avenges himself on the unoffending

ăsĭnus, i, m. [acc. to Benfey, I. p. 123, and Hehn foll. by Curtius, an oriental word, perh. the Heb., asina; cf. Goth. asilus; Lith. asilas; Erse, assul; Celt. asen or assen; Engl. ass; and Gr. onos, which latter two forms the Lat. seems to have in combination], an ass.

Lit., Cato, R. R. 10, 1; 11, 1; Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 14; 2, 6, 1 al.; Col. 6, 37, 8; 6, 7, 1 al.; Plin. 8, 43, 68, § 167 sqq. et saep.; Vulg. Gen. 12, 6; ib. Isa. 1, 3; ib. Luc. 13, 15; 14, 5 et persaepe.—Prov.:

qui asinum non potest, stratum caedit,

i. e. he, that cannot find the offender, avenges himself on the unoffending, Petr. 45, 8:

in tegulis, of an odd appearance,

id. 45, 63: ad lyram, of an awkward man, acc. to Varr. ap. Gell. 3, 16:

sepulturā asini sepelietur, of a contemptible and unworthy man,

Vulg. Jer. 22, 19.—

Trop., an ass, a dolt, simpleton, blockhead:

neque ego homines magis asinos umquam vidi,

Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 4; Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 4. —Hence, as a term of insult:

Quid tu autem huic, asine, auscultas?

Ter. Ad. 5, 8, 12; id. Eun. 3, 5, 50:

Quid nunc te, asine, litteras doceam? Non opus est verbis, sed fustibus,

Cic. Pis. 30.