Once Cephalus perceives that Socrates intends some sort of serious philosophical inquiry, he excuses himself from the conversation, at which point Socrates says that, since Polemarchus stands to inherit Cephalus' money, it follows that Polemarchus will have to inherit the responsibility for the dialogue. Cephalus, responding to the flyting, laughingly agrees and leaves Polemarchus to his fate.
The medieval rhetoric of flyting is known as "wise-cracking" or "playing the dozens" in the United States. Socrates employs it in his allusion to Homer's praise of Autolyclus; Socrates ironically says that Polemarchus is defending justice by arguing the case of a man who "was excellent above all men in theft and perjury."
Once Thrasymachus engages the debate, Socrates flytes at him by arguing the example of Polydamus the pancratiast (Socrates again implying physical violence) in order to show the absurdity of Thrasymachus' argument, at which point Thrasymachus is so flabbergasted by the flyting that he calls Socrates "abominable." But Thrasymachus gets in his own digs at Socrates, saying that Socrates argues "like an informer" who talks out of both sides of his mouth. When Thrasymachus says that Socrates is cheating in the argument, Socrates pretends to be stupid (he "dummies up") and says that he would rather try to shave a lion than to cheat Thrasymachus out of money. The flyting is successful because the sophist does argue for money. Thrasymachus subverts the logic of the debate by calling Socrates a cheater, again; Socrates flytes ironically by calling for an end of "these civilities" — the smiling insults the two have been exchanging.
