My daughter recently learned a series of neologisms at school, including the clever but cloying “hangry”. What is a classically trained pedant to do but look for ancient precedents for a newly coined term?
Phrynichus, fr. 75
“In the grumpy rages of old men with rotting lives.”
ἐν χαλεπαῖς ὀργαῖς ἀναπηροβίων †γερόντων
Aristophanes, Knights 706-7
“You’re so cranky! Come on, what can I feed you?
What do you munch on most happily? Is it a wallet?”
ὡς ὀξύθυμος. φέρε τί σοι δῶ καταφαγεῖν;
ἐπὶ τῷ φάγοις ἥδιστ᾿ ἄν; ἐπὶ βαλλαντίῳ;
Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 291 c (book 7=Nicomachus, fr. 1)
“Some foods make you gassy or give you indigestion or give
Punishment instead of nourishment. Everyone who eats
Something which is bad for them gets sharp-tempered or crazy.”
…τῶν γὰρ βρωμάτων
πνευματικὰ καὶ δύσπεπτα καὶ τιμωρίαν
ἔχοντ᾿ ἔνι᾿ ἔστιν, οὐ τροφήν, δειπνῶν δὲ πᾶς
τἀλλότρια γίνετ᾿ ὀξύχειρ κοὐκ ἐγκρατής·
Palladas, Greek Anthology 11.371
“Don’t invite me to be a witness for your hunger-bringing plates…”
Μή με κάλει δίσκων ἐπιίστορα λιμοφορήων
Cf. λιμοκτονεῖν, “to kill by hunger, to starve to death”
Suggested compounds (all new, of course):
λιμοχολοῦσθαι, (limokholousthai): “to feel anger because of hunger”
λιμομηνίειν, (limomêniein): “to feel range because of hunger” (with implication that the subject is divine
λιμοθυμεῖσθαι: (limothumeisthai): “to be upset because of hunger”
λιμοδυσφορεῖν: (limodusphorein): “to handle hunger badly”
