Au ‧ ge ‧ an sta ‧ bles, the /ɔːˌdʒiːən ˈsteɪb ə lz/ BrE AmE
in ancient Greek stories, the very dirty buildings where King Augeas kept thousands of cattle, which Hercules was ordered to clean. The expression ‘to clean the Augean stables’ is sometimes used in literature to describe a very difficult and unpleasant job.