
In this cartoon from The Observer, Chris Riddell suggests that Greece is the EU's Achilles' heel.
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad. Legend has it that Achilles was invulnerable in all of his body except for his heel. As he died because of a small wound on his heel, the term "Achilles' heel" has come to mean a person's principal weakness (Wikipedia).
In the cartoon, Achilles represents the eurozone (his shield has the euro sign on it). Blood is pouring from his heel, which has been pierced by an arrow, and which is labelled 'Greece'. Achilles says, "It's just a flesh wound".
VOCABULARY
A flesh wound is a wound that breaks the skin but does not damage any bones or internal organs. Flesh wounds are not usually life-threatening. Achilles' statement is therefore ironic in view of the amount of blood he's losing.
INTERPRETATION
The cartoonist seems to be saying that the EU leaders are unwilling to admit that the euro is mortally wounded as a result of the Greek debt crisis. The arrows could be seen as representing attacks on the euro by currency speculators in the international financial markets.
PRONUNCIATION
Note that the word 'wound' is a heteronym (same spelling, different meanings and pronunciation). The noun 'wound' (as in 'flesh wound') rhymes with 'spooned'. However, when 'wound' is the past participle of the verb 'to wind', it rhymes with 'round'.