The two eyes of Greece
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Athens and Sparta. To have two strings to one's DOW. See Bow.
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 “The two eyes of Greece” mean?
Athens and Sparta. To have two strings to one's DOW. See Bow.
Is “The two eyes of Greece” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.