§397. Idiomatic Uses

The Accusative has the following special uses:—

a. The accusative is found in a few adverbial phrases (Adverbial Accusative):—

• id temporis, at that time; id (istuc) aetātis, at that age.
• id (quod) genus, of that (what) sort (perhaps originally nominative).
• meam vicem, on my part.
• bonam partem, in a great measure; maximam partem, for the most part.
• virīle (muliebre) secus, of the male (female) sex (probably originally in apposition).
• quod sī, but if (as to which, if); quod nisi, if not.

b. The so-called synecdochical or Greek Accusative, found in poetry and later Latin, is used to denote the part affected:—

• caput nectentur (Aen. 5.309), their heads shall be bound (they shall be bound about the head).
• ārdentīs oculōs suffectī sanguine et īgnī; (id. 2.210), their glaring eyes bloodshot and blazing with fire (suffused as to their eyes with blood and fire).
• nūda genū (id. 1.320), with her knee bare (bare as to the knee).
• femur trāgulā ictus (Liv. 21.7.10), wounded in the thigh by a dart.

c. In many apparently similar expressions the accusative may be regarded as the direct object of a verb in the middle voice (§ 156. a):

• inūtile ferrum cingitur (Aen. 2.510), he girds on the useless steel.
• nodō sinūs collēcta fluentīs (id. 1.320), having her flowing folds gathered in a knot.
• umerōs īnsternor pelle leōnis (id. 2.722), I cover my shoulders with a lion's skin.
• prōtinus induitur faciem cultumque Diānae (Ov. M. 2.425), forthwith she assumes the shape and garb of Diana.

d. The Accusative is used in Exclamations:—

• ō fortūnātam rem pūblicam, O fortunate republic! [Cf. ō fortūnāta mor<*> (Phil. 14.31), oh, happy death! (§ 339. a).]
• ō mē īnfēlīcem (Mil. 102), oh, unhappy I!
• mē miserum, ah, wretched me!
• ēn quattuor ārās (Ecl. 5.65), lo, four altars!
• ellum (=em illum), there he is! [Cf. § 146. a. N.2.]
• eccōs (=ecce eōs), there they are, look at them!
• prō deum fidem, good heavens (O protection of the gods)!
• hōcine saeclum (Ter. Ad. 304), O this generation!
• huncine hominem (Verr. 5.62), this man, good heavens!

• salūtem (sc. dīcit) (in addressing a letter), greeting.
• mē dīus fidius (sc. adiuvet), so help me heaven (the god of faith).
• unde mihī lapidem (Hor. S. 2.7.116), where can I get a stone?
• quō mihi fortūnam (Hor. Ep. 1.5.12), of what use to me is fortune? [No verb thought of.]

e. The subject of an infinitive is in the accusative:—

• intellegō tē sapere (Fam. 7.32.3), I perceive that you are wise.
• eās rēs iactārī nōlēbat (B. G. 1.18), he was unwilling that these matters should be discussed.

f. The accusative in later writers is sometimes used in apposition with a clause:—

• dēserunt tribūnal ... manūs intentantēs, causam discordiae et initium armōrum (Tac. Ann. 1.27), they abandon the tribunal shaking their fists,— a cause of dissension and the beginning of war.

For the Accusative of the End of Motion, see § 427.2; for the Accusative of Duration of Time and Extent of Space, see §§ 423, 425; for the Accusative with Prepositions, see § 220.