beware of Greeks bearing gifts
English edit
Etymology edit
Alludes to the ancient story of the Trojan horse, a gift for the Trojans which secretly contained Greeks.[1] The prototype of the phrase is found in a Latin phrase in the Aeneid, book 2, lines 48–49: equō nē crēdite, Teucrī. / Quidquid id est, timeō Danaōs et dōna ferentēs. (“Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even bearing gifts.”)
Proverb edit
beware of Greeks bearing gifts
- One should not trust one's enemies.
References edit
- ^ Gary Martin (1997–) “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”, in The Phrase Finder, retrieved 29 December 2016.