"Danaergeschenk" as "Greek gift" or "Trojan horse"?

[Wilson Gray]

I recall reading the story in a book of horror stories that my
grandfather had. I also heard it on the old radio horror show, "Inner
Sanctum." It's a really scary story, regardless of how it's presented.
It scared the shit out of me, IAC. There was another story in
Granddad's book called The Horla, by Flaubert(?), that was also very
frightening. Having it pop into my head would creep out a whole day.
That's probably why I haven't re-read that story in sixty years.

-Wilson

On 9/25/06, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "Danaergeschenk" as "Greek gift" or "Trojan horse"?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >I meant to add that someone else suggested "'monkey's paw,' after a
> >story by W. W. Jacobs (1906). (In the story, a monkey's paw brings
> >its possessor three wishes, but with unintended consequences.)"
>
> The scariest summer camp story-'round-the-campfire I can (shudder)
> remember, or try to forget.  I'll stick with remembering those Greeks
> and their horse.
>
> LH
>
> >But this seems to me to have different connotations than the Iliad's
> >Trojan horse--something brought upon oneself, not a treacherous gift
> >bestowed by another.  (And "monkey's paw" has not made it into the OED.)
> >
> >Joel
> >
> >At 9/25/2006 11:25 AM, you wrote:
> >>Someone on another list asks:  Today, if one wants a colloquial,
> >>easily-recognized translation of "Danaergeschenk", would one use
> >>"Greek gift" or "Trojan horse"?
> >>
> >>Is "Greek gift" no longer sufficiently commonly-recognized in
> >>English?  Or does "Trojan horse" now have too much of an association
> >>with computers?  (The context for the German is not
> >>computers.)  Google counting, obviously, is useless.
> >>
> >>Joel
> >>
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--
Everybody says, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange
complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is knows how deep
a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our
race. He brought death into the world.

--Sam Clemens

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