Monday Word: tantalus

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tantalus [tan-tl-uhs]

noun

1. a stand or rack containing visible decanters, especially of wines or liquors, secured by a lock; a case in which bottles may be locked with their contents tantalizingly visible

examples

1. A tantalus containing three kinds of spirit, all of a liqueur excellence, stood always on this table of luxury; but the fanciful have asserted that the whisky, brandy, and rum seemed always to stand at the same level. The Wisdom of Father Brown G.K. Chesterton

2. Carstairs made a gesture towards the tantalus on the table. Afterwards Kathlyn Rhodes

origin

Latin, from Greek Tantalos, from the Greek myth of Tantalus, a wicked king and son of Zeus; condemned in Hades to stand in water that receded when he tried to drink and beneath fruit that receded when he reached for it