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June 25, 2011 8:51 am
What does it mean to have an albatross around your neck? A political pundit, referring to a current candidate, mentioned "an alcatraz around his neck." The proper version, with an albatross, originates from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, wherein a sailor shoots an albatross, bringing down a curse on the boat, and his shipmates force him to wear an albatross around his neck as a symbol of shame. Grant notes that the name "albatross" likely derives from the Portuguese or Spanish "alcatraz," meaning "pelican" or "sea bird." So perhaps an alcatraz around the neck isn't so far off after all. This is part of a complete episode.