was wotd|2007|May|3
English
Etymology
From the Ancient Greek proverb polytonic|γλαῦκ� εἰ� �θήνα� (glauk eis Ath�nas). The owl, which roosted in the rafters of the old Parthenon (the one burnt by w:Xerxes I|Xerxes I), was the symbol of the city of w:Athens|Athens, and was sacred to its patron goddess, w:Athena|Athena. It was featured on Athens' silver coins, and as Athens both mined its own silver and minted its own coins, bringing owls (either the real birds, or the coins) to Athens would be pointless.
Pronunciation
IPA|/brɪ� �a�lz tu �æ.θɪnz/
audio|en-us-bring owls to Athens.ogg|Audio (US)
Verb
en-verb|inf=to bring owl|owls to Athens|brings owls to Athens|bringing owls to Athens|brought owls to Athens
- idiom To undertake a pointless venture, one that is redundant, unnecessary, superfluous, or highly uneconomical.
#* Who brings owls to Athens? - Euelpides, in Aristophanes' Birds (English translation by Ian Johnston)
#* Forgive me, then, for bringing owls to Athens as a thanks-offering. - Goethe, in a letter to Wilhelm von Humboldt (English translation by Louis H. Gray)
#* Perhaps we have not been sufficiently aware that talking about access and its implications in Scandinavia is like bringing owls to Athens. - Herbert Burkert (1)
Synonyms
coals to Newcastle
Translations
Dutch: uilen naar Athene brengen, uilen naar Athene dragen
German: Eulen nach Athen tragen
Ancient Greek: polytonic|γλαῦκ� εἰ� �θήνα�
mid
Italian: portare nottole ad Atene
Latin: hoc est Athenas noctuam
Category:English idioms
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