sword of Damocles
2
9.7
- idiom
- /sɔrd əv ˈdæməˌkliz/
- Literature
:
espada de Damocles
- Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation or by madness.
- sword of Damocles hanging
Examples
-
The family then moved from Lehi to Nevada, calling the investigation a "sword of Damocles" hanging over their heads.
Blog text (20) -
I know a man who lives under the sword of Damocles we call AIDS.
-
" Apparently, we will sleep here under the sword of Damocles.
Fiction book (1997) -
The sword of Damocles Is hanging over my head
-
"Whatever it is that controls you, some sword of Damocles hanging over you."
Fiction book (2001) -
The imminent threat of a revised Chambers Law hung over the heads of CANACINTRA leaders like the sword of Damocles.
Academic text (2000) -
Shumba told me that the presence of HIV in the bodies of many Zimbabweans brings fear into homes and relationships, hanging like a sword of Damocles.
Academic text (2010) -
The Liberals were seemingly caught between a rock and a hard place, with the threat of American retaliation hanging like the sword of Damocles over their heads if the government did not bow to administration wishes.
Academic text (2004) -
The threat of losing funding felt like a sword of Damocles hanging over the project.
-
Many employees live in fear of a sword of Damocles due to possible layoffs.
Synonyms
∞
2.3
Something likely to cause harm or danger
1
8.5
A dangerous point where disaster is about to happen
How Threatening
Surface Forms
Morphology
sword + of + Damocles
The meaning depends on an allusion to the legend of Damocles rather than any compositional reading of 'sword' + 'of' + 'Damocles'; knowing the literal words does not yield the sense of an imminent, looming threat. This cultural/historical reference is idiomatic and requires background knowledge, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not reliably infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase sword of Damocles comes from an old story about a man called Damocles who was made to sit under a huge sword that hung above his head by a single hair. That scary picture of a weapon ready to fall is why the phrase now means 'a constant and near danger' hanging over someone.