E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Myr’midons of the Law.
Bailiffs, sheriffs’ officers, and other law menials. Any rough fellow employed to annoy another is the employer’s myrmidon.
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The Myrmidons were a people of Thessaly who followed Achilles to the siege of Troy, and were distinguished for their savage brutality, rude behaviour, and thirst for rapine.
