Allusions Flashcards
Augean Stables
Any difficult cleanup, actual or figurative. (Hercules had to clean out the Augean Stables, which hadn’t been cleaned in 30 years.)
Artful Dodger
Any skillful crook. (The nickname of Charles Dickens’s character Jack Dawkins, who was the head pickpocket in Fagin’s gang. )
belling the cat
Having the courage to stick his neck out for his friends despite putting himself at risk. (A mouse suggests putting a bell around a cat’s neck as a warning to show it was near, but the question of who would have the courage to bell the cat was a difficult one because of the inherent danger.)
Big Brother is watching you
Big Brother now refers to any government or ruler that tries to eavesdrop, dictate, or gather personal information on its citizens. (Orwell’s 1984 warns that government could invade our privacy.)
Bligh
Any person who is cruel, unreasonable, and tyrannical is called a Captain Bligh. (Captain Bligh was a tyrant.)
Brahmin
Any socially prominent and intellectually refined individual. (The author Wendell Holmes and his friends in nineteenth-century Boston formed a close literary, social, and political group and were prolific in their writings and criticisms. Members of this group were called the Boston Brahmins, from the Hindi “Brahman” meaning “of highest class”)
catch-22
Any situation where you lose no matter which decision you make is called a catch-22. (In Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, the protagonist, Yossarian, tried to get out of dangerous jobs in the Air Corps by claiming insanity. The doctors told him anyone who wanted to avoid combat was sane, and if he were really crazy, he wouldn’t be sane enough to apply for a discharge.)
Cheshire cat
People who grin with a large, puzzling smile are said to be grinning like a Cheshire cat. (From Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat grinned all the time and could disappear and reappear at will, leaving only its smile.)
Damon and Pythias
Close friends. (In Greek mythology, Pythias was sentenced to death, but was let out for a parental visit for a specified time if Damon took his place. He got back just in time before they were going to execute Damon, and they were both let go.)
Dantesque
Writing that resembles Dante’s. (Dante wrote with epic scope, vivid detail, and allegory.)
Dickensian
Situations or writings about topics similar to Dickenson’s. (Charles Dickens wrote novels showing the poverty, injustices, and misery of Victorian England.)
dog in the manger
Anyone who tries to spoil something for someone else, even though it is of no use to himself. (In an old fable, a dog prevented an ox from eating hay though he had no use for it himself.)
Don Juan
A playboy or philander. (Tellez’s El Burlador de Seville and Byron’s epic poem Don Juan tell of the life and loves of Don Juan)
Dorian Gray
Someone who clings to youth and is afraid of aging. (In Wilde’s A Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray is a handsome but corrupt man who wanted to stay young and handsome forever, but of course, could not.)
Everyman
All men or every man. (From the play Everyman, in which Everyman represented all men or every man.)
Faulknerian
Work similar to Faulkner’s writings, characters, or settings. (William Faulkner’s characters seemed to be driven by hidden forces beyond their control, and the plots included tragic violence set in the south
Faustian
A Faustian bargain is one where a person sacrifices everything to obtain immediate gratification, but pays for it later on. (Faust sold his soul to the Devil to gain power, youth, and wealth.)
for whom the bell tolls
“No man is an island” and all people share a common fate. (John Donne used the phrase, “never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee” to express this sentiment)
Gatsby
Someone who gives in to his own fantasies and obsessions and represents ostentatious and lavish living. (In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a crooked but appealing millionaire who deceives others about his past.)
gilded age
The post-Civil War era. (Mark Twain’s novel, The Gilded Age, deals with greed in post-Civil war America.)
heart of darkness
The dark side of the human soul. (In Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness, the character Marlow searches through the jungle for another man.)
Holy Grail
Any difficult or possibly unattainable goal. (The cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. The object of knightly quests in legends of King Arthur and Christian legends.)
Homeric
Anything that is larger than life. (Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey were mythological, heroic, and immense in scale.)
Horatio Alger
Anyone who makes good after being born into a life of poverty. (Alger’s stories deal with poor boys who become rich.)
Kafkaesque
Literature or situation similar to Kafka’s writings. (Franz Kafka’s writings, often surreal and bizarre, often presented characters thwarted by red tape and authoritarian bureaucracy.)
Spithead and Nore
Alludes to mutiny. (Spithead and Nore were the two locations of an infamous mutiny concerning British sailors.)
Lord Nelson
Alludes to heroism, particularly military heroism. (England’s most renowned naval hero.)
Montaigne
Allusion to Montaigne evokes his basic philosophy. (He was a philosopher and essayist who believed man can find truth in the universe though he is a victim of customs, prejudices, and self-interest.)
last hurrah
The last speech or function of a prominent person, particularly a politician, before retiring or leaving office; the final action of a person before leaving a career. (The Last Hurrah was based on the life of James Curley, a former Boston mayor.)
leviathan
Anything huge and monstrous. (In the Bible, the Leviathan was a giant sea monster.)
Lilliputian
Anything very tiny that can control something larger than itself. (In Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the Lilliputians were tiny people who were able to work together to subdue the giants.)
Machiavellian
Anyone who is merciless, clever, and unethical to obtain goals, particularly politically. (Niccolo Machiavelli thought people were basically evil and it was sometimes necessary to use evil means in order to rule.)
man for all seasons
Any respected person who stands up for his ideals under pressure. (Tomas Moore, author of Utopia, was sent to prison and executed because he refused to accept King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He was called a man for all seasons for sticking to his beliefs so strongly.)
Moby Dick
A monstrous obsession. (In Melville’s story, Captain Ahab relentlessly pursued Moby Dick, the whale, which had many symbolic meanings.)
Munchkin
Used to describe a physically small person, often affectionately. (In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Munchkins were diminutive, lively people.)
noble savage
An uncultivated person who is really more worthy or sensible than some of his or her “civilized” counterparts. (From Jean Jacques Rousseau’s writings)
Oedipus complex
A child’s powerful erotic attachment to the parent of the opposite sex, creating rivalry with the parent of the same sex. (From mythology and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus unwittingly killed his father and married his mother.)
Orwellian
Anything bleak and oppressive, particularly a political situation. (George Orwell’s novel 1984 expressed his disillusionment with communism, totalitarianism, and bureaucracy.)
pilgrim’s progress
Anyone who has overcome worldly problems has said to have made a pilgrim’s progress. (From Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress: the character Christian overcomes all obstacles through faith.)
Platonic love
Strong but nonsexual affinity for another person. (The love Plato speaks of is based purely on mental and spiritual closeness.)
Promethean
A Promethean person is someone who is independent, defiant of authority, and willing to make sacrifices to his beliefs. (Prometheus was a Greek god who defied authority and was punished. Allusions may relate to his defiant attitude, to his punishment, or to his heroic display of independence.)
Pygmalion
Any story where a mentor takes on a pupil, remakes the person, and then falls in love with the resulting creation is compared to the Pygmalion myth. (The mythical Pygmalion sculpted a statue of the ideal woman and then fell in love with it.)
Queeg
A petty, incompetent person in a leadership role. (In Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny, Captain Queeg is an erratic, unstable commander who persecuted his subordinates.)
quixotic
Anyone who pursues idealized, impractical goals is called quixotic. (In Don Quixote, Don Quixote sought knightly glory, colliding with everyday reality.)
Rube Goldberg
Any procedure that makes a simple task seem complicated is called a Rube Goldberg contraption. (Cartoonist Rube Goldberg drew fanciful, complex machines that did simple things.)
Runyonesque
Any underworld person or even a personable or likable rogue. (Damien Runyon wrote about the seamier side of New York, and his likeable characters were gamblers and scoundrels.)
Shangri-La
An idyllic place. (From Hilton’s Lost Horizons, a land of eternal youth and peace.)
shot heard round the world
Any dramatic statement or action that begins something important or greatly influences later events. (Ralph Waldo Emerson’s way of describing the first shot against the British in the Revolutionary War.)
