Achilles heel
DEF: vulnerable point
ORIGIN: mother held over river by heel to become invincible (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Amazonian
DEF: masculine female
ORIGIN: Amazonians werer a powerful Greek nation of female warriors (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Aristotelian
DEF: thinker
ORIGIN: Aristotle, therories (HISTORICAL)
Atlas
DEF: carries a burden
ORIGIN: Titan lost war, Zeus made him forever hold up the heavens on his shoulders (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Babbitt
DEF: materialistic, complacent
ORIGIN: book character (LITERARY)
Chauvinist
DEF: patriotism
ORIGIN: Nicolas Chauvin, soldier in the French Army (HISTORICAL)
Epicurean
DEF: luxury or indulgence
ORIGIN: philosopher "pleasure to the end of life" (HISTORICAL)
Gerrymander
unfair court case (HISTORICAL)
Gordian Knot
DEF: unsolvable problem
ORIGIN: cut by alexander the great (HISTORICAL)
Harpy
ORIGIN: part woman part bird (MYTHOLOGICAL)
DEF: ugly women
Herculean
DEF: great strength or effort
ORIGIN: Hercules assigned 12 tasks that he completed with remendous strength (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Hyacinth
DEF: platnt from the bulb family
ORIGIN: Apolla was teaching Hyakinthos to throw a disk, Zephyr was jealous and killed Hyakinthos, Apollo named flower after him.(MYTHOLOGICAL)
Hydra
DEF: persistent problem
ORIGIN: monster when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones. killed by Hercules (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Jezebel
DEF: shameful woman
ORIGIN: wife of Ahab, killed then trampled by horses and eaten by dogs (BIBLICAL)
Juvenile
(MYTHOLOGICAL)
Labyrinth
(MYTHOLOGICAL)
Malapropism
...
Nemesis
...
Nimrod
DEF: a skillful hunter
ORIGIN: mighty hunter, great-grandson of Noah (BIBLICAL)
Pharisee
DEF: strict to the point of being hypocritical
ORIGIN: Pharisees were known to apear to be extremely devoted to god, but they made up their own religious ceremonies (BIBLICAL)
Phoenix
DEF: immortality or rebirth
ORIGIN: Bird that would live 600 years, burn itself and arise from its ashes renewed (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Pooh-bah
DEF: person holding several positions giving bureaucratic importance
ORIGIN: main character of 'The Mikado' holds all high offices of state & uses for personal gain (LITERARY)
Pollyanna
DEF: unreasonably optimistic or hopeful
ORIGIN: novel; name of character who faces hardships and stays positive (LITERARY)
Psyche
DEF: human soul, spirit or mind
ORIGIN: a maiden who after undergoing many hardships because of Aphrodite's jealousy reunited with cupid and was then made immortal by Jupiter. (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Sardonic
DEF: bitter or scornful derision; mocking
ORIGIN: a Sardinian plant when eaten produces convulsive laughter (HISTORICAL)
Somnolent
DEF: drowsy
ORIGIN: Somnus, Roman god of sleep (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Spoonerism
DEF: error in speech, play on words
ORIGIN: English clergyman, William A. Spooner, noted to have a slip of words (HISTORICAL)
Stonewall
DEF: delay or block
ORIGIN: 'stonewall jackson' confederate general (HISTORICAL)
Vestal
DEF: pure and chaste
ORIGIN: Roman God vesta (MYTHOLOGICAL)
Vulcanization
DEF: produce rubber
ORIGIN: Roman god or forge, vulcan, Hephaestus(MYTHOLOGICAL)