The figurative use of Waterloo is similar to the meaning of Achilles’ heel and pertains to weakness. Its origins could be traced back to the epic defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo against the forces led by the Duke of Wellington.

His romantic life did not mirror his success in the battlefield. Before his marriage to the widow Josephine Beauharnais, who was six years older and a mother of two, Napoleon Bonaparte had not succeeded in wooing a merchant’s daughter (Julie Clary, who also happened to be the younger sister of his brother’s wife), an old friend (Madame Permon) and another widow (Madame de la Bouchaderie).