CLAS 1020 Unit 2 Defining English Expressions

gorgon

ugly or terrifying woman; shrew//comes from the 3 Gorgons

apotropaic

having the power to prevent evil or bad luck//comes from Athena's aegis with the head of Medusa

atlas

a book of maps//comes from Atlas, a titan punished by Zeus to hold up the sky

Atlantic Ocean

one of the world's major 5 oceans//comes from Atlas, a titan punished by Zeus to hold up the sky

chimaera

ridiculous imaginary monster; nightmare phantom; delusion//comes from the monster Chimera

herculean

possessing or requiring superhuman physical strength//comes from Hercules

hydra-headed

something persistent or multi-faceted//comes from the Hydra of Lerna

"clean Augean stables"

accomplish a difficult task, especially cleaning up political corruption//comes from when Hercules had to clean Augeas' stables for his 5th labor

an amazon

a tall, aggressive, or strong-willed woman//comes from the Amazons, a race of female warriors

shirt of Nessus

a gift containing a fatal booby-trap//comes from when Deianira tells Hercules to wear the poisoned shirt (from Nessus) to restore his love for her but it kills him instead

stygian

relating to the Styx River, dark, gloomy//comes from the River Styx in the Underworld

lethean

described as causing oblivion or forgetfulness of the past//comes form the River Lethe

lethargic

to be sluggish and apathetic//comes from the River Lethe

lethal

to be deadly//comes from the River Lethe

rhadamanthine

described as showing stern and inflexible judgment//comes from Rhadamanthus, a famous lawgiver and tutor of Hercules

"throw a sop to Cerberus"

to appease an uncooperative person by offering a bribe//comes from when the Sibyl throws a drugged honey-cake to Cerberus

hypnosis

a trance-like state in which one has heightened focus and concentration//comes from Hypnos, the god of Sleep

somnambulist

someone who walks or does other acts while asleep//comes from Somnus, the god of Sleep

insomnia

problems of falling and staying asleep//comes from Somnus, the god of Sleep

euthanasia

the practice of ending one's life to relieve their pain and suffering//comes from Thanatos, the god of Death

morphine

a drug to relieve pain//comes from Morpheus, the god of Dreams (son of Hypnos)

Elysian Field

a place of blissful happiness; paradise, utopia//comes from Elysium, a place for the good in the Underworld

tantalize

to tease, hold something desirable out of reach//comes from Tantalus, who suffers from hunger and thirst in Tartarus

Sisyphean labor

a task that is laborious, repetitive, and futile//comes from Sisyphus, who rolls a stone up a steep hill as punishment in Tartarus

Orphean

to be enchantingly melodious//comes from Orpheus, the musician

Orphic

mystic, occult//comes from Orphism, the cult based on Orpheus, the musician

purgatory

a place of purification or temporary punishment to make souls ready for heaven//comes from Purgatory

purgation

the purification or cleansing of someone//comes from Purgatory and Orphic teaching

sibylline

prophetic, oracular//comes from the Sibyl, a priestess of Apollo

Procrustean

exhibiting merciless disregard for individual differences//comes from Procrustes, the Stretcher

Bed of Procrustes

an arbitrary standard to which exact conformity is demanded//comes from Procrustes, the Stretcher

labyrinthine

something described as intricate and confusing//comes from when Theseus kills the Minotaur in the labyrinth

clue (clew)

a piece of information used to solve something//comes from clew, a ball of string or yarn

Adonis

an especially handsome young man//comes from Adonis, the chosen lover of Venus