\s toiau/thn paidia\n kekrame/nous. e)gw\ de\ ma=llon nomi/zw pepoih=sqai to\ o)/noma u(po\ tou= r(h/toros a)po\ tw=n e(w/lwn, a(/ e)stin a)rxai=a: o(/ti pra/gmata a)rxai=a sugkera/sas kathgorei= o( *ai)sxi/nhs.
Much of the lexicography on this word, including also
epsilon 1886, derives from commentary to
Demosthenes'
On the Crown (18.50: web address 1). The closest parallels to this entry in its entirety are:
Photius,
Lexicon pi2524 Theodoridis;
Etymologicum Magnum 352.23-29; and
Etymologicum Gudianum 577.3-8, with important differences to be noted below.
[1] Up to this point the entry =
Lexica Segueriana 246.2;
Photius,
Lexicon pi2522.
[2]
Photius,
Etym.Magn. and
Etym.Gud. (see general note above) have
kataxei=n ('pour over') rather than
kate/xein ('take possession'. This produces much better sense, and is consistent with what we know about this symposiastic custom from other sources: "it was a custom ... to pour the juices from the leftover dinners over those who were asleep." An error similar to the Suda's is found in the
Lexicon anepigraphum quod incipit a voce *ai(mwdei=n 623.60-624.2 (
kate/xein: 'hold possession').
[3] In an alternative (and more likely) explanation of the custom, it is not juices from last night's dinner but dregs from last night's wine that is poured over the sleepers: so
scholia to
Demosthenes 18.102;
Hesychius epsilon7735;
Lex.Seg. 258.12-14;
Lexicon Patmense 151.8-14; the anonymous
Lexeis Rhetoricae 48 Naoumides; Pardus,
Commentarium in Hermogenis librum
*peri\ meqo/dou deino/thtos 1159.3-12;
Etym.Magn. 352.34-38;
Etym.Gud. 577.17-18;
scholia to Lucian 17.3 Rabe. See also
epsilon 1886.
[4] So also
Photius (see general note above), but
Etym.Magn.,
Etym.Gud. and the Lexicon...
*ai(mwdei=n (see note 2) have
tetramme/nois ('reared'), referring to the youths rather than to the juices.
[5] This "I" is
Didymus, according to Cohn (cited by Theodoridis); in any event this entire comment is quoted verbatim (with some slight variations) by several sources, including those who follow both the "dregs" and the "juices" variations of the custom. For the latter cf.
Photius,
Etym.Magn. and
Etym.Gud. (see general note above); for the former,
scholia to
Demosthenes 18.102; Pardus (see note 3) 1159.3-12.
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