μάχα
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
French (Bailly abrégé)
dor. c. μάχη.
English (Slater)
μᾰχα (-α, -ας, -ᾳ, -αν; -ᾶν, -αις.)
1 battle ἐν μάχαις τε πολέμου τιμώμενος (O. 2.44) πτολιπόρθοις ἐν μάχαις (O. 8.35) ἔα πόλεμον μάχαν τε πᾶσαν χωρὶς ἀθανάτων (O. 9.40) τράπε δὲ Κύκνεια μάχα καὶ ὑπέρβιον Ἡρακλέα (O. 10.15) ἐδόκησαν ἐπ' ἀμφότερα μαχᾶν τάμνειν τέλος (O. 13.57) ἦ κεν ἀμνάσειεν, οἵαις ἐν πολέμοισι μάχαις τλάμονι ψυχᾷ παρέμειν (P. 1.47) ἐν Σπάρτᾳ δ' ἄρα τᾶν πρὸ Κιθαιρῶνος μαχᾶν (sc. χάριν μισθὸν ἀρέομαι: τὰν μάχαν codd., corr. Wil.: i. e. at Plataiai) (P. 1.77) νικαφόροις ἐν ἀέθλοις θρέψαισα καὶ θοαῖς ὑπερτάτους ἥρωας ἐν μάχαις (P. 8.27) πόνων δὲ καὶ μαχᾶν ἄτερ οἰκέοισι (P. 10.42) πειρᾶτο δὲ πρῶτον μάχας (N. 1.43) ὅταν θεοὶ ἐν πεδίῳ Φλέγρας Γιγάντεσσιν μάχαν ἀντιάζωσιν (N. 1.67) μάχᾳ λεόντεσσιν ἀγροτέροις ἔπρασσεν φόνον (Tric.: ἐν μάχᾳ codd.) (N. 3.46) κράτιστον (sc. Αἴαντα) Ἀχιλέος ἄτερ μάχᾳ (N. 7.27) παρὰ πεζοβόαις ἵπποις τε ναῶν τ' ἐν μάχαις (N. 9.34) τοὶ καὶ σὺν μάχαις δὶς πόλιν Τρώων πράθον (I. 5.35) Τρξίας ἶνας ἐκταμὼν δορί, ταί μιν ῥύοντό ποτε μάχας ἐναριμβρότου ἔργον ἐν πεδίῳ κορύσσοντα (Tric.: ἐκ μάχας codd.) (I. 8.53)] τε μαχα [fr. 140a. 74 (48). κέντρον δὲ μάχας ὁ κρατιστεύων λόγος fr. 180. 3. Φρυγίας κοσμήτορα μάχας (sc. Ὅμηρον) ?fr. 347. of individual contests, fights, ἐρέω ταύταν χάριν, τὰν δ' ἔπειτ ἀνδρῶν μάχας ἐκ παγκρατίου (Schr.: μάχαν codd.) (O. 8.58) ἵνα κρεῶν νιν ὕπερ μάχας ἔλασεν ἀντιτυχόντ' ἀνὴρ μαχαίρᾳ (N. 7.42)
