Augean
Americanadjective
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resembling the Augean stables in filthiness or degradation.
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difficult and unpleasant.
an Augean chore.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of Augean
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin Augē(us) of Augeas ( Greek Augeí(ās) + -us adjective suffix) + -an
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.
A moment in Greek mythology comes to mind: Hercules and the Augean Stables.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2023
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Johnson should apologize to the nation and “clean out the filthy Augean stable he has created.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2021
He likened the Internet to the Augean stables in Greek mythology, which needed Hercules to divert two rivers to wash away decades of manure.
From Reuters ● Sep. 6, 2021
It is a metaphor he would never use, nor one he is likely to be familiar with, but he was the one man from outside the establishment who could clean the Augean stables of Washington.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 10, 2016
The fifth labor was to clean the Augean stables in a single day.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
