Procrustean bed

or procrustean bed

noun

1. a plan or scheme to produce uniformity or conformity by arbitrary or violent methods.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Procrustean bed¹

After Procrustes, the bandit from Greek mythology who stretched or amputated the limbs of travelers to make them conform to the length of his bed.

Example Sentences

Here, it’s called “Luxury at the End of the World: Status as Authenticity” and it’s liberally sprinkled with asides that include the book’s buzzwords, in an attempt to make it fit the Procrustean bed of its context.

From New York Times

But there was a danger in trying to fit this new, American elite onto the Procrustean bed of every elite that had come before it.

From The Guardian

To be sure, one lesson of European history is that it’s never a good idea to try to force Europe’s diverse peoples into a one-size-fits-all Procrustean bed.

From The Guardian

There is grandeur in this new view of life, so why force it into the Procrustean bed of nineteenth-century theorizing?

From Scientific American

We also need to keep in mind the growing trend for universities to adapt their curricula to fit the proverbial “procrustean” bed of a digital world – a world tailor-made for skimming, scanning and using the “find” function rather than reading slowly and thoughtfully.

From Salon