  We give a combinatorial extension of the classical inequalities of Maclaurin
about symmetric functions of several variables. We discuss two problems - one
analytical and another combinatorial - and show that they are in some sense
equaivalent. These results complete and extend earlier results of Motzkin and
Straus, Khadzhiivanov, Sos and Straus, Fisher and Ryan, and Petingi and
Rodriguez.
