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A sort of game, in which they stand quails in a circle and hit them on the head. The one who downs a quail in the circle, takes as many in a row as he is able; but the one who misses lets the other one hit the quails, and they take turns doing this. Thus [Plato] says in Alcibiades: "you must [be] looking to Meidias the quail-tapper and others of his ilk."[1] In Phaedo [he says] that the contest is not against just anybody, but against the best; so there must be no slackening of the spirit.[2]
"[...] no quail-tapping and no flinching over such matters."[3]

*)ortugoko/pos: paidia/ tis, e)n h(=| o)/rtugas i(sta=sin e)n gu/rw|, ou(\s tu/ptousin ei)s th\n kefalh/n. kai\ o( me\n e)n tw=| gu/rw| katabalw\n to\n o)/rtuga lamba/nei e(ch=s, ou(\s a)\n du/nhtai: o( d' a)potuxw\n pare/xei qate/rw| tou\s o)/rtugas tu/ptein: kai\ tou=t' a)na\ me/ros poiou=si. le/gei ou)=n e)n *)alkibia/dh|: ou)k, a)lla\ pro\s *meidi/an dei= se a)poble/ponta to\n o)rtugoko/pon kai\ toiou/tous a)/llous. e)n *fai/dwni: o(/ti ou) pro\s tou\s tuxo/ntas o( a)gw/n e)sti, pro\s de\ tou\s a)ri/stous: dio/per ou) r(aqumhte/on. mhde\ o)rtugokopei=n mhde\ peri\ ta\ toiau=ta e)ptoh=sqai.

All but the last sentence of this entry (for which see n.3 below) is taken verbatim from Photius, Lexicon omicron532 Theodoridis. A rather different explanation of the game is to be found in Pollux 9.102 + 107-109 and in the scholia to Aristophanes, Plutus [Wealth] 1036. The scholia to Aristophanes, Birds 1297 seem more in line with Photius and the Suda. See also sigma 1266.
The translation 'quail-tapping', which sounds marginally less brutal than -striking or the like, comes from Dunbar 643-4.
[1] A ungrammatical garbling of a quotation from Plato, Alcibiades 1 120A (web address 1).
[2] There is no such quotation in Plato's Phaedo. Adler's apparatus notes two suggested emendations: e)m *fa/wni, a play by Plato Comicus (Bernhardy); and e)mfai/nwn, 'indicating', i.e. no second quotation here (Leopardi). The latter has won considerable support: besides Adler's comments see Theodoridis ad loc.
[3] Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 1.6.1.

David Whitehead (augmented notes; tweaks to headword and tr) on 13 June 2005@03:06:16.
Catharine Roth (tweaked link) on 20 July 2013@19:07:04.
David Whitehead (updated primary note; more keywords; cosmetics) on 21 July 2013@04:09:21.
Catharine Roth (cross-reference) on 24 April 2014@01:23:44.

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