Kerkôpizein: hê paroimia apo tôn prossainontôn têi kerkôi zôiôn metênenktai. ameinon de legein autên apo Kerkôpôn, hous peri tên Ludian historousin apatêlous sphodra kai aêdeis genesthai.
The verb is found in the proverb collector
Zenobius (4.50), whom the Suda cites verbatim. It is frequently commented on by lexicographers, grammarians and other paroemiographers, e.g.:
Diogenianus,
Hesychius, the
Lexica Segueriana,
Photius,
Eustathius, Gregorius (Patriarch Gregory II), Michael
Apostolius. The Suda's infinitive, here, was once regarded as an unattributable fragment of Attic comedy: adespota fr. 1036 Kock, but not registered by K.-A.
The verb clearly derives from
ke/rkwy (i.e. only indirectly from
ke/rkos): either the mythical man-monkeys (
kappa 1405,
kappa 1406), or the more prosaic long-tailed ape of the same name. (The ambiguity of the noun is noted in
kappa 1410.) LSJ s.v. derives the verb from the latter meaning: "play the ape", not "the Kerkops".
The lexicographic tradition of the verb diverges around two forms: the infinitive attested here, and the plural present participle
kerkwpi/zontes given in
kappa 1409 (q.v.). The major tradition from
Zenobius onwards is the infinitive, which is glossed around notions of malice (be treacherous, deceive, flatter), consistent with the description of the Kerkopes, and the first gloss of
ke/rkwy in
kappa 1410, as "cheat".
The participle
kerkwpi/zontes is given in
Hesychius and
Photius (cf.
kappa 1409), and is associated with mockery. The second sense is consistent with the perception of monkeys and apes as mimics, and the association is made explicit from
Photius onwards.
It seems likely, given this divergence, that different lexicographers were merely guessing at the meaning of the verb from the time of
Zenobius (whose etymology from
ke/rkos was already fanciful). One tradition guessed that it involved the Kerkopes, hence deceit (or flattery, through
Zenobius' wagging tail); another guessed it involved the
kerkops ape, hence mimicry. Because the sense "ape" appears to be late (see
kappa 1410),
Hesychius' derivation is probably wrong.
Semonides'
kerkwpi/a (fr.34) is glossed in LSJ as "trickiness", which is consistent with
ke/rkwy = "knave", the sense used here.
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