27 August 2018
Harpy
[hahr-pee]
noun, plural Harpies.
1. Classical Mythology. a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman’s head and a bird’s body.
2. (lowercase) a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew.
3. (lowercase) a greedy, predatory person.
Origin of Harpy
Latin, Greek< Latin Harpȳia, singular of Harpȳiae < Greek Hárpȳiai (plural), literally, snatchers, akin to harpázein to snatch away
Related forms
harpylike, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Harpy
Historical Examples
Madame Beattie was a familiar name to them, but they had never heard she was a Harpy.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
It was also the day of the man behind the bar, of the gambler, of the Harpy.
The Trail of ’98
Robert W. Service
“Harpy it might have been, but happy it was not,” he answered with a groan.
The Three Commanders
W.H.G. Kingston
Today’s quote
The greatest remedy for anger is delay.
– Lucius Annaeus Seneca
On this day
27 August 1883 – the world’s biggest recorded explosion occurs on Krakatoa, an Indonesian island as a volcano erupts, killing between 36,000 and 120,000 people. The noise is heard in Perth, Western Australia, 3,500km away and Mauritius, 4,800km away where it was thought to be cannon fire. Tsunamis up to 30m high were recorded. It generated a cloud of ash 27km high. In the 12 months after the explosion, global temperatures fell by 1.2oC. The explosion darkened the sky for years afterward.
27 August 1908 – birth of Sir Donald Bradman (The Don), Australia’s (and arguably, the world’s) greatest cricketer. In his last Test, Bradman’s batting average was 101.39 runs per innings, but on the second ball he faced, he was bowled for a duck (zero), reducing his batting average to 99.94. It is the highest batting average in test cricket. Died 25 February 2001.
27 August 1975 – death of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. Although Selassie was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, Rastafarians believe that he is the Messiah returned. Born 23 July 1892.