Salsura: Antifone e il fiato sotto sale (Plauto, Stichus 92)

The joke about Antipho’s breath in Plautus, Stichus 92, is at the center of a long-standing debate because of its obscurity. The purpose of this paper is to review the main hypotheses about the meaning of the line and to analyse the reasons for the exegetical difficulties related to the passage, also with reference to the most appropriate loci paralleli in the corpus of Plautus’ comedies. A specific focus on the communicative situation in which the joke is framed suggests a new attempt to read Antipho’s words.