Floyd R. Peterson

Floyd always has a way of expanding our (okay, my) vocabulary. His love of words applies especially to obscure and bizarre words with intriguing sounds. In this colorful image, a Sumo-styled myrmidon follows a cognoscente as she careens down a ski slope, carelessly dispatching with a sword those who get too near his charge.

In Greek mythology, the Myrmidons were a race of people created by Zeus from a nest of ants. They settled in Thessaly and were led by Achilles in the Trojan War. In a broader sense, the term refers to a follower or henchman. It can also describe someone who blindly obeys a powerful person or authority, even when doing bad things. In general, a myrmidon is a loyal follower who executes orders without protest or pity. (Apparently I failed to record the source of this paragraph. Sorry!)

In modern times (as recently as 2011), according to World Wide Words, it has been applied to “holders of public office who are carrying out unpopular policies,” however:

“It is less effective than it might be as a term of abuse because it requires the addressee to have at least a smattering of classical knowledge.”