lotus-eater
Also lotos-.
a. One of the Lotophagi. b. transf. One who gives himself up to dreamy and luxurious ease.
| 1832 Tennyson (title) The Lotos-eaters. 1838 Thirlwall Greece II. xii. 95 The fable of the Lotus-eaters. 1847 W. E. Forster 27 Aug. in T. W. Reid Life (1888) I. vii. 209 He [Carlyle] is busy sleeping, and declares himself lazy as a lotos-eater. 1856 R. A. Vaughan Mystics (1860) I. 22 So those spiritual Lotos-eaters will only..hearken what the inner spirit sings, There is no joy but calm. 1893 Times 30 Dec. 9/3 A summer like that of 1893 may be all very well for the lotus-eater, but is a calamity to people who have to get their living out of English land. |
Similarly lotus-eating vbl. n. and ppl. a. Hence (as a back-formation) lotus-eat v. intr.
| 1861 Wilson & Geikie Mem. E. Forbes vi. 165 Day⁓dreaming and such Lotus-eating idleness as befits the intellectual Castle of Indolence. 1883 F. M. Crawford Mr. Isaacs 5 The attractive waters of lotus-eating Saratoga. 1898 W. J. Locke Idols v. 64 ‘What have you been doing with yourself all this time?’ she said... ‘Oh, Lotus-eating, generally,’ he replied. 1911 ― Glory of Clementina Wing xv. 211 The week had evidently passed pleasantly for Quixtus... He was lotus eating. 1972 J. Potter Going West 60 Every dream fades. If he drank and lotus-ate, he would think. 1973 ‘B. Mather’ Snowline xix. 231 Hippies..come here..from Bombay—lotus-eat for a month..and off they go. |