Scylla
['silə]
Definition
(noun.) (Greek mythology) a sea nymph transformed into a sea monster who lived on one side of a narrow strait; drowned and devoured sailors who tried to escape Charybdis (a whirlpool) on the other side of the strait.
Typist: Remington--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A dangerous rock on the Italian coast opposite the whirpool Charybdis on the coast of Sicily, -- both personified in classical literature as ravenous monsters. The passage between them was formerly considered perilous; hence, the saying "Between Scylla and Charybdis," signifying a great peril on either hand.
Typist: Rowland
Definition
n. a six-headed monster who sat over a dangerous rock on the Italian side of the Straits of Messina over against the whirlpool of Charyb′dis on the Sicilian side.—n. ScylléŽ (sil-ē′a) a genus of nudibranchiate gasteropods.—n.pl. Scyllar′id?/span> (-dē) a family of long-tailed ten-footed marine crustaceans.
Checker: Yale
Examples
- A great party of us were on deck smoking and making a noise, and waiting to see famous Scylla and Charybdis. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Nobody supposed he cared anything about an old fable like that of Scylla and Charybdis. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Scylla and Cha--confound it, I thought it was Sodom and Gomorrah! Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Why it's Scylla and Charybdis. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
Typist: Waldo