Meaning of the phrase

[Charlene1234]

What does the phrase 'A greek gift' mean? 

[Ewood27]

According to Homer in The Iliad, Cassandra warned the Trojans to "beware the Greeks bearing gifts".  Later, after a lot of fighting, the Greeks apparently sailed away, leaving a gift of a large wooden horse.  The Trojans pulled the horse into their city and set about celebrating their victory.  However, the horse was hollow and contained Greek warriors, who emerged and captured Troy, which they then sacked and burned.  (That's a very potted version!)

 

Thus a "Greek gift" is something that looks nice but will bring trouble.

[Peter Pedant]

the latin tag is something like,

timete Danaos dona ferentes

(fear the Greeks bearing gifts)

Since it is Latin, it may well come from Virgil's Aeneid.

There are C15 tapestries in the Victoria and Albert bearing this very slogan, which were frequently copied in the Victorian times as wall hangings. I spent my childhood looking at some. (yes I am that old)

[maxi29]

The Latin is "timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" (I fear the Greeks, even bearing gifts) and it is indeed from the Aeneid. There's no mention of a wooden horse in the Iliad.

[norcom]

Ewood27 got it right. From book 22 of the Iliad:
'And then Odysseus devised the means by which we took Priam�s city at last. He made us build a great Wooden Horse. We built it and left it upon the plain of Troy and the Trojans wondered at it greatly.'