Relating to or resembling the sword of Damocles; describing something that hangs over you as a constant threat or danger.
From Damocles, a character in a Greek story told by Cicero, whose sword hung by a hair to illustrate how precarious fortune and power are. The term became English through classical references.
The Sword of Damocles is one of history's most brilliant parables — ancient Greek teachers told this story to show students that being envious of powerful people was foolish because they live with constant invisible threats, and now we still use it 2,400 years later.
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