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The expression is applied to female and to male love-objects. Illustrations of the application to males [are] many, and in the Lovers of Achilles [it is] clear that it has been understood in this way. For after the Satyrs contribute something towards womanly desire, Phoinix says: "alas, you have ruined, as you see, the darling".[1] And [sc. witness also] Cratinus in Panoptai [writes]: "for you hate women; you are now turning instead to darlings".[2] But Eupolis [shows] that they also used to refer to women in this way; for someone says, about a girl piper, "personally I delight in your darling".[3] And Cratinus in Horai, when the concubine loves Dionysos who is away, says of him "blessed [is he] in darlings".[4] But not only beloveds are described by this word; no, by a metaphor [derived] from them, all who are taken very seriously are also. Plato in Phaedrus [writes]: "have you taken it seriously, Phaedrus, that I laid hands on your darling; I will quiz you."[5] That which is child-like [paidariw=des] is also called paidiko/n,[6] like something suitable to a child. For the most part the expression refers to the objects of lewd passion.
"They say that Antinoos became Hadrian's darling, and that after his premature death [Hadrian] ordered that he be honoured with statues everywhere, and that ultimately a star appeared in the sky, which he used to say was Antinoos; and Hadrian was said to gaze into the sky."[7]

*paidika/: e)pi\ qhleiw=n kai\ a)rre/nwn e)rwme/nwn ta/ttetai h( le/cis. paradei/gmata tou= e)pi\ me\n tw=n a)rre/nwn ta/ttesqai polla/, kai\ e)n toi=s *)axille/ws de\ e)rastai=s dh=lon w(s ou(/tws e)cei/lhptai. e)pido/ntwn ga/r ti tw=n *satu/rwn ei)s th\n gunaikei/an e)piqumi/an, fhsi\n o( *foi=nic: papai/, ta\ paidi/x', w(s o(ra=|s, a)pw/lesas. kai\ *krati=nos *pano/ptais: misei=s ga\r ta\s gunai=kas, pro\s paidika\ de\ tre/ph| nu=n. o(/ti de\ e)ka/loun ou(/tw kai\ ta\ pro\s ta\s gunai=kas, *eu)/polis: fhsi\ ga\r w(s pro\s au)lhtri/da tis: e)gw\ de\ xai/rw pro\s toi=s soi=s paidikoi=s. kai\ *krati=nos de\ *(/wrais, th=s pallakh=s a)podhmou=ntos tou= *dionu/sou e)rw/shs, fhsi\n e)p' au)tou=: maka/rios tw=n paidikw=n. ou)xi\ de\ mo/non oi( e)rw/menoi kalou=ntai tw=| o)no/mati, a)lla\ kai\ pa/ntes oi( spoudazo/menoi pa/nu, kata\ metafora\n th\n a)p' e)kei/nwn. *pla/twn *fai/drw|: e)spou/dakas, w)= *fai=dre, o(/ti sou tw=n paidikw=n e)pelabo/mhn: e)resxelh/sw se. le/getai de\ paidiko\n kai\ to\ paidariw=des, oi(=on to\ a(rmo/zon paidi/. h( de\ le/cis w(s e)pitopolu\ e)pi\ tw=n a)selgw=s e)rwme/nwn. o(/ti to\n *)anti/noo/n fasi paidika\ *)adrianou= gene/sqai, kai\ tou/tou proteleuth/santos, pantaxou= a)ndria/si prosta/cai timhqh=nai, kai\ te/los a)ste/ra tina\ dokei=n e)n tw=| ou)ranw=|, o(\n *)anti/noun e)/legen ei)=nai: kai\ e)le/geto ei)s to\n ou)rano\n a)fora=n *)adriano/s.

The first and principal paragraph here follows (with minor differences) Synagoge pi9 and Photius pi23 Theodoridis; cf. Hesychius pi62 and the scholia to Plato, Parmenides 127B (and Republic 3.402E). The headword (again pi 859) is neuter plural, used substantively, of the adjective paidiko/s ('of a child'). Since this plural form is used hypocoristically to refer to to a single love-object (cf. colloquial English 'babycakes', vel sim.), it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the reference is to one or more 'darlings' (cf. n. 2 below). See generally LSJ s.v.
[1] Sophocles fr. 153 Radt (from the satyr-play of that name).
[2] Cratinus fr. 152 Kock (163 K.-A.). Alternatively: "...to a darling."
[3] Eupolis fr. 327 Kock (356 K.-A.).
[4] Cratinus fr. 258 Kock (278 K.-A.).
[5] An approximation of Plato, Phaedrus 236B (e)resxelh/sw should be the present participle e)resxhlw=n).
[6] i.e. the neuter singular nominative/accusative form of the headword, used in its less specialized sense.
[7] Cassius Dio 69.11; cf. alpha 527, mu 668.

William Hutton (modified translation, augmented notes, raised status) on 24 March 2008@10:42:59.
David Whitehead (x-refs; tweaks and cosmetics) on 24 March 2008@11:03:53.
David Whitehead (tweaks and cosmetics) on 18 September 2013@07:47:44.
Catharine Roth (more keywords) on 29 June 2021@15:30:44.

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