σφαλερός

A. likely to make one stumble or trip metaph., slippery, perilous, τυραννὶς χρῆμα ς. Hdt. 3.53; γνωμέω . . τὴν ‐ωτέρην σεωυτῷ Id. 7.16.ά; σφαλερὸν ἡγεμὼν θρασύς E. Supp. 508; τοῦτο δέ γ/ ἐστὶν τὸ καλὸν ς. Id. IA 21 (anap.); ὦ βιοτή . . ἐπὶ παντὶ σφαλερὰ κεῖσαι Id. Fr. 916 (lyr.); πάντων ‐ώτατον, of future events, Th. 4.62, cf. Hp. Aph. 1.1; ‐ώτατοι καιροί Phld. Oec. p.48 J. SIG 796 B 10 (Epid., i A.D.); of poems, Pl. Lg. 810b; ς. τρόπος (v.l. τόπος) Hp. Prog. 22; σφαλερόν [ἐστι], c. inf., Pl. R. 451a, Lg. 688b; τὸ ἐπιχειρῆσαι ς. X. HG 2.1.2. Adv. Comp. ‐ώτερον, νοσεῖν to be more dangerously ill, Gal. 15.724.

II. (σφάλλομαι) ready to fall, tottering, reeling, κῶλα A. Eu. 371 (lyr.); ῥῦμα S. Aj. 159 (anap.); σῶμα ς. ἐν ταῖς κινήσεσι, of revellers and sufferers from coma, Gal. 7.645; ἕξις ς. πρὸς ὑγίειαν uncertain in point of health, Pl. R. 404a. Adv. ‐ρῶς, ὑγιαίνειν enjoy health precariously, Gal. 6.810.

III. of persons, where the sense often fluctuates between 1 and 11, ἴχνεσι σφαλεροί Nic. Al. 189, cf. 400; ς. σύμμαχοι uncertain, D. 1.7; προστάτης ς. E. Fr. 774.3. Adv. ‐ρῶς Id. IA 600 (anap.), Isoc. 7.1.