Listen carefully when the serpent speaks, for its tongue is forked, and its words have two meanings.
DEFINITION/SUMMARY:
Ophedia
Scientific study of snakes
- Snakes are thought to have evolved from lizards that burrow or swim. Giving their hind legs to evolution
- From the clade Ophedia poisononous snake
- Reptile of the suborder Ophidia (or Serpentes)
Spathe
- Blades cross swords
- Broad blade
EXPANDED INFO:
Phrase “speaks with a forked tongue”
- Means to say one thing and mean another
To be hypocritical, act in a duplicitous manner or blatant lying - In Native American tribes, “speaking with a forked tongue” means to lie and is a person was no longer considered trustworthy
- “speak with a forked tongue” was also adopted by Americans around the time of the Revolution, and may be found in many early 19th century references
- Used to often report on American officers who sought to convince the tribal leaders with whom they negotiated that they “spoke with a straight and not with a forked tongue” (as for example, President Andrew Jackson told the Creek Nation in 1829