crown of thorns (kroun ov thornz) noun
1. An onerous burden or an affliction that causes intense suffering.
2. A thorny bush (Euphorbia milii) native to Madagascar, grown as a
houseplant. (picture: http://blankees.com/house/plants/crown.htm )
3. A starfish (Acanthaster planci) found in the Pacific that feeds on
live corals (picture: http://divegallery.com/crownofthorns.htm )
[After the biblical account of a mock crown made of thorny branches
that Roman soldiers placed on Jesus's head before his crucifixion.]
Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=crown+of+thorns
"Manipur chief minister O.I. Singh wears a crown of thorns. With
battlelines clearly drawn on several fronts, it will take a major effort
to close ranks."
Patricia Mukhim; A Recipe For Disaster?; The Telegraph (Calcutta, India);
Jul 5, 2005.
This week's theme: Biblical allusions.
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You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is
concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity. -Ralph
Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
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