Progression

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.

   

Permalink:
http://wordsmith.org/words/crown_of_thorns.html

Posted by Keya at August 3, 2005 09:34 PM