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8 Cards in this Set
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Halcyon (Halcyon days) |
Meaning: peaceful, happier time remembered with nostalgia Story behind the phrase: When her husband died in a shipwreck, Alcyonethrew herself into the sea. The gods transformed them both into halcyon birds(kingfishers). Aeolus (her father) restrained his winds and keptthem calm during seven days in each year, so shecould lay her eggs. These became known as the "halcyon days," whenstorms do not occur. Today, the term is used to denote a past period thatis being remembered for being happy and/orsuccessful. |
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narcissistic |
Meaning: having an excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance. Story behind the word: Nemesis attracted Narcissus to a pool, where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus lost his will to live. He stared at his reflection until he died. |
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bacchanalian |
Meaning: characterized by or given to drunken revelry; riotously drunken. From: Bacchus (Dionysus - God of Wine) |
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tantalizing |
Meaning: torment or tease (someone) with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable. Story behind word: Tantalus in the pool - never able to reach the fruit or water. Punishment for stealing the food of the gods and replacing it with his own son. |
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martial |
Meaning: of or appropriate to war; warlike. From: Mars/ Ares God of War |
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mercurial |
Meaning: (of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind. From: Mercury/Hermes the Messenger God |
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sisyphean (a sisyphean task) |
Meaning: endless and unavailing, as labor or a task. Story behind the phrase: Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra. He was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, repeating this action for eternity. |
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Pandora’sbox |
Meaning: a process that generates many complicated problems as the result of unwise interference in something. Story behind the phrase: Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation in Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar (πίθος pithos) given to Pandora (Πανδώρα, "all-gifted", "all-giving"), which contained all the evils of the world. Pandora opened the jar and all the evils flew out, leaving only "Hope" inside once she had closed it again. |
