This week’s theme
Idioms & metaphors

This week’s words
lace-curtain
stile
millstone
lightning rod

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(MIL-stohn)

MEANING:

noun:
1. One of a pair of round stones used for grinding grain.
2. A heavy burden or source of distress, especially one that’s hard to get rid of.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old English mylenstan (millstone), from Latin mola (mill, grindstone), from molere (to grind). Earliest documented use: before 1150.

NOTES:

What’s common between a millstone and your molars? They both love a good grind. Both words come from Latin molere (to grind). The idiom millstone around one’s neck comes from Matthew 18:6.

USAGE:

“[Pierre Poilievre] ... has always been significantly less popular than his party, which makes him less of a saviour and more of a millstone going forward.”
Dan Lett; Carney Easing Into the Job; Winnipeg Free Press (Canada); Jun 10, 2025.

See more usage examples of millstone in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: