The Procrustean bed - Прокрустово ложе
Procrustes is a Greek word that means ‘torturer*
or ‘stretcher’ According to mythology, Procrustes was
an ancient legendary robber who lived near Athens.
Under pretext of entertainment, he deluded travellers
into entering his home, where he had two beds of very
different dimensions — one unusually short, the other
unusually long. If the unfortunate traveller were a short
man, he was put to bed in the long bedstead, and his
limbs w'ere pulled out of joint to make him fit it; but
if, on the contrary, he were tall, he was assigned the
short bed, and the superfluous length of limb was
lopped off under the same pretext.
Taking Procrustes quite unawares, Theseus gave
him a faint idea of the sufferings he had inflicted upon
others by making him try each bed in turn, and then
to prevent his continuing these evil practices, put an
end to his wretched existence.
Hence, any forcible method of reducing people and
ideas to one standard is called placing them on the
Procrustean bed.
1. Прокруст — прозвище легендарного разбойника, о котором рассказывают греческие мифы. 2. Разбойник этот придумал особо мучительное истязание для своих жертв. 3. У Прокруста было ложе, на него з а ставлял он ложиться всех, кто попадал ему в руки. 4. Если ложе было слишком длинно, Прокруст вытягивал несчастного до тех пор, пока ноги жертвы не касались края ложа. 5. Если же ложе было коротко, то Прокруст обрубал несчастному ноги. 6. Разбойника Прокруста убил греческий герой Тесей. 7. Тесей повалил Прокруста самого на ложе и убил его так, как убивал злодей путешественников. 8. Выражение Прокрустово ложе означает: мерка, под ко