ὠκύς
δυοῖν κακοῖν προκειμένοιν τὸ μὴ χεῖρον βέλτιστον → the lesser of two evils, the less bad thing of a pair of bad things, better the devil you know, better the devil you know than the devil you don't, better the devil you know than the devil you don't know, better the devil you know than the one you don't, better the devil you know than the one you don't know, the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don't know, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't
English (LSJ)
[ῠ], ὠκεῖα, ὠκύ, gen. έος, είας, έος: Ep. and Ion. fem. ὠκέᾰ, as always in Il.,2.786, al. (in the formula ὠκέα Ἶρις), cf. Hes.Th. 780; in Od., only in 12.374 (
A v.l. ὠκύς): fem. pl. ὠκεῖαι Od.7.36; Ep. gen. ὠκειάων 9.101, Il.4.500, etc.; fem. ὠκύς Jo.Gaz.Ecphr.1.240, v.l. (ἐν πολλοῖς Sch.) in Od.12.374:—quick, swift, fleet, κιχάνει τοι βραδὺς ὠκύν Od.8.329; mostly of persons, freq. with πόδας added, specially of Achilles, Il.1.58, etc.; also ὠκὺς Ἀχ., without πόδας, 21.211, 22.188; so ὠκέα, of Iris, 2.786, al. (ὦκα δὲ Ἶ. shd. be read for ὠκέα δ' Ἶρις, 23.198); of animals, [ἴρηξ] ὤκιστος πετεηνῶν 15.238, cf. 21.253; ἵπποι 8.88; ἔλαφοι Od.6.104; also of things, esp. of ships, Il.8.197, Od.7.36; of arrows, Il.5.106, 112, al.; ὠ. πτέρυξ Pi.P.1.6; αἰετός Id.N.3.80; ἴτ' ἆσσον ὠκεῖς S.Ant.1215, cf. E.Ba. 452, etc.; ὠκὺς Ἄρης Id.Andr.106 (eleg.), cf. Od.8.331 (Sup.); of the sun, ὠ. ἠέλιος Mimn.11.5, AP7.466 (Leon.): also ὠκὺ νόημα h.Merc.43, cf. Od.7.36; θνατῶν φρένες ὠκύτεραι Pi.P.4.139; πρᾶξις, γάμος, ib.9.67,114 (Sup.); ὠκεῖαι χάριτες γλυκερώτεραι AP10.30: τὸ ὠκύ quickness, sharpness, E.Fr.1032; ὤκιστος τῇ ἀκοῇ Ael.NA6.63. 2 of sound, shrill, ἀοιδαί, of the creaking of door-hinges, A.R.4.42. II Adv. -έως Pi.P.3.58, N.10.64, Parth.2.6, Luc.Salt.19; cf. ὦκα: once neut. ὠκύ as Adv., ὣς ἔπεσ' Ἕκτορος ὠκὺ χαμαὶ μένος Il.14.418 (v.l. ὦκα, v. Sch.). III degrees of Comparison, regul. Sup. ὠκύτατος Od.8.331, Pi.P.9.114: irreg. Sup., ὤκιστος πετεηνῶν Il. 15.238, 21.253; ὤκιστος ὄλεθρος 22.325; [καιρός] A.Th.65. Adv. ὤκιστα Od.22.77, 133, A.R.4.242.—The word is mostly Ep., being used once by A. and once by S., but more freq. in E.; also in late Prose, as Aret.SA2.3 (Comp.), Ael. l.c., Luc.Herm.77.
