| Definitions | | tantalus |
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noun
- A stork of the genus Mycteria (formerly Tantalus), especially the American wood ibis, Mycteria americana.
- A stand in which to lock up drink decanters while keeping them visible.
- 1904: Yes, there was a containing brandy and whisky on the sea-chest. " Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of Black Peter" (Norton 2005, p.984)
- Something of an evasive or retreating nature, something consistently out of reach; a tantalising thing.
- 1953: Over all, there brooded the shadow of his injuries and the of their slow healing. " Ian Fleming, Casino Royale (Penguin Classics 2004, p.149)
Etymology: Latin Tantalus, from Greek "w:Tantalus, Tantalus", a Phrygian king in Greek mythology who was condemned to stand in a pool of water which receded every time he tried to drink, and with overhanging branches of fruit which pulled back whever he tried to eat.
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