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30个源自希腊神话的英语词组

作者:高考题库网
来源:https://www.bjmy2z.cn/gaokao
2020-11-04 10:32
tags:30的英文

生祠-occupy

2020年11月4日发(作者:管汉屏)


1.
ACHILLES’ HEEL

Meaning: The weakness of an individual which leads to his downfall.
Greek Myth: Achilles was a Greek warrior who later became the hero of the
Trojan War. When he was an infant, it was prophesized that he would die
young. His mother Thetis who was a Nereid (sea goddess) did not desire this
and hence she dipped him into the river Styx. The Styx had powers by which
any part of the body that made contact with the river became invincible.
However, she had held him by the heel when dipping him, thus leaving a
vulnerable area. He would later die, as prophesized, by a poisoned arrow to his
heel.
“His love for fast food is one day going to prove to be his achilles’ heel.”
2.
CAUGHT BETWEEN SCYLLA & CHARYBDIS

Meaning: A difficult choice where either decision could end in disaster; more
familiar as ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’.
Greek Myth: The hero Odysseus spent nine years returning home after the
Trojan War. Along his voyage by sea, he came upon Scylla and Charybdis.
Scylla was an enormous sea monster with numerous hands and six dog heads
sprouting from her body; she ate men alive. Charybdis was a tremendous
whirlpool that digested ships whole. Since the only way to get home was to
choose either route, Odysseus had to decide on one horror or the other. He
chose Scylla, losing six crewmen to Scylla's hunger.
“If I do my mathematics homework, I won’t have time to study for the History
test tomorrow, and both teachers are so strict! I’m caught between Scylla and
Charybdis!
3.
DOG AS MAN’S BEST FRIEND OR FAITHFUL COMPANION

Meaning: Self-explanatory
Greek Myth: When Odysseus returned home in disguise after many years, only
his faithful dog who had patiently awaited his return recognized him. His
family did not recognize him. Even on its deathbed, the dog managed to look
up at its master and wag its tail in appreciation.
“He won’t do something so cruel to her; he’s as faithful as a dog.”


4.
ELYSIUM FIELDS

Meaning: Paradise
Greek Myth: The Greeks did not believe in a heaven and hell; instead, the
exceptionally good people were sent to Elysium, also known as the ‘Isle of the
Blessed’. This was equivalent to Christianity’s paradise.
“The party was on a beautiful beach, with wonderful food and drinks; I
thought I had stumbled upon the Elysium fields!”
5.
THE FACE THAT LAUNCHED A THOUSAND SHIPS

Meaning: Any one person causing disaster, especially war.
Greek Myth: This is a direct reference to Helen of Troy, who was considered
to be the most beautiful woman in the world. The abduction of her by the
Trojan prince Paris caused Menelaus, her husband, to declare war on Troy.
Because of prior alliances, eventually all of the Greeks got involved; thus,
Helen's beauty had ‘launched a thousand ships’ into war.
6.
FOOD OF THE GODS

Meaning: unbelievably delicious delicacies.
Greek Myth: Nector and ambrosia were what the gods normally ate – this was
the food of the gods. If a mortal were to eat ambrosia, he or she would be
rendered immortal.
“This spread looks like the food of the gods!”
7.
TITAN

Meaning: one of great size, strength or achievement
Greek Myth: The titans were part of a family of giants, the children of Uranus
and Gaea. They tried to rule heaven but were overthrown and supplanted by
the family of Zeus. They were very large creatures of enormous strength.
“Ratan Tata is one of the titans of Indian enterprise.”


8.
GORDIAN KNOT

Meaning: An extremely perplexing puzzle or problem.
Greek Myth: Legend mixes with mythology with respect to this term. King
Gordius of Phrygia tied a knot and it was destined that whoever could untie it
revealed himself as the future lord of Asia. After many frustrating attempts to
untie it, Alexander the Great finally sliced the knot with his sword, proving it
would take brute force to eventually capture Asia. Thus, to ‘cut the Gordian
knot’ means to solve a puzzle in a powerful, decisive manner.
“This week’s crossword in the paper is a Gordian knot!”
9.
HERCULEAN EFFORT

Meaning: A mighty try
Greek Myth: Heracles, (not Hercules) was the son of Zeus and a mortal
woman. Heracles was obligated to fulfill twelve very difficult tasks, called the
Labours of Heracles. Any effort we nowadays may deem as tremendous can
be attributed as ‘Herculean’, and is associated with the labours.
“Setting up a new house takes Herculean effort.”
10.
HOT AS HADES

Meaning: Sweltering heat
Greek Myth: Hades was the ruler of the underworld, called Tartarus. This was
where evil people went after death, according to Greek mythology. The place
was supposed to be very hot, and severe punishments were constantly meted
out. It might be deduced that perhaps the real saying was ‘hot as Tartarus’, but
over the years, it has become more popular as ‘hot as Hades’.
“In the summers, Mumbai becomes hot as Hades.”
11.
THE HOUNDS OF HELL

Meaning: Allegory for evil, or the pursuit by evil
Greek Myth: Again, in reference to Hades's kingdom, Cerberus was a dog
who guarded the entrance to the netherworld. There weren't really any


‘hounds’, but Cerberus is often depicted with many heads. He was referred to as
the hound of hell, and is generally associated with evil.
“The gunmen attached the crowds like hounds of hell.”
12.
MIDAS TOUCH

Meaning: A person who always is lucky is said to have the Midas touch.
Greek Myth: Perhaps one of mythology's most famous tales is that of King
Midas, who was granted the wish that everything he touched would turn into
gold. However, he soon realized that he could not eat, or drink, or even hug
his daughter. Wisely, he retracted his wish, and by immersing himself in the
river Pactolus, lost the ‘golden touch’ or the ‘Midas touch’.
“I always involve Ravi in any new venture; he has the Midas touch and
ensures that things go smoothly.”
13.
ODYSSEY

Meaning: A long adventure, journey
Greek Myth: This term derives from the classical epic by Homer, ‘Odyssey’.
The hero Odysseus takes nine long years to return from the Trojan War. Along
the way, he has a multitude of adventures.
“My odyssey through Rajasthan last month was tiring but very exciting!”
14.
ELECTRA COMPLEX

Meaning: A daughter’s attachment to her father
Greek Myth: Electra was the daughter of Agamemnon. When her mother
Clytemnestra murdered Agamemnon, Electra swore vengeance in Agamemnon's honor.
Her relentless obsession was ultimately the cause of Clytemnestra's death. Both
Sophocles and Euripedes wrote plays that bear her name.
15.
PANDORA’S BOX

Meaning: To ‘open a Pandora's Box’ means to invite trouble.


Greek Myth: Zeus was disgusted with man and decided to inflict him with the
worst trouble imaginable. A woman, Pandora was molded from clay and was
bestowed with gifts of charm and beauty. Zeus then gave her to Epimetheus
(whose name means ‘afterthought’) to marry, with a beautiful box of evils as
her dowry. Although told not to open it, she inevitably did, and all the evils
were released.
“Don’t let mummy see my test results or the Pandora’s Box will be opened!”
16.
TROJAN HORSE

Meaning: destruction by a seemingly benign person or object, on the sly
Greek Myth: During the Trojan War, the Trojans were within their city walls
while the Achaeans (Greeks) lay in wait outside. The Greeks decided to trick
the Trojans. An enormous wooden horse was placed outside their gates. The
Trojans thought that this was a peace-offering or a gift from the gods. Despite
warnings from the princess Cassandra and the priest Laocoon, they brought
the horse within the city. During the night, hidden soldiers from the horse's
belly emerged and destroyed the city.
“The drink was actually a Trojan horse; she had poisoned it before offering
it.”

17 APPLE OF DISCORD
- This expression comes from Greek mythology.
hero Peleus and the water-nymph Thetis, parents of the famous Achilles. All the gods are
invited to the party, saving one: Eris, goddess of discord - an understandable omission. Eris,
didn't see it that way and resolved to get revenge.
inscribed it
squabbled over by every goddess on hand.
Macrone (Gramercy Books, New York, 1999). Page 178.
18TO FIGHT LIKE A TROJAN –
This comes from the Trojan War, the
'Iliad' as having been waged for ten years by the confederated Greeks against
the men of Troy and their allies.


revised by Adrian Room (HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1999, Sixteenth
Edition). Page 1203

19 A SINON –
- The Greeks built a hollow horse, the Trojan Horse, and
The Trojans
and, without pity, destroy the town.
(Gramercy Books, New York, 1999). Page 13.
charge of staying by the wooden horse and lighting a beacon lamp as a signal to the Achaeans
for their final assault against Troy.
Retrieved on October 5, 2002. Sinon, left behind by the Greeks -- he claimed it was because
Odysseus is his enemy -- told the Trojans the horse was a sacrifice to Athena.
http:#cassandra Retrieved on
October 5, 2002.
20 A TRITON AMONG THE MINNOWS
- Triton was the son of .
head. It is this sea- god that makes the roaring of the ocean by blowing through his shell.
expression means:
Phrase and Fable
Sixteenth Edition). Page 1202.
21
Oedipus Complex
Sigmund Freud believed that all men want to kill their fathers so that they can
marry their mothers. So today, whenever we see a guy who is just a bit too close to his
mom, we might say that he has an Oedipus complex.
The term originated from this Greek story: there was this guy named Oedipus who,
at birth, was destined by fate to kill his father (who also happened to be the King of
Thebes) and marry his mother. The people in Thebes thought that this was a pretty big
deal, so when Oedipus was an infant, he was sent away. As an adult, Oedipus returns to
Thebes only to - you guessed it - kill his dad and marry his mom (he didn't know they


were his parents. By the way, the reverse condition (women who seek to kill their
mother and marry their father) is called the Elektra complex.


22 Herculean task
?
Hercules is actually the Roman name of the Greek hero, Heracles.
Heracles is famous for his unbelievable strength. Throughout his life,
Heracles was also challenged to many physical tasks (such as defeating
the many- headed Hydra). Each and every time, Heracles successfully
accomplished his oday, we
use the term
that only Heracles, with his god-like strength, could accomplish it. It
doesn't mean that something is impossible, but it means that it's
overwhelmingly large and should require more than one person

23

Pandora's box
o
The only thing left inside the jar was Hope.
o
24
Arachne, arachnida, arachnoidea
In Greek mythology, the most skillful weaver of Lydia who challenged
the goddess Athena to a weaving contest.
Athena wove into her web the stories of those who had aroused
the anger of the gods, while Arachne chose stories of the errors of the
gods.
Enraged at the excellence of the work, Athena tore Arachne's web
into pieces. Arachne hanged herself in grief and was transformed by
Athena into a spider.
This was adopted as the spider family in science which includes
scorpions, mites, and ticks.
The term arachnoid refers to anything that resembles a spider's
web.
25
Athene, Pallas Athene
Pallas signifies
exhibits menacingly), that is, as a spear.
An asteroid was named Pallas as well as a very rare metallic
element called palladiium which was named after the asteroid.
Because a statue of Pallas Athene , which stood in front of the city
of Troy was supposed to have helped preserve the city from danger,
the word palladium also has come to mean
26
Calliope


The name of a musical instrument.
The mother of Orpheus was named Calliope because she was the
Muse of Eloquence and Heroic Poetry. The name comes from two
words meaning
27
Cronos
The god of time.
From this word, we have the noun chronology which describes an
arrangement of events in order of occurrence. Chronic describes
something that continues over a long period of time.
A chronicler is someone who records a historical account of
events in the order of time. A time piece of great accuracy is called a
chronometer
28
Cyclops (s), Cyclopes (pl)
1. Any of the three one-eyed Titans who forged thunderbolts for Zeus.
2. Any of a race of one-eyed giants, reputedly descended from these
Titans, inhabiting the island of Sicily.
3. Etymology: derived from two Greek words meaning

We have adopted cyclops in the field of biology to describe the
group of tiny, free-swimming crustaceans which have a single eye.
Cyclopie is an adjective meaning Cyclopia is a noun
used for a massive abnormality in which the eyes are partly or
completely fused.
The word has been used as a root to describe a wheel in such
words as tricycle, bicycle, and motorcycle. It is also used to describe a
violent storm which moves in a circle; such as, a cyclone.
It also appears in the word encyclopedia to describe circular (or
complete) learning. A cyclotron is a large apparatus used for the
multiple acceleration of ions to very high speeds.
29
Erinyes, Eumenides; the Furies;
In Greek mythology, three terrifying snake-haired winged goddesses,
named Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, who mercilessly punished
wrongdoing, especially when committed within families.
Eumenides meant

intended.
From Greek euphemismos,
inauspicious oneeuphemizein
eu-, pheme, phanai,
In ancient Greece, the superstitious avoidance of words of
ill-omen during religious ceremonies, or substitutions; such as,
Eumenides,


In English, a rhetorical term at first; broader sense of
less distasteful word or phrase than the one meant
established or documented in 1793.
30
Elysian Fields
A
French to call their famous boulevard in Paris the Champs 蒷ys閑.
A tree-lined thoroughfare of Paris, France, leading from the Place
de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe.

Eucalyptus-晚安的英文怎么写


五日京兆-彼此的拼音


稀奇的近义词-plague


fridaythe13th-跳舞的英语单词怎么写


历年四级听力-最后的命令


感染的英文-安详的拼音


感同身受的近义词-durango


zhuang开头的成语-班图人



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