how to say “Achilles’ heel” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-1.m4a” /]עֲקֵב אָכִילֶס, נְקֻדַּת תֻּרְפָּה

The heel of the mythical Achilles was his weak point, the one place on his body that should his enemies harm it, they could defeat him.

Both English and Hebrew use Achilles’ heel to refer to one’s point of vulnerability, their weak spot. In Hebrew, it’s עקב אכילס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-2.m4a” /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-3.m4a” /]האויב מחפש את עקב האכילס.

The enemy is searching for the Achilles’ heel.

And like English, Hebrew has a literal equivalent to point of vulnerability: נקודת תורפה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-4.m4a” /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-5.m4a” /]הוא לא רוצה שהיא תגלה לו את נקודת התורפה.

He doesn’t want her to discover his vulnerable point.

תורפה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-6.m4a” /] first appears in Mishnaic Hebrew. Its root is unclear: it could be either ר.פ.ה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-7.m4a” /] meaning soft or ת.ר.פ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-8.m4a” /] meaning nakedness.

תורפה could also be pronounced with an oh sound: תוׁרפה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-9.m4a” /].