Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jasonlulu_2000]

One of the strange rules which the Spartans followed was that they speak briefly.

Once there was a king called Phillip who wanted to become the master of all Greece. So he raised a great army, and made war upon the other states, until nearly all of them were forced to call him their king. Then he sent a letter to the Spartans in Laconia, and said, "If I go down into your state, I will level your great city to the ground."
In a few days, a letter was brought back to him. When he opened the letter, he found only one word written there. That word was "IF". It was as much as to say, "We are not afraid of you so long as the little word "if" stands in your way."

What does the underlined sentence mean?

Thanks.

[pugachevV]

Phillip said "IF I go down into your state..."
If expresses a hypothetical situation.
by replying with the single word if the Spartans, who were famous for being very skilled at warfare in ancient times, were saying that they would prevent him from coming into their state and destroying their capital.

The English word laconic which means terse, or using very few words, is derived from Lakon (Laconia, Sparta)