Trojan Horse from the movie Troy, now preserved in Çanakkale, Turkey
(photo: Ross Burgess)
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
Trojan horse
PRONUNCIATION:
(TRO-juhn hors)
MEANING:
noun:
Something or someone placed in order to subvert from within.
ETYMOLOGY:
In the legendary Trojan War, the Greeks left a large hollow wooden horse at the
gates of the city of Troy. The Trojans took it inside. Greek soldiers hidden
in the horse came out at night and opened the gates of the city, allowing
the Greek army to enter and conquer the Trojans. In computing, a Trojan
horse is a program that, while seemingly useful, steals passwords or does
other damage to computers.
USAGE:
“Ministers appear determined to use the Coroners and Justice Bill
as a Trojan horse with which to smuggle authoritarian measures
on to the statute book.”
Resist These Attempts to Make Justice Secret; The Independent
(London, UK); Oct 22, 2009.
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A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Literature becomes the living memory of a nation. -Alexander Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (1918-2008)
Spokane7
37°
Lewis on November 13 at 10:01 a.m.
The thread reminded me that we just heard the city completed negotiations with the police guild over their contract but the citizens could not be told what the agreements were until they can get all the guild board members into the Trojan horse. My guess is the city fell over backwards and gave the guild everything they wanted.
I will bet money the guild said no to independent investigation powers for the ombudsman and the city rolled right over.
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