Q The word “sinister” has a pejorative connotation in English, but the direct Latin derivative in Italian, “sinistra,” means the direction “left.” I heard that the unfavorable connotation has something to do with the young Romans who wanted to join the legions but were excluded because they were left-handed. Can you clear this up? – B.G., Cornwall, Pa.

A: The earliest occurrences of Latin “sinister” mean merely “left” or “the left side,” but probably because of the left-handed ineptness of most right-handers, “sinister” developed the meaning “awkward.” From this it came to mean “injurious” or “evil”; even today many widespread superstitions related to the left or sinister side, such as throwing salt over the left shoulder.

In addition, in the Roman practice of augury, an omen observed on the left was considered unlucky. This association probably intensified the identification of “sinister” with “evil.” We can find no evidence that the Roman Legions rejected left-handed applicants.

“Sinister” was borrowed into English in the 15th century. Though the earliest instances reflect the senses of “evil” and “inauspicious,” it was also used during the same century with the directional sense “left.” Such usage now persists only in descriptions of heraldry.

Q My wife and I own a 200-year-old house, and have been renovating it over the past several years. She likes to describe the renovation as a “Sisyphean task.” I’ve asked her to explain, but she always replies “You don’t want to know.” Can you tell me what a “Sisyphean task” is? – I.C., Whiting, Maine

A: A task described as “Sisyphean” is one that requires continual effort and will probably never be completed. The word derives from the Legend of Sisyphus, a king of ancient Corinth.

According to the Legend, Sisyphus used his craftiness to cheat Death. When Death came to bring him to the underworld, Sisyphus had him chained. As a result, no one, including Sisyphus, could die. But Death was rescued by Ares, the god of war, and Sisyphus was forced to accompany him to Hades. Before he was forced to leave, however, he had instructed his wife, Merope, not to perform the customary ceremonies and to leave his corpse unburied. When he arrived at Hades, he demanded to return to Corinth to punish his wife for failing to properly perform his funeral rites. He was allowed to do so, but having once again escaped Death, he resumed his life with the living.

Eventually Death reclaimed Sisyphus, and it is for the eternal punishment he received that he is most famous. He was condemned to having repeatedly to push a huge boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down again. It is this part of the legend that gives rise to the use of “Sisyphean” to refer to toil that seemingly has no end.

This column was prepared by the editors of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Readers may send questions to Merriam-Webster’s Wordwatch, P.O. Box 281, 47 Federal St., Springfield, Mass. 01102.
Q What does the word “crab” in the phrase “catch a crab” mean? I’ve heard it used in reference to crew racing, but have not been able to figure out the meaning. – K.D., Amherst, Mass.

A: “To catch a crab” in rowing is to make an error in technique that can have some nasty results. What happens is that the rower fails to lift the oar completely out of the water on the return stroke. The resulting force of the water on the blade can be enough to drive the oar’s handle into the rower. The rower can be unseated, and the boat even capsized, through this blunder.

The phrase has also been used in referring to the rower missing a stroke entirely (i.e., the oar never dips into the water on the stroke) or making any other faulty stroke, but these uses are regarded as improper by people initiated in the sport.

The phrase “to catch a crab” most likely originated in the observation that this clumsy stroke makes it appear that the rower has literally caught a crab on the end of the oar, and that the crab is holding the oar down under the water. The phrase is very old, dating back to the 18th century.

This column was prepared by the editors of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Readers may send questions to Merriam-Webster’s Wordwatch, P.O. Box 281, 47 Federal St., Springfield, Mass. 01102.