Andromeda strain
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Andromeda strain
First recorded in 1970–75; after such a pathogen in a novel of the same name (1969) by U.S. author Michael Crichton (1942–2008)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The outbreak of an epidemic* can provoke a primal panic by raising the specter of a rampant "Andromeda strain."
From Time Magazine Archive
He adds: "Those who claim we are letting loose an Andromeda strain are either hysterics or are trying to wreck a whole new field of research."
From Time Magazine Archive
My actual view is this: "Claims about letting loose an Andromeda strain are promoting public hysteria and may wreck a whole new field of research."
From Time Magazine Archive
But while a few astronomers have suggested that bacteria and viruses may exist in or on comets, Stardust scientists aren't worried about a real-life Andromeda strain.
From Time Magazine Archive
It was behaving like the fictional Andromeda strain.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
