Wiktionary

Augean stables

English edit

WOTD – 25 March 2023

Etymology edit

From Augean (“pertaining to Augeas”) +‎ stables. Augeas was a legendary king of Elis in Greek mythology who owned 3,000 divine cattle which produced a huge amount of dung in stables that had not been cleaned for over 30 years. The cleaning of the stables was the fifth of the twelve Labours of Hercules, which Hercules achieved by rerouting the Alpheus and Peneus rivers through them.[1]

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

Augean stables pl (normally plural, singular Augean stable) (idiomatic)

  1. An extremely filthy or untidy place or situation.
    Synonyms: pigpen, pigsty, sty
    She ordered him upstairs immediately to clean the Augean stables of his bedroom.
    • 1685, [anonymous translators], “The Translators to the Reader”, in [Antoine Arnauld; Pierre Nicole], Logic; or, The Art of Thinking: […], London: […] T. B. for H. Sawbridge, […], →OCLC:
      Nor is his diligence in this particular, leſs to be applauded, for having cleans'd the Augean Stables of ſo many Syſtems [of logic], from ſtudied Barbariſm and Delirium.
    • 1783 February 1, B. V., “[Historical Account of the Ancient Cathedral at Lichfield]”, in Sylvanus Urban [pseudonym], editor, The Gentleman’s Magazine: And Historical Chronicle, volume LIII, London: […] John Nichols, for D[avid] Henry, […]; and sold by E[lizabeth] Newbery, […], →OCLC, page 120, column 1:
      After the Reſtoration, this Proteſtant champion [John Hacket] vvas made B[isho]p of Lichfield; and vvith the ſame zeal vvith vvhich he had defended its rights and ceremonies, he ſet about the reſtoration of his cathedral. In the morning after his arrival at Lichfield he raiſed all his ſervants by daybreak, and vvith his coach-horſes and hired ſervants he began the great vvork of cleanſing the Augean Stable, to ſuch a deplorable ſtate had the enemy reduced it.
    • 1799 October, “Provincial Drama”, in The Monthly Mirror: Reflecting Men and Manners. […], volume VIII, London: […] J. Wright, […] [for] Vernor and Hood […], →OCLC, page 245:
      As a proof of the disgusting state of the house [the Theatre-Royal, Liverpool], suffice it to mention, that, at the late festival of music held here, which attracted a great concourse of fashionable company, a ridotto-ball was intended to have been given at the theatre; but, upon inspection by the committee, the place was found so uncomfortably dirty, damp, and noisome, the floor of the stage so worn and uneven, that it was judged impossible to cleanse the Augean stable so as to render it fit for the accommodation of the company, whence the design was given up, and the ball was held in the rooms of the Athenæum.
    • a. 1883 (date written), Anthony Trollope, “‘Doctor Thorne’—‘The Bertrams’—‘The West Indies and the Spanish Main’”, in An Autobiography […], volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1883, →OCLC, page 171:
      Then in the autumn of that year, 1858, I was asked to go to the West Indies, and cleanse the Augean stables of our Post Office system there.
    • 1953, Humphry Osmond, “1953”, in Cynthia Carson Bisbee et al., editors, Psychedelic Prophets: The Letters of Aldous Huxley and Humphry Osmond (McGill–Queen’s/Associated Medical Services Studies in the History of Medicine, Health, and Society; 48), Montreal, Que., Kingston, Ont., London: McGill–Queen’s University Press, published 2018, →ISBN, page 35:
      In the meanwhile on quite a different front we are beginning to attack our ineffective and beastly hospital. It is an Augean stables, even down to dung on some of the ceilings – hard going, discouraging, exhausting and tough.
    • 1997, Nancy A. Cannon, Nancy Hennessy Cooney, “Stop Reminding and Get Creative”, in Come to the Table: A Guide for Families to Restore Their Dinner Hour and Have Fun and Interesting Conversations, Kansas City, Mo.: Sheed & Ward, →ISBN, page 6:
      Honey, your room looks like the Augean stable … and you have till noon to find Hercules!
    • 2001, John Bayley, “Comédie Française”, in Widower’s House: A Study in Bereavement or How Margot and Mella Forced Me to Flee My Home, New York, N.Y.: W[illiam] W[arder] Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 59:
      Darling, Johnny's house is like those Augean stables. I'll really have to do something about it.
  2. (figuratively) A place or situation characterized by corruption or moral decay.
    Synonyms: den of iniquity, sty
    • 1613 April 3 (Gregorian calendar), Jos[eph] Hall, “An Holy Panegyrick. A Sermon Preached at Paules-Crosse, vpon the Anniuersary Solemnity of the Happie Inauguration of Our Drad Soueraigne Lord, King Iames, March 24. 1613.”, in A Recollection of Such Treatises as Haue Bene heretofore Seuerally Published and are Nowe Reuised, Corrected, Augmented. […], London: […] [Humfrey Lownes] for Arthur Iohnson, Samuel Macham and Laurence Lisle, published 1615, →OCLC, page 711:
      Yea, as yee loue your ovvne life, peace, vvelfare; Rouze vp your ſpirits, avvaken your Chriſtian courage, and ſet your ſelues heartily againſt the traitorly ſinnes of theſe times, vvhich threaten the bane of all theſe. Cleanſe yee theſe Augean ſtables of our drunken Tauernes, of our profane ſtages, and of thoſe blinde Vaults of profeſſed filthineſſe, VVhoſe ſteppes goe dovvne to the chambers of Death; yea, to the deepe of Hell.
    • 1721 February 1 (Gregorian calendar), “Cato” [pseudonym], “Political Letters to the Author of the Lond[on] Journal, from Jan. 14. to Feb. 18.”, in The Political State of Great Britain, volume XXI, London: […] [F]or the author [Abel Boyer], and sold by T. Warner […], and A. Rocayrol, […], published 11 March 1721 (Gregorian calendar), →OCLC, page 156:
      Let us ſhevv our Duty to this our great and benevolent Sovereign; let us endeavour to alleviate his Cares, and him of all ungrateful Burthens; let us take upon our ſelves the heavy and long Labour of cleanſing the Augean Stables, and of cutting off all the Hydra's Head at once.
    • 1799, “A Freeholder” [pseudonym], A Letter to the Electors of Ireland, on the Projected Measure of an Union. […], Dublin: […] J. Moore, […], →OCLC, pages 9–10:
      Some perſons imagine, and argue, as if a conſolidation of the Legiſlatures vvould correct the vices and cure the corruption of Parliament, […] as if they conſidered the Britiſh Senate the choſen ſpot, the conſecrated temple of genuine and unſullied freedom, and that of Ireland no better than the Augean ſtable, vvhich no time or labour could cleanſe of its filth and free from its impurities. But, my friends and countrymen, you have too much underſtanding to be deluded by ſuch monſtrous and abſurd poſitions, vvhich have ſuch little foundation, either in fact or in a knovvledge of human nature.
    • 1840 October 5, General [Pierre] Van Cortlandt, “Meeting at Auburn, N.Y.”, in A[nthony] B[anning] Norton, The Great Revolution of 1840. Reminiscences of the Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign, Mount Vernon, Oh., Dallas, Tex.: A. B. Norton & Co., published 1888, →OCLC, page 341:
      We have assembled to discuss those principles of government—principles which have been subverted to the purposes of the present administration. […] We have seen the effect of some of the measures of the administration at Washington, and it is high time, my fellow-citizens, that the Augean stable there was cleansed. […] The Augean stable at Washington has had a number of animals in it for nearly twelve years, without being cleaned out. [Laughter.]
    • 1960, Chinua Achebe, chapter 5, in No Longer at Ease (African Writers Series), Oxford, Oxfordshire: Heinemann Educational Publishers, published 1987, →ISBN, page 40:
      'What an Augean stable!' he muttered to himself. 'Where does one begin? With the masses? Educate the masses?' He shook his head. 'Not a chance there. It would take centuries. A handful of men at the top. Or even one man with vision – an enlightened dictator. People are scared of the word nowadays. But what kind of democracy can exist side by side with so much corruption and ignorance? Perhaps a half-way house – a sort of compromise.'
    • 1972 August 23, Dahyabhai V. Patel, “The Insecticides (Amendment) Bill, 1972”, in Parliamentary Debates: Rajya Sabha: Official Report (Rajya Sabha), volume LXXXI, number 16, New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Secretariat, →OCLC, column 248:
      Augean stables are everywhere under the Congress Raj—whether in agriculture or elsewhere. Only a few days back there was a huge fraud in the CHS dispensaries.
    • 1993 October 10, Stuart Morgan, “Confessions of a Body Snatcher: Glenn Brown”, in Frieze‎[1], London: Frieze Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-11, page 52:
      For him [Glenn Brown], daft, culturally sanctioned gesturalism is an Augean stable, and he the Hercules whose duty it is to disinfect it. At this time, for example, he mounted an attack on the ultimate in post-war expressionism. Unfortunately, his version of a chimpanzee painting remains unfinished.
    • 2004 April 27, Mark Latham, “2004 Pre-election”, in The Latham Diaries, Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, published 2005, →ISBN, page 283:
      The legacy of State-based political machines—I need to win an election despite them. And then I can clean out the Augean stables: abolish the National Executive for what they did to Cookie, and abolish the primacy of the State branches.
    • 2012 May, Dan Agbese, “The Augean Stable”, in Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria, London, Abuja, Nigeria: Adonis & Abbey, →ISBN, page 177:
      The military administration wasted little time in getting down to the business of cleaning up the Augean Stable. The constitution was suspended. All political appointees lost their job. They were all hounded into detention, collectively accused of corruption.

Usage notes edit

The term is chiefly used in the form “to clean (or cleanse) the Augean stables”.

Related terms edit

Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References edit

  1. ^ Compare “Augean, adj.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2021; “Augean, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading edit

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