Allusions Flashcards
Philistine/Philistinism
No appreciation for culture/the attitude of
Faustian Bargain
The sacrifice of one’s values in exchange of a desire, usually a material desire
Coals to Newcastle
Giving a superfluous gift/making a gratuitous and unnecessary contribution
Freudian Slip
An unintentional or accidental error
Sisyphus/Sisyphean
Labor of a seemingly endless task/adjective of
Methuselah
An extremely old person
Scylla and Charybdis
Between such is to be between two equal dangers and avoiding one means being closer to the other
Holy Grail
Something of perfection and is often desired
Luddites
Someone who opposes change, especially industrial or technological
Pass the Buck
To shift responsibility (and often blame) to another person
Babylon
A place of decadence and corruption
Phoenix/Rising from the ashes
To symbolize rebirth and resurrection/surmounting great obstacles
Xanadu
A beautiful, magnificent, almost magical place
Muckrakers
Authors or journalists who expose corruption in government, business, or other arenas
