Achilles' heel
11
6.3
- noun
- /əˈkɪliz hil/
- Informal
:
talón de Aquiles
- The expert warned that the company's over-reliance on one product could be its Achilles' heel.
Examples
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Long-term, the 49ers' Achilles' heel is the lack of depth at outside linebacker.
Blog text (2) -
Radioactive waste has often been referred to as the Achilles' heel of nuclear power.
Blog text (26) -
...you should have never told me about your Achilles' heel.
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We just need to find their Achilles' heel.
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It's always been your Achilles' heel in this part of the world.
-
Everybody has an Achilles' heel.
-
Low power density is the Achilles' heel of renewable energy technologies.
Academic text (2010) -
Trouble is, capitalism has an Achilles' heel: the greed inherent in human nature.
Blog text (17) -
The new orthodoxy's Achilles' heel is its faulty political foundation.
Academic text (1999) -
That's her Achilles' heel.
Synonyms
344
1.7
A fault in a person or thing that makes them less effective
113
3.3
A weakness in a person's character that causes problems
69
3.7
A weakness that makes a person or thing less effective
35
4.8
An unexpected problem that is not obvious at first
34
3.5
A weakness in a person's character or a plan
12
3.0
A part of a person or thing that is not strong and can cause problems
1
7.8
A weak part of a main character that causes their ruin in a serious story
1
7.4
A small weakness in a person, group, or system that others can use
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
Achilles' + heel
This is a culture-specific metaphor drawn from the Greek myth of Achilles; the literal words 'Achilles' (a proper name) and 'heel' (body part) do not compositionally yield the meaning 'a critical vulnerability' unless the learner knows the myth. Even though many languages use a calque (e.g., talón de Aquiles), the expression relies on cultural/literary knowledge rather than transparent word combination, so it is not predictable for an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Achilles' heel comes from a Greek story about the hero Achilles. His mother dipped him in a river to make him hard to hurt but she held him by his heel, so that small spot stayed weak, and that's why the phrase now means a small but crucial 'weakness'.