ἰδού. ὠς ὀμοίω ἐστὸν τὠ ἀδελφὠ

[Charlie Parker]

This is from Rouse's Greek Boy. I don't understand the the joke. Two friends come to the house during a storm. The one says: "ἰδού. ὠς ὀμοίω ἐστὸν τὠ ἀδελφὠ, οὐ γὰρ σῦκον σύκῳ ὁμοιότερον", ὁ δὲ ἓτερος λέγει, "ἀλλ' οὐχ οὓτως ὃμοιός ἐστιν οὕτος ἐκείνῳ, ὡς ἐκεῖνος τούτῳ." The others laugh. I don't get it. "Behold, how alike he is to the brother: for a fig is not more alike to a fig." And the other one says, "But this one is not so similar to that one as that one is to this one." I feel stupid. Help!

[Hylander]

If both are alike one another, how can one be more alike the other, than the other is alike the first?

[Charlie Parker]

Thanks. That must be it. Perhaps I was overthinking it.

[mwh]

Charlie, Did you miss the duals? Not that it really makes a difference to the illogic of the joke.
[And English usage is tricky on “like” and “alike.”]

[Charlie Parker]

Thank you, mwh. I now see that I did not take account of the duals. I failed to notice that ὀμοίω is also dual. So I think I should translate "Behold, how alike the two brothers are." This line really got me scratching my head. believe I confused "like" and "alike." If I've got this right, the former is a preposition and the latter is an adjective. Let me try again. If A is like B and B is like A, then A cannot be more similar to B than B is to A. They are both alike. I think Winnie the Pooh and I are alike. Some days, I feel like a bear of very little brain.

[jeidsath]

The source, from a Hellenistic joke book, which Rouse has only lightly adapted:

Σχολαστικὸς ἀδελφοὺς διδύμους ἰδὼν θαυμαζόντων τινῶν τὴν ὁμοιότητα αὐτῶν· Οὐχ οὕτως, φησίν, ὅμοιός ἐστιν <οὗτος> ἐκείνῳ, ὡς ἐκεῖνος τούτῳ.

Scholasticus is the butt of the joke, as always, as he attempts to show off by making a pettifogging correction to the other onlookers who are amazed at the twins' similarity. Philogelos had our type down.

[Charlie Parker]

Thank you, Joel. That's very interesting. Now I'll know who to turn to for these allusions in Rouse.