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Midas|ˈmaɪdæs|
[a. L. Midās, Gr. Μιδᾱς.]
1. a. The name of a fabled king of Phrygia, to whom Bacchus granted that all he touched should turn to gold (a boon that had to be withdrawn to prevent his perishing of hunger), and to whom Apollo gave ass's ears as a punishment for dullness to the charm of his lyre. Hence used allusively.
1568T. Howell Poems (Grosart) 150 She..will..make the weare kyng Midas eare. 1575G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 98 Eied like an Argus, earde like a Midas. 1591Nashe Pref. to Sidney's Astr. & Stella A 3 A number of Midasses. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iii. ii. 102 Thou gaudie gold, Hard food for Midas. 1728Pope Dunc. iii. 324 Our Midas sits Lord Chancellor of Plays! 1861Musgrave By-roads 211 We are looked upon as men made of money,—as so many Midases, making gold with a touch.
b. attrib. and Comb. Esp. in phr. (the) Midas touch.
1568Grafton Chron. II. 439 Ye must vnderstand that Princes haue sometyme Argus eyes, and Midas eares. 1670R. Lassels Voy. Italy II. 350 Braue Raphæl, whose only touch of a finger could, Midas like, turne gally pots into gold. 1784Cowper Task iv. 507 Ten thousand casks,..Touched by the Midas finger of the State, Bleed gold for ministers to sport away. [1879C. M. Yonge Magnum Bonum III. xxxix. 899 He would talk of the touch of Midas.] 1883Authors & Publishers (G. P. Putnam's Sons) 12 ‘From the authors he seized brains and from the public gold.’ Certainly a most desirable result, and the picture of our publisher, in the guise of a prestidigitateur, exercising an infallible King-Midas touch on the material submitted to him, is a very fascinating one. 1901E. J. Dillon in Contemp. Rev. Apr. 474 He is cordially hated by bankers, promoters, speculators and most men of the Midas-eared class. 1938M. Kennedy (title) The Midas touch. 1960Times 18 July 3/4 Picasso, with his Midas touch, has at first try made the lino-cut a more dignified medium. 1970Observer 29 Nov. 10/5 [Art] objects which start out as sincere personal statements are turned, by the fatal Midas touch of capitalism, into gold.
2. a. Midas's ear: the shell of a gastropod, Auricula Midæ.
1713Petiver Aquat. Anim. Amboinæ 2 Auris Midæ..Midas Ear. 1835Penny Cycl. III. 109 Auricula Midæ (Lam.), voluta auris Midæ (Linn.), the Midas's ear of collectors, is a good example of the genus.
b. Midas-fly, Mydas fly, a large fly of the family Mydaidæ.
1895J. H. Comstock Man. Study Insects 461 The Midas-flies rival the robber-flies in size, and quite closely resemble them in appearance. 1972Swan & Papp Common Insects N. Amer. 609 Mydas flies..are elongated, moderate to very large in size, resemble wasps and..robber flies. |