Achilles heel
A vulnerability in an otherwise strong situationA vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation.
» The first baseman is the Achilles heel of our team.
Jesse · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 sensesA vulnerability in an otherwise strong situation.
A good all-round golfer, playing out of bunkers is my Achilles heel.
Achillesferse
ахилле́сова пята́axillésova pjatá
ахілле́сова п'ята́axillésova pʺjatá
The Achilles tendon, the tendo Achillis.
Examples
4 sentencesThe first baseman is the Achilles heel of our team.
Speaking in public is my Achilles heel; I'm simply too shy.
Everyone knows her Achilles' heel.
ruВсем известна её ахиллесова пята. — paul_lingvo
Everyone has an Achilles' heel.
ruУ всех есть своя ахиллесова пята. — Wezel
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From the Greek hero Achilles, whom according to legend his mother held by the heel when shFrom the Greek hero Achilles, whom according to legend his mother held by the heel when she dipped him in the River Styx, making him invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. He was later killed by an arrow wound to the heel. Although the legend is ancient, the phrase only entered English in the 19th century. It is used as a metaphor for vulnerability, as in the earliest citation, an essay by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: Achilles heelsSynonyms
8 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.