Aborted coup attempt...

Question

Lionel: I push you, Lex. I don't deny it. Greatness is a rarefied air one has to be taught to breathe.
You know, Philip of Macedonia raised his son among lions to instill fearlessness in him.

Lex: Didn't he also try to impale the kid with a spear?

Lionel: In an aborted coup attempt, (weak try to kill him?)

but history remembers that boy as Alexander the great.

Lex: You didn't come all this way to lecture me on Greek history again.

Lionel: No. I want you to come back to Metropolis where you will hold the position
Special Advisor to (meaning his advisor) the Chairman Emeritus. (retired chairman?) That would be me.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Not necessarily weak or failed, or thwarted; but stopped by choice before it could be completed, like an aborted pregnancy.

Without looking it up, I'd say "aborted" may be transitive or intransitive. If transitive, I'd call it by choice; if intransitive, I'd call it failure by unintended causes. (One of the co-conspirators got the heaves.)

If you launch a missile toward a target and it explodes in flight, you might speak of the aborted attempt to hit the target with the missile. The explosion may have been totally unexpected, or someone may have pushed the "abort" button after being advised by telemetry of some error.

Your last two blues are cool.

- A.

Madhulk · Answer

Thanks, Avangi. But can you explain me the whole part?
aborted coup attempt, More specifically what 'coup' means here?

Avangi · Answer

I hope your French is better than mine. There's an expression "coup d'etat," *** which we use in English because there doesn't seem to be any equivalent. It applies when a group of "public servants" (often army officers) conspire to act outside the law to overthrow the duly authorized government, or a head of state whom they don't like. If they succeed, they then install their own government, perhaps a "junta" or a committee of generals who rule by decree.

An aborted coup attempt would be one that was cancelled, or failed to materialize. IMO one which was thwarted would properly be called a failed coup attempt. Of course that's arguable, as I said in my last post. In the transitive sense, someone other than a co-conspirator may have caused it to abort - someone like the subject's bodyguards.

This would differ from a failed/aborted assassination attempt, which would have been mounted by enemies of the state or persons unknown - not by "public servants."

*** I suppose if you had to translate it you could say (literally) "stroke (cut) of state." (like a stroke of lightning or a stroke of luck)

- A.

Madhulk · Answer

Thanks, Avangi!

Madhulk · Answer

MadhulkLionel:
You know, Philip of Macedonia raised his son among lions (Real lions or he refers to people?)
to instill fearlessness in him.

Lex: Didn't he also try to impale the kid with a spear? (I searched the Net with no luck about this
fact. Does anyone know if it's true or not?)

Avangi · Answer

MadhulkLionel:
You know, Philip of Macedonia raised his son among lions (Real lions or he refers to people?) Gotta be real lions. "People" makes no sense.

to instill fearlessness in him.

Lex: Didn't he also try to impale the kid with a spear? (I searched the Net with no luck about this

fact. Does anyone know if it's true or not?) Not I. Alexander tried to kill himself with the same spear he used on Clitus.

Aborted coup attempt...

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