Mythological Expressions

 An Achilles heel – a deadly weakness despite all strengths; derived from Achilles death after being
shot in the foot.
 The Midas Touch- anything that is done, is very profitable; derived from King Midas with the touch
to turn anything into gold.
 A Chimerical scheme- a scheme that is improvised as a good achievement while it can be harmful
achievement and quite deadly; derived from Chimera and Bellephron, when the king tells him to kill
Chimera, while Chimera was ordered to kill Bellephron.
 To open a Pandora’s box- to unleash evil and danger; derived from the story of Pandora’s Box when
Pandora releases all the evil.
 An apple of discord- to cause problems; derives from the apple that was given by Paris to the fairest
of the tree, goddesses.
 A sop of Cerberus- a bribe; Cerberus was the three headed dog, that took sop as bribe for someone
to pass.
 To work like a Trojan- to work hard; derived from the Trojans in the Trojan War.
 Beware of Greeks bearing gifts- do not trust your enemies; derived from the Trojan Horse in the
Trojan War.
 A lotus eater- someone who uses drugs; the lotus eaters in the Odyssey.
 Hydra headed evils- a no ending problem, Hydra immortal heads from Hercules.
 As wise as nester- ineffective, good advices; Nestor repeatedly gives advices in the Trojan War.
 Difficult as the judgment of Paris- The decision that is very tough to make; derived from the Trojan
War and the apple pf discords.
 Between Scylla and Charybdis- be caught in a extremely difficult situation; derived from the
Odeyssey.
 An Icarian Adventure- bold adventure with a fatal ending; derived from the Odyssey.
 A task of Sisyphus- a never ending task; derived from Sisyphus who was doomed in hades by rolling
a boulder uphill.
 Am Augean task- a atask that seems impossible but can be done; derives from Hercules’s missions.
 A Cassandra ullerance- warning that is not taken seriously; derived form Cassangra, King Priam’s
daughter who is cursed for not listening to the gods.
 The thread of adreainne- solve a problem in many different ways; derived from Adreainne one of
the threads.
 To be unable to bend Ulysses bow- doing something in front of a person who is very good at it, but
was unsuccessful in doing so.; derived from the Odyssey.
 The face that launched a thousand ships- Helen’s beauty started the war; derived from the Trojan
War.