Word(s) of the week: Procrustean (and Procrustes)

From Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary:

procrustean \prə-ˈkrəs-tē-ən, prō-\ adj. (usage note: often capitalized)
1: of, relating to, or typical of Procrustes
2: marked by arbitrary often ruthless disregard of individual differences or special circumstances

From Wikipedia:

Procrustes (Προκρούστης) "the stretcher" or "the one who hammers out", also known as Damastes (Δαμαστής) "subduer" and Polypaemon (Πολυπαίμων) "harming much", is a figure from Greek mythology.

He was a son of Poseidon and a bandit from Attica, with a stronghold in the hills outside Eleusis. There, he had an iron bed into which he invited every passerby to lie down. If the guest proved too tall, he would amputate the excess length; victims who were too short were stretched on the rack until they were long enough. Nobody ever fit in the bed because it was secretly adjustable: Procrustes would stretch or shrink it upon sizing his victims from afar. Procrustes continued his reign of terror until he was captured by Theseus, who "fitted" Procrustes to his own bed and cut off his head and feet (since Theseus was a stout fellow, the bed had been set on the short position). Killing Procrustes was the last adventure of Theseus on his journey from Troezen to Athens.