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Achilles' heel

In Greek mythology, when Achilles was a baby, it was foretold that he would die young. To prevent his death, his mother Thetis took Achilles to the River Styx, which was supposed to offer powers of invulnerability, and dipped his body into the water. But as Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not washed over by the water of the magical river. Achilles grew up to be a man of war who survived many great battles. But one day, a poisonous arrow shot at him was lodged in his heel, killing him shortly afterwards.

The death of Achilles was not mentioned in Homer's Iliad, but appeared in later Greek and Roman poetry and drama concerning events after the Iliad, later in the Trojan War. In the myths surrounding the war, Achilles was said to have died from a heel wound which was the result of an arrow—possibly poisoned—shot by Paris.

Classical myths attribute Achilles's invulnerability to his mother Thetis having treated him with ambrosia and burned away his mortality in the hearth fire except on the heel, by which she held him. Peleus, his father, discovered the treatment and was alarmed to see Thetis holding the baby in the flames, which offended her and made her leave the treatment incomplete.[3] According to a myth arising later, his mother had dipped the infant Achilles in the river Styx, holding onto him by his heel, and he became invulnerable where the waters touched him—that is, everywhere except the areas of his heel that were covered by her thumb and forefinger.

The use of “Achilles heel” as an expression meaning “area of weakness, vulnerable spot” dates only to 1840, with implied use in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Ireland, that vulnerable heel of the British Achilles!" from 1810 (Oxford English Dictionary).

Apple of Discord

An apple of discord is a reference to the Golden Apple of Discord which, according to Greek mythology, the goddess Eris tossed in the midst of the feast of the gods at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis as a prize of beauty, thus sparking a vanity-fueled dispute among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite that eventually led to the Trojan War (for the complete story, see The Judgement of Paris). Thus, "apple of discord" is used to signify the core, kernel, or crux of an argument, or a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute.

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1.accordingly

adverb

in a way that is suitable or right for the situation

When we receive your instructions we shall act accordingly.

2.conventional

adjective

traditional and ordinary

I find his art rather dull and conventional.

3.devoted

adjective

extremely loving and loyal

Lucy is devoted to her cats.

4.durable

adjective

able to last a long time without becoming damaged

The machines have to be made of durable materials.

5.enterprising

adjective

good at thinking of and doing new and difficult things, especially things that will make money

The business was started by a couple of enterprising young women.

6.household

noun

a group of people, often a family, who live together

By the 1960s, most households had a TV.

7.debt

noun

something, especially money, which is owed to someone else, or the state of owing something

He managed to pay off his debts in two years.

8.install

verb

to put furniture, a machine or a piece of equipment into position and make it ready to use

The plumber is coming tomorrow to install the new washing machine.

9.nutritious

nutritious

containing many of the substances needed for life and growth

Raw spinach is especially nutritious.

10.plug

noun

a small plastic or rubber object with two or three metal pins which is fixed to the end of a wire on a piece of electrical equipment, and which is pushed into a special opening in a wall in order to connect the equipment to a supply of electricity

If a plug is wired incorrectly, it can be dangerous.

11.sleeve

noun

the part of a piece of clothing that covers some or all of the arm

You'd better roll your sleeves up or you'll get them dirty.

12.sole

adjective

being one only; single

My sole objective is to make the information more widely available.

13.strike

verb

to refuse to continue working because of an argument with an employer about working conditions, pay levels or job losses

Democratization has brought workers the right to strike and join a trade union.

14.backpacking

noun

travelling or camping with your clothes and belongings in a backpack

15.cave

noun

a large hole in the side of a hill, cliff or mountain, or one that is underground

16.charitable

adjective

giving money, food or help free to those who are in need because they are ill, poor or have no home

The entire organization is funded by charitable donations.

17.coup

noun

an unexpectedly successful achievement

It was a tremendous coup for the local paper to get an exclusive interview with Prince Charles.

18.daring

adjective

brave and taking risks

This is a daring new film (= one willing to risk criticism) by one of our most original modern directors.

19.disclose

verb

to make something known publicly, or to show something that was hidden

Several companies have disclosed profits of over £200 million.

20.entertain

verb

to keep a group of people interested or enjoying themselves

We hired a magician to entertain the children.

21.filter

noun

any of several types of equipment or devices for removing solids from liquids or gases, or for removing particular types of light

I like to experiment with different light filters on my camera.

22.insecticide

noun

a chemical substance made and used for killing insects, especially those which eat plants

23.refugee

noun

a person who has escaped from their own country for political, religious or economic reasons or because of a war

Thousands of refugees fled across the border.

24.soaked

adjective

extremely wet

I'm going to have to take these clothes off - I'm soaked to the skin!

25.supplier

noun

a company, person, etc. that provides things that people want or need, especially over a long period of time

They used to be a leading supplier of military equipment.

26.transmit

verb

to broadcast something, or to send out or carry signals using radio, television, etc.

The information is transmitted electronically to the central computer.

27.version

noun

a particular form of something which varies slightly from other forms of the same thing

An English-language version of the book is planned for the autumn.