Browse phrases beginning with: [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I][J][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U,V][W][X,Y,Z] The face that launched a thousand shipsMeaning A reference to Helen of Troy (or some would say, to Aphrodite) whose beauty was said to be the cause of the Trojan Wars and the reason for Troy's naval fleet to be launched into battle. Origin Christopher Marlowe, in Doctor Faustus (variously dated between 1590 and 1604), referring to Helen of Troy, or as Marlowe had it 'Helen of Greece':
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