Peloponnesan War
Preserved but no longer current.
The beauty of Lais the Second so excited the jealousy of the Thessa- lonian women that they pricked her to death with their bodkins. She was the contemporary and rival of Phryne and sat to Apelles as a model. Demosthenes tells us that Lais sold her favours for 10,000 (Attic) drachmas (about £300).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Peloponnesan War” mean?
The beauty of Lais the Second so excited the jealousy of the Thessa- lonian women that they pricked her to death with their bodkins. She was the contemporary and rival of Phryne and sat to Apelles as a model. Demosthenes tells us that Lais sold her favours for 10,000 (Attic) drachmas (about £300).
Is “Peloponnesan War” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.