Having the Midas touch (meaning, everything you touch turns to gold) - this saying originates from the myth of King Midas, who was granted any wish as a reward from Dionysus, god of wine. The foolish king asked that all he touched turn to gold, not realizing that meant his food, his dog, even his daughter turned to gold statues the moment he touched them! Following prayers to the Olympian gods, the repentant king was able to restore to life that which he valued most, which was family! Lesson learned. Hence, in reality, the term today is mostly misused - having the Midas touch nearly proved fatal for poor king Midas!

Lying in the arms of Morpheus (meaning, sleeping) - Morpheus was the son of the Greek god Hypnos (Sleep), and the god of dreams. The name signifies the fashioner or molder, because he shaped or formed the dreams which appeared to the sleeper. Lying in the arms of Morpheus, thus, would mean to be fast asleep.

Opening Pandora's Box (meaning, unlocking a world of trouble) - Pandora was the first mortal woman, whose name means "all gifted", or the "gift of all". She was created by the Olympian gods as punishment for the evils of men. Pandora was presented with a magnificent box, or jar as some claim, as a wedding gift from the gods, but warned never to open it. The gods also gave Pandora the quality of curiosity. Unable to withstand the desire to see what was inside the box, Pandora ignored the advice of the gods and opened it, unleashing all the world's evils, which were hidden inside. Hate, jealousy, illness, disease, old age, belligerence, intolerance and more spread throughout the earth, bringing misery with them.

Rich as Croesus (Croesus was known for his wealth) - Croesus was the king of Lydia from 560 - 547 BCE, until his defeat by the Persian armies. In Greek and Persian cultures the name of Croesus became a synonym for a wealthy man. Croesus' wealth remained proverbial beyond classical antiquity: in English, expressions such as "rich as Croesus" or "richer than Croesus" are used to indicate great wealth to this day.

The face that launched a thousand ships (a woman worth going to war for) - Helen was a queen of Sparta who fell in love and ran away with the visiting Trojan prince named Paris. This infuriated king Menelaus, the jilted husband, who mustered all the Greek armies, a force consisting of a thousand ships. This armada sailed to Troy and thus began the mythical Trojan War. Helen of Troy's name has ever since stood for great beauty, even worth launching a terrible war.