I caught up with last week's show today by podcast during a long car trip, and I was interested by Martha's comment that “Joe D. Grinder” (military slang for someone who is sleeping with a soldier's wife or girlfriend while they are away) was almost like some kind of archetypal monster. I was wondering just how far this archetype goes back (At the risk of answering my own question, my guess would be about the time that human beings started fighting wars). I immediately thought about the suitors in Homer's Odyssey. Even if they don't quite count because Penelope remained faithful, they seem to represent the same general idea. Can anyone think of any older examples of “Joe D. Grinder”-like figures in literature or mythology?
Great question, Etym Fan. Hope someone chimes in!
I mean, there's the biblical King David knocking up Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, who's off serving in the army. But that's not exactly the same thing, since it's not exactly a pattern, right?