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.