Indagine sull’espressione latina Utres inflati

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show how four Latin authors (Horace, Petronius, Apuleius and Arnobius) use the same proverbial expression (utres inflati) with different outcomes in compliance with their style, their purpose and their literary genres. In doing so, we will start from the Greek origin of the expression, and we will look at the various meanings in which the idiom is used. In addition, a special look will be taken at linguistic issues, as paremias find their natural place in the Umgangssprache. We hope that this kind of comparative analysis opens the way to a more deepened investigation on the use of proverbs and sayings within Latin novelistic and satirical context.