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Apr 29, 2008

This week's theme
Words derived from the names of mythical creatures

This week's words
chimera
argus
centaur
sphinx
harpy

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argus

noun: An alert and observant person; a watchful guardian.

[After Argus, a giant in Greek mythology who had 100 eyes and was sent to watch over Zeus's lover Io. He was killed by Hermes and after his death his eyes transformed into spots on the peacock's tail. Greek argos (bright).]

"Arnold Schwarzenegger knew immediately that Total Recall needed an Argus-eyed director who could maintain control over complicated visual effects, extravagant futuristic sets, dangerous stunts, etc. -- while also demanding good performances from his actors."
Bill Jones; Muscles Parlayed Into Stardom; The Phoenix Gazette (Arizona); Jun 2, 1990.

See more usage examples of argus in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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