*QUAGMIRE
One who ventures into a new undertaking only to find himself inextricably entangled in a hopeless mess has become quagmired, or bogged down, has been recorded as early as 1775. The term, shaky ground, is nearly a literal equivalent as quag is a variant of quake. Thus a quagmire is a piece of ground that looks firm but shakes when walked upon, only to engulf the person. An obsolete form is quickmire, related to quicksand, which has much the same treacherous properties.
*Inspired
by Charles Funk (1881–1957)
No comments:
Post a Comment