This week’s theme
Places that have given us multiple toponyms

This week’s words
coventry
Roman matron
Canterbury tale
Trojan horse
Kentish cousins

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A.Word.A.Day

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. Earliest documented use: 1574. In computing, a Trojan horse is a program that, while seemingly useful, steals passwords or does other damage to computers.

USAGE:

“David Uhlmann, the former Justice Department official, warned, ... ‘the Kochs are using criminal-justice reform as a Trojan horse for their efforts to weaken environmental, health, and safety regulations.’”
Jane Mayer; New Koch; The New Yorker; Jan 25, 2016.

See more usage examples of Trojan horse in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: