Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MILLSTONE
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connect this word to others:
If you prefer metaphors from epic poetry instead of the Bible, then you might call some burdensome person or thing an alb____ss instead of a millstone.
Neither makes an attractive necklace.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"MILLSTONE"
To mill something, like a grain, is to grind it into flour.
Millstones, also known as grinding stones, are large, heavy stones that are used in pairs to grind grain (like corn or wheat).
And we refer to the kind of hard stone that we make millstones out of simply as "millstone." So you can say that something is "hard as millstone," like in this line from the Bible: "Its chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone" (Job 41:24).
To see how millstones work, check out this short video of someone using millstones to grind wheat into flour.
So, one figurative meaning of "millstone" is this: "some powerful object or force that seems to crush people or things."
Next, keeping in mind how large and heavy a millstone is, we crack that Bible back open:
"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).
From that passage, we got the phrase "a millstone round one's neck," meaning "a heavy burden: something that weighs you down, like it's drowning you." And so, today, another figurative meaning of "millstone" is "a heavy, harmful burden."
Pronunciation:
MILL stone
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind ("these millstones," "that millstone of debt").
Other forms:
millstones
How to use it:
When you're talking about a crushing force or a heavy burden, and you need a harsh metaphor with an old-world tone, refer to it (or him, or her) as a millstone.
Although a millstone can be either a crushing force or a heavy burden, the latter meaning is more common: when we call something a millstone, we most often mean "a heavy, sinking burden." Often we push the allusion a bit further, saying who or what will be "sunk" or "drowned" or "pulled under" by that millstone.
Who or what might you call a millstone? Terrible dialogue or special effects that ruin a show or movie, scandals that tarnish a person or group's credibility, lazy staff members who drag down the entire school or company, incompetent leaders who drag down the entire group, weak teammates who drag down the performance of the entire team, etc.
But let's not forget that other meaning of "millstone:" "a crushing force that seems to turn things to dust." You might talk about the millstone of the law, the millstone of bureaucracy, etc. Because literal millstones work in pairs, you might talk about something or someone being crushed between the millstones of this and that. "Ethiopia and its hapless peoples [were] caught between the millstones of natural disaster and international politics" (Bob Geldof).
examples:
Giving up that habit felt like shedding a millstone.
"'Bricks-and-mortar stores — those aren't necessarily advantages any more. Especially in second-tier markets,' he added, 'stores might be a real millstone.'"
— Alex Bolen, as quoted by Matthew Schneier, New York Times, 13 November 2017
has this page helped you understand "millstone"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "millstone" without saying "onus" or "encumbrance."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) is seen variously as both a talisman and a millstone, as (some wonderful thing) and (some terrible thing)."
Example: "[In South Korea, Samsung] is seen variously as both a talisman and a millstone, as national savior and greedy business behemoth."— Youkyung Lee and Foster Klug, Associated Press, 19 January 2017
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Quintessential TV Quotes!
Each day, match the given vocabulary word to the quote that best illustrates it.
From the previous issue:
From Frasier, which quote below illustrates something incipient?
Quote A:
Martin: Well, come on, Frasier, let's go get a nice sloppy joe. I'll pay for it.
Frasier: Something tells me I'll pay for it, too.
Quote B:
Niles is trying to grow a moustache. So far it is barely visible.
Niles: I grant you, it's at an early stage.
Frasier: What stage? Research and development?
Quote C:
Roz: Frasier, why didn't you tell me it was your birthday? I'd have thrown you a birthday party at the station.
Frasier: Question asked, question answered.
Answer: In quote B, Niles is sporting an incipient moustache.
Try this one today:
From Seinfeld, which quote below illustrates something felicitous?
Quote A:
George: You should've seen her face. It was the exact same look my father gave me when I told him I wanted to be a ventriloquist.
Quote B:
Kramer: Bookman? The library investigator's name is actually Bookman?
Librarian: It's true.
Kramer: That's amazing. That's like an ice cream man named "Cone."
Quote C:
Agent: I know why we have reservations.
Jerry: I don't think you do. If you did, I'd have a car. See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation and that's really the most important part of the reservation. You see, it's the holding. Anybody can just take 'em.
review today's word:
1. One opposite of MILLSTONE is
A. ASSET.
B. THORN.
C. BREEZE.
2. According to TVTropes.org, The Millstone is the character who
A. exudes both glamour and dorkiness
B. tries to help but inevitably scuttles the heroes' plans
C. plays everyone for a fool before absconding with the goods
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
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Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
If you prefer metaphors from epic poetry instead of the Bible, then you might call some burdensome person or thing an alb____ss instead of a millstone.
"MILLSTONE" To mill something, like a grain, is to grind it into flour.
So, one figurative meaning of "millstone" is this: "some powerful object or force that seems to crush people or things."
Next, keeping in mind how large and heavy a millstone is, we crack that Bible back open:
"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).
Giving up that habit felt like shedding a millstone.
Explain the meaning of "millstone" without saying "onus" or "encumbrance."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) is seen variously as both a talisman and a millstone, as (some wonderful thing) and (some terrible thing)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. One opposite of MILLSTONE is
|