Saturday, November 3, 2007

Expression from mythology: dragon's teeth

dragon's teeth (DRAG-uhns teeth) noun
Seeds of discord. Usually used in the form "to sow dragon's teeth": to take an action that leads to future conflict.
[In Greek mythology, the Phoenician prince Cadmus killed a dragon and sowed its teeth. From those teeth sprang an army of men who fought eachother until only five were left.]

"As some would tell it, the Court of Appeals sowed dragon's teeth five years ago in its landmark holding that a cable television provider' late fees were too high."
-- Peter Geier; Despite Negative Image, Class-Action Lawyers Perform Important Job For Clients; The Daily Record (Baltimore, Maryland); Dec 10, 2004.

1 comment:

Seth Dick said...

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