ξῠρόν, τό,
razor, [[ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Electra” 241, 5th-6th c.BC: Aristophanes Comicus “Ecclesiazusae” 65, “Th.” 219, 2nd c.BC: Nicander Epicus “Alexipharmaca” 411, 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Artoxerxes” 29, etc.: proverbial, ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἵσταται ἀκμῆς.., ὄλεθρος ἠὲ βιῶναι] Refs 5th c.BC+] death or life is balanced on a razor's edge, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 10.173 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]: frequently in later authors, to express a delicately balanced like lihood of failure or success, ἀκμᾶς ἑστακυῖαν ἐπὶ ξυροῦ Ἑλλάδα [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Simonides Lyricus 97; ἐπὶ ξ. γὰρ ἀκμῆς ἔχεται ἡμῖν τὰ πρήγματα 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 6.11; κίνδυνος ἐπὶ ξ. ἵσταται ἀκμῆς 6th c.BC: Theognis Elegiacus 557; βεβὼς.. ἐπὶ ξ. τύχης 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Antigone” 996 ] Refs 6th c.BC+]; ἔβητ᾽ ἐπὶ ξ.; [[ 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hercules Furens” 630; ἐπὶ ξ. εἶναι 3rd c.BC: Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus 22.6; ἐπὶ ξ. ἑστηκέναι 2nd c.AD: Lucianus Sophista “JTr.” 3. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]