tantalus
See also: Tantalus
English
editEtymology
editFrom Latin Tantalus, from Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos, “Tantalus”), a Phrygian king in Greek mythology who was condemned to stand in a pool of water which receded every time he tried to drink, and with overhanging branches of fruit which pulled back whenever he tried to eat.
Pronunciation
editNoun
edittantalus (plural tantaluses)
- A stork of the genus Mycteria (formerly Tantalus), especially the American wood stork, Mycteria americana.
- A stand in which to lock up drink decanters while keeping them visible.
- 1904, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of Black Peter, Norton, published 2005, page 984:
- Yes, there was a tantalus containing brandy and whisky on the sea-chest.
- 1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, chapter 1, in Bulldog Drummond:
- “A small boy, sir. Said I was to be sure and see you got it most particular.” He unlocked a cupboard near the window and produced a tantalus. “Whisky, sir, or cocktail?”
- 1960, John Betjeman, Summoned by Bells, John Murray, page 10:
- And stockrooms heavy with the Tantalus
on which the family fortune has been made
- Something of an evasive or retreating nature, something consistently out of reach; a tantalising thing.
- 1953, Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, Penguin Classics, published 2004, page 149:
- Over all, there brooded the shadow of his injuries and the tantalus of their slow healing.