siren song

See also: sirensong and Siren song

English

Alternative forms

• Siren song, Siren's song, siren's song, sirensong

Etymology

From the songs of the sirens in Greek mythology, whose bewitching song lured mariners to their doom.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

siren song (plural siren songs)

1. (idiomatic) An enticing but dangerous appeal, especially a misleading one.
   • 1914, Jack London, “The Sea Farmer”, in The Strength of the Strong:

     Romance never sang to him her siren song, and Adventure had never shouted in his sluggish blood.

   • 2009 March 26, Michael Elliott, “Global Trade: The Road to Ruin”, in Time:

     Said World Bank president Robert Zoellick: "Leaders must not heed the siren song of protectionist fixes. Economic isolationism can lead to a negative spiral of events."

   • 2024 September 8, HarryBlank, “Nothing Happens”, in SCP Foundation‎^[1], archived from the original on 3 October 2024:

     They found Xinyi Du at the apex of the DUAL Core, a massive quantum computer which plunged away below them where a series of catwalks and maintenance accesses buzzed with drones and shone with dozens of blinking indicators. It was spinning; Wettle had never understood what practical reason a computer might have to spin, but perhaps it wasn't practical at all. Most of the Foundation's best scientists succumbed to some extent to the siren song of the rule of cool.

Synonyms

• allure
• enticement
• siren call
• temptation

 

Translations

enticing but dangerous appeal

• Finnish: seireenien laulu
• Italian: canto della sirena m
• Spanish: canto de sirena m
• Swedish: sirensång (sv) c

See also

• clarion call

Anagrams

• Ingersons, nose rings, noserings