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单词 Achilles' heel
释义

Achilles' heel

noun

: a vulnerable point

Did you know?

When the hero Achilles was an infant, his sea-nymph mother dipped him into the river Styx to make him immortal. But since she held him by one heel, this spot did not touch the water and so remained mortal and vulnerable, and it was here that Achilles was eventually mortally wounded. Today, the tendon that stretches up the calf from the heel is called the Achilles tendon. But the term Achilles' heel isn't used in medicine; instead, it's only used with the general meaning "weak point"—for instance, to refer to a section of a country's borders that aren't militarily protected, or to a Jeopardy contestant's ignorance in the Sports category.

Synonyms

  • back
  • chink
  • jugular
  • soft spot
  • underbelly
See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

I'm trying to lose weight, but ice cream is my Achilles' heel. the food supply proved to be the nation's Achilles' heel in its defense against terrorist attacks

Word History

Etymology

from the story that Achilles was vulnerable only in the heel

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Achilles' heel

noun

as in soft spot
a vulnerable point the food supply proved to be the nation's Achilles' heel in its defense against terrorist attacks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
  • soft spot
  • back
  • jugular
  • downfall
  • chink
  • underbelly
  • undoing
  • tragic flaw
  • ruin
  • hamartia
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更新时间:2024/12/23 23:11:48