Word of the day: augean
I’ve recently been having an e-mail exchange with an Indian political commentator about reform of the Indian political system [see my guide here]. She used the word ‘augean’ and I was impressed that an indian used an English word which I had to look up.
The adjective refers to a task which is both hugely unpleasant and extremely difficult – originally the fifth labour of Heracles in Greek mythology [see here] and, in the context of her e-mail, changing the the Indian political system.