φιλονικέω
τὸν αὐτὸν ἔρανον ἀποδοῦναι → pay him back in his own coin, repay him in his own coin, pay someone back in their own coin, pay back in someone's own coin, give tit for tat, pay back in kind
English (LSJ)
A to be fond of victory, engage in rivalry, be contentious, mostly in bad sense, φρονήματι φιλονικῶν ἠναντιοῦτο out of contentiousness, party spirit, Th.5.43 (-νεικ- codd.), cf. Lys.22.8 (-νεικ- codd.); φιλονικοῦντας, ἀλλ' οὐ ζητοῦντας τὸ προκείμενον Pl.Grg. 457d, cf. R.499e, Lys.33.4 (-νεικ- codd.); οἵτινες.. νενικηκότες ἤδη.. οὕτω φιλονικοῦσιν (v.l. -νεικ-) , ὥστε.. X.HG6.3.16: of the state, φ. παρὰ τὸ ἐπιεικές Democr.252; φ. ἄνευ γνώμης Thrasym.1.—Constr., abs., v. supr.; φ. περὶ παιδικῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους Lys.3.40 (-νεικ- codd.); πρὸς ἀρετήν Pl.Lg.731a; οὐ πρός γε αὐτὸ τοῦτο (ὃ add. codd. opt.) φιλονικοῦμεν, ὅπως.. Id.Phlb.14b; φ. περὶ πάντων, περὶ κάλλους, Isoc.2.25, 10.48; ἀριστείων πέρι Pl.Lg.935c, cf. D.5.25: simply c. acc., φ. τὸ ἐμὲ εἶναι τὸν ἀποκρινόμενον to be eager that I should be the answerer, Pl.Prt. 360e; the acc. is mostly a neut. Adj., τὰ χείρω φ. to be so obstinate as to choose the worst, Th.5.111 (-νεικ- codd.); μηδὲν φιλονίκει D.20.144 (-νεικ- codd.); φ. ὅπως.. X.Mem.2.3.17: c. inf., φ. ἐπιδεῖξαι Plu.Pomp.31; ἐφιλονίκησαν (v.l. -νεικ-) αὐτούς is dub. in Arist.Pol.1306b1.
2 in good sense, ἁμιλλώμενοι καὶ φ. X.Cyr.1.4.15; περὶ καλλίστων φ. Isoc.4.85; φ. ὅπως.. Id.5.113.
German (Pape)
[Seite 1283] den Sieg lieben, nach dem Vorrange streben; Isocr. 4, 85 nach Bekker, vulg. -νεικέω; auch sonst als v.l. hiervon.
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
φῐλονικέω: -νικία, -νικος, ἴδε ἐν λέξει φιλόνεικος, ἐν τέλει.
