Achilles' heel

Achilles' heel
From the post-Homeric myth, transmitted by the Roman writer Gigin (I century BC). The mythical hero Achilles (Greek - Achilles) was predicted by an oracle to die under the walls of Troy, so his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, wanting to give her son immortality, dipped him into the sacred waters of the Styx River, while holding him by the heel. Thus the boy's heel was left unwashed and therefore unprotected. And, when the already adult Achilles fought under the walls of Troy, it was in this only vulnerable place that the arrow of Paris hit, which caused the death of the hero.
Allegorically: weak, vulnerable spot.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: "Lokid-Press". Vadim Serov. 2003 .

Achilles' heel

In Greek mythology, Achilles (Achilles) is one of the most powerful and brave heroes; He is sung in Homer's Iliad. The post-Homeric myth, transmitted by the Roman writer Hyginus, reports that the mother of Achilles, the sea goddess Thetis, in order to make her son's body invulnerable, dipped him into the sacred river Styx; while dipping, she held him by the heel, which the water did not touch, so the heel remained the only vulnerable spot of Achilles, where he was mortally wounded by the arrow of Paris. The expression "Achilles' (or Achilles') heel", which arose from here, is used in the meaning: a weak side, a vulnerable spot of something.

Dictionary of winged words. Plutex. 2004

Synonyms:

See what "Achilles' heel" is in other dictionaries:

In a figurative sense: the weak side of a person; this proverb came from the following: according to Greek legends, the mother of Achilles, wanting to make her son immortal, immersed him in a magical source, so that only one heel for which she was his ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (inosk.) Weak side (easily vulnerable). Wed The absence of a clearly conscious goal is the Achilles' heel of all administrators who have been educated by Dussault and in the establishment of artificial mineral waters. Saltykov. Pompadours. Wed We have many of these... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

Defect, roughness, vice, gap, flaw, flaw, slack, weak link, weakness, complex, liability, flaw, imperfection, wormhole, defect, weakness, minus, weak side, weak point, negative moment, weak point, ... ... Synonym dictionary

Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

ACHILLES' HEEL. see heel. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

ACHILLES' HEEL- what is the only or most vulnerable spot. This means that a position, plan, etc. (P) or a person or group of people (X) has a drawback, a weak side (Z). speech standard. ✦ Z Achilles' heel H and R. In the role of the nominal part of the tale, less often additional ... ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian language

Achilles' heel- Book. Only ed. Weak side, the most vulnerable spot. = Weak spot. Achilles' heel of whom? men, sportsmen, theories, programs…; whose Achilles heel? the critic, he, we ... And he had an Achilles heel, and he had weaknesses ... ... ... Educational Phraseological Dictionary

Achilles' heel- only ed. , stable combination, book. The weakest, most vulnerable spot of someone. or what l. What kind of man is this Nevelsky? This is the Achilles heel of Zavoyka (Zadornov). Etymology: On behalf of own Achilles, Achilles (Greek Achilleus) and the words ... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Statue "Dying Achilles" (Ernst Herter, 1884). Achilles' heel post-Homeric myth (transmitted by the Roman poet Hyginus ... Wikipedia

- (inosk.) weak side (easily vulnerable) Cf. The absence of a clearly conscious goal is the Achilles' heel of all administrators who have been educated by Dussault and in the establishment of artificial mineral waters. Saltykov. Pompadours. Wed We have many of these Achilles ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

Books

• Achilles' heel of intelligence, M.E. Boltunov. The author of this book, a military journalist and writer, having studied recently declassified archival documents, introduces readers to the amazing stories of invisible heroes who provide communication ...

Statue "Dying Achilles" (Ernst Herter, 1884. Achillion Palace, Corfu, Greece).

Achilles' heel- a post-Homeric myth (reported by the Roman writer Gigin), which tells how the mother of Achilles (Achilles), Thetis, wanted to make her son's body invulnerable. To do this, she dipped him into the sacred river Styx. But, dipping the baby into the water, the mother held him by the heel, and the heel remained the only weak point of Achilles. Subsequently, it was there that Paris hit him with his arrow, mortally wounding the hero.

The plot of the myth [ | ]

The famous hero Achilles, as a child, was predicted that he could live a long but inglorious life, or die heroically at the walls of Troy. His mother Thetis did not want her son to die so early, and she decided to make him invulnerable. To do this, when he was born, she dipped him into the sacred waters of the underground river Styx. At the same time, she held Achilles by the heel. Now Achilles could not be hit by a weapon, but the heel, which was not touched by the magical waters of Styx, remained vulnerable.

Many years later, Achilles went with the Greeks on a campaign against Troy. During one of the battles, the god Apollo (who had been insulted by Achilles earlier) sent an arrow of Paris right into Achilles' heel. The wound, although small, was fatal.

In modern culture[ | ]

At present, the expression "Achilles' heel" denotes a weak side, "sick", a weak point of something or someone. This side can be both physical and moral.

This is

Achilles- the favorite hero of many legends of ancient Greece. This is an invincible, brave man who was not taken by any enemy arrows. You have probably heard the idiom often Achilles' heel. So where does his heel, if he was invincible and brave?!

The legend tells that the mother of Achilles Thetis, wanting to make her son invulnerable, dipped the boy into the waters of the sacred river Styx. But, dipping, she held him by the heel (heel), and the heel was unprotected.

In one of the battles, Paris, the opponent of Achilles, shot an arrow in the heel of Achilles and killed him.

Every weak, vulnerable place of a person is called Achilles fifth.

Phraseologism "Apple of discord" meaning

According to ancient Greek myth, once the goddess of discord, Eris, was not invited to a feast. Holding a grudge, Eris decided to take revenge on the gods. She took Golden Apple on which was written " most beautiful”, and quietly threw him between the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena. The goddesses argued over which of them should own it. Each considered herself the most beautiful. The son of the Trojan king Paris, who was invited to be a judge, gave the apple to Aphrodite, and in gratitude she helped him kidnap the wife of the Spartan king Helen. Because of this, the Trojan War broke out.
Expression apple of discord turned into a phraseological unit denoting the cause of a quarrel, enmity.

Phraseologism Augean stables meaning

Augean stables- King Augeas lived in Ancient Greece. He was a passionate lover of horses. Three thousand horses stood in his stables. However, their stalls had not been cleaned for thirty years and were overgrown with manure up to the very roofs.
Fortunately, the legendary strong man Heracles (among the Romans he was called Hercules) entered the service of King Avgius, whom the king instructed to clean the stables, because no one else could do it.
Hercules was not only powerful, but also smart. He diverted the river through the gates of the stables, and the turbulent stream washed away all the dirt from there.
Expression Augean stables we use when we want to talk about extreme neglect, pollution.

Option 2: 1. A very polluted place, neglected room. In figurative speech: something littered with papers, books, extra things that are not needed for work. “This incident happened (did not answer the letter) because our desk represents the Augean stables, and only now I could find a piece of paper.” Mussorgsky. Letter to V.V. Stasov, March 31, 1872.
2. Extreme disorder in business. “What were the main manifestations, remnants, remnants of serfdom in Russia by 1917? Monarchy, estates, land ownership and land use, the position of women, religion, oppression of nationalities. Take any of these "Augean stables" ... you will see that we have cleaned them clean. V. I. Lenin.
3. clean (clear) Augean stables. “Then Kirov patted Ilyushin on the shoulder. - And you gather the fighters. I'll come for half an hour and talk (about the purge of the regiment and the mobilization of the communists in the guards). Well, be healthy! Let's clean out your Augean stables together." G. Kholopov. Lights in the bay.
From the literal phrase Augean stables, i.e. the huge stables of Augeus, king of Elis. According to the myth, Hercules cleaned these stables, which had not been cleaned for 30 years, in one day, directing the waters of the turbulent Alpheus River through them.

Phraseologism “Between Scylla and Charybdis” meaning

According to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, two monsters lived on the coastal rocks on both sides of the Strait of Messina: Scylla and Charybdis that swallowed the sailors.
The expression between Scylla and Charybdis is used in the sense: to be between two hostile forces, in a position where danger threatens from both sides.
Think about whether there are similar phraseological units in our speech (between two fires, for example).

Phraseologism “The voice of one crying in the wilderness” meaning

According to an ancient biblical legend, one very honorable and respected prophet wants people to build the so-called path to God on the site of the desert. In this case, it would be necessary to lay good roads in the remote steppe, make the mountains smaller, and also align what does not protrude as it should. All these petitions were ignored by people, because no one was going to take on such a job. That is why this phraseological unit and has this name - voice in the wilderness.
For a long time, this expression denoted indifferent calls and persuasion to do certain actions that no one listens to and which are doomed to failure in advance. For the moment phraseological unit came down to us without any changes.

The meaning of the phraseologism "Achilles' heel" is a weak, vulnerable spot in someone or something. If this expression is used in relation to a person, then it can characterize him both morally and physically. Moreover, as a rule, the expression "Achilles' heel" has an ironic and mocking connotation.

We owe the origin of the phraseologism "Achilles' heel" to the myths of Ancient Greece, or rather, the myth of the ancient Greek legendary hero Achilles or Achilles. Heroes were born from the marriages of gods with mortals and possessed some supernatural qualities for mortal people, but were not immortal. Fulfilling the will of the gods, they performed various feats, for which people created legends about them. So it was with Achilles.

His parents were Thetis - a sea nymph and Peleus - the son of the Aegin king Aeacus. According to the prediction, their joint son will live a long life or become a hero and die at the walls of Troy.

Therefore, Thetis, wanting to know whether her child was immortal or not, dipped the newborn into boiling water. So the six children of Thetis died. When the seventh child was born, Peleus insisted that Thetis did not put her inhuman experiments on him. As you guessed, this child was Achilles. However, Thetis, wanting to make her son invulnerable, according to one version, put Achilles in the divine furnace of the god of fire and the patron of blacksmithing, Hephaestus, while holding him by the heel. According to another version, Thetis dipped Achilles into the sacred waters of the underground river Styx in the kingdom of the dead Hades. Thus, Achilles had one weak spot - his heel. Hence the expression "Achilles' heel", denoting a weak, unprotected place.

When the Greeks were about to attack the Trojans, King Odysseus of Ithaca and King Nestor of Pylos wished to see Achilles in the ranks of their army. Having received a blessing from his father, Achilles joined the campaign against Troy.

Thetis, remembering the prophecy and wanting to save her son, made a storm, and Achilles' ship ended up off the island of Skyros. There, with King Lycomedes, Thetis hoped to hide Achilles so that he could not take part in the fatal war for himself. To do this, she dressed her son in women's clothes and hid him among the daughters of King Lycomedes. But the cunning and clever Odysseus found out about it. He appeared on the island under the guise of a merchant. Odysseus put up for review the princesses not only dresses, jewelry, but also weapons. Suddenly, at his order, a noise and a battle cry arose, and, by inertia, Achilles took up arms. So the exposed "deserter" had to go on his last campaign.

Achilles performed many feats in the war, he defeated many enemies in battles. No one could handle the hero. But the prediction, nevertheless, came true. The arrow, fired by the son of the king of Troy, Paris and directed by the god of light and the patron of the arts, Apollo, hit the only unprotected place of Achilles - in the heel. Although the wound was not significant, Achilles died.

So every living being, every object is imperfect. And it does not matter whether he hides his shortcomings and flaws or not, but they are. According to scientists, even the sun has spots. So this myth suggests that no matter how perfect and invulnerable you seem, you should not be deceived and be careless and self-confident, you should beware of chance and be vigilant. After all, as the humorous Murphy's law says:

“If there is a possibility that some kind of trouble can happen, then it will definitely happen.”

In Greece, on the island of Corfu, in the Achillion Palace, a statue of Ernst Gustav Harter "The Dying Achilles", created by him in 1884, is exhibited. It depicts Achilles trying to take an arrow out of his heel. And this statue was made by order of Empress Elizabeth.

And some anatomy. The progenitor of the name "Achilles tendon" is the myth of the "Achilles heel". By the way, this heel tendon is the strongest and most powerful in the human body.

The history of the expression

"Achilles' heel" is a phraseological unit that originates in ancient Greece. Achilles (Achilles) - the hero of Homer's epics, a great warrior who does not know defeat. He was a demigod. His mother is the sea nymph Thetis, forcibly married to Peleus, king of the Myrmidons. According to the legend on which Homer relies in his epic, Achilles was the seventh child in the family. His brothers died at the hands of a mother who dipped her babies in boiling water to see if they were immortal. Achilles was rescued by his father. Having inherited a powerful force from the mother goddess, the son of a mere mortal remained vulnerable to all dangers. In order to save him from future hardships, Thetis dips the baby in the streams of Styx. The mother held her child by the heel, and the waters of the sacred river did not touch her. The greatest of the heroes of antiquity, Achilles, took part in the campaign against Troy. No one could defeat the warrior, because everyone was aiming at his body, head. Under his blows, the queen of the Amazons, Penthesilea, and the Ethiopian prince Memnon, who came to the aid of the Trojans, fell. But the poisoned arrow fired by Paris, whose hand was guided by the angry Apollo, hit the hero in the heel - the only unprotected place, and he died.

Myth and modernity

Since then, any flaw, flaw, unprotected place has been called "Achilles' heel". The myth haunted the minds of people. Anatomists have preserved the memory of the hero by calling one of the connective tissues located above the heel bone "Achilles tendon". Every person has their own "Achilles heel". Someone admits this weakness openly, someone hides it, but be that as it may, its presence once again confirms the expression "there are no perfect people." Those who deny it in themselves are either simply ignorant or stupid, considering themselves equal to the gods.

"Achilles heel" of firms and enterprises

Every complex system has its weak point. This applies not only to a person, but also to any enterprise. As with human psychology, denying that there is a weak spot in an organization is simply pointless. On the contrary, the owner or manager of an enterprise, who understands that “white spots” cannot be dispensed with, seeks them out by thinking over the management policy in advance in order to notice the danger in time and take all possible measures to maintain stability and subsequent economic growth. Any missed roughness, a weak link, a wormhole (this is the "Achilles' heel") - and the enterprise is threatened with collapse. It is not only about the organization of work, but also about the relationship with subordinates, observance of subordination, business etiquette. Any small crack can turn into a rift. A promising, knowledgeable leader will always keep his finger on the pulse.

The world around

Even more insidious is the "Achilles heel" hidden in the domestic and international politics of the state. Nuclear and space programs, banking structure, legislation - all these huge systems are like colossi with feet of clay. Any imperfection, gap and a small pebble that has fallen out of the base can cause the collapse of not only an individual state, but the whole of humanity.