Greek Allusions-4 神話典故

Allusions of Greek Mythology


希臘神話典故


31. Procrustean bed: produce conformity to a standard by violent or arbitrary means



In fact short-term therapy may be the best thing. Our dedication ought to be to what the person needs or can deal with, rather than pressing him into a procrustean bed.






32. Cornucopia: an inexhaustible reserve; a symbol of abundance


We live in the dreams of inexhaustible resources, the dream of the public treasury as a cornucopia from which all good things follow.






33. Sow the dragon's teeth: incite a conflict or riot; plant the seeds of strife; kindle the flames of war


All in all, in the name of security needs, the United States sows the dragon's teeth by selling arms.






34. Prometheus Bound: a power or force which is curbed or restricted


cf: Prometheus Unbound: a sweeping or surging power


Businessmen complain that the leaden hand of government undermines the freedom and incentives that make capitalism so productive. Managers see themselves as Prometheus Bound, unable to launch a new product or finance research into a tempting field without completing a fat book of federal forms and paying exorbitant and needless expenses.


Gorbachev & Company are discovering two flaws in the dual panacea: glasnost unleashed, like Prometheus Unbound, can ignite a holocaust and the shift from a planned economy to a market economy may work only if the central government is willing to loose its stranglehold on commerce.