Wednesday Words & Phrases: Laconic

Laconic is a word that means “of few words”. This can refer to either spoken or written words and well it comes with a heck of a back story.

Near the end of the 8th century BC the region of Laconia, (part of modern-day Greece), was under the control of Sparta. The people of Laconia were known to be people of few words, which says something when putting next to the Spartans. When King Phillip II of Macedonia sent word to the Spartan council that “If I enter Laconia, I will level Lacedaemon to the ground.”

In response, the senior magistrate from the province stared at the King and said simply, “If.”

That is some stone cold laconic phrasing right there.