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-in poker, a buck is a marker that is passed to each person meaning it is their turn to deal. President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk saying: "the buck stops here." This means that he was willing to put all the responsibility on himself.
-this allusion refers to passing the responsibility (possibly blame) onto another person. |
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President Theodore Roosevelt said that journalists were too busy focusing on the muck and spent all their time raking it up. Although Teddy Roosevelt meant it in a negative way, journalists adopted the name as a badge of honor meaning they exposed corruption or promoted reforms. An example of a muckraker is Upton Sinclaire, who wrote the novel The Jungle.
-This allusion means someone who uncovered corruption in a government or organization. |
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-A capital of the ancient Babylonian Empire. The city was known for its luxury and corruption. The Jews were exiled there from 597 to 538 B.C. The Prophet Daniel became a counselor to the King of Babylon and interpreted the "handwriting on the wall" Eventually the Jews returned to Israel and
-This allusion refers to a place of decadence and corruption. |
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-In Medieval Times, the Holy Grail was an object of quest. Supposedly, it was the las cup from which Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. The legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable are usually associated with it.
-a "Holy Grail" is an object that is extremely desirable or valuable and which is attained only after a long difficult quest. |
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-Latin for "without which, nothing"
-The allusion refers to something that is very essential without which the situation would be impossible. |
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-The oldest of the patriarchs in the Bible, living to be 969 years old.
-This allusion is used to refer to an extremely old person. |
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-an Austrian psychotherapist and physician by the name of Sigmund Freud who worked on the role of the subconscience.
-This Allusion refers to an unintentional error in speech or action that reveals one's subconscious thoughts or desires. |
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-faust is the subject of plays by Christopher Marlow (Dr. Faustus), and Goethe(Faust). In both dramas, Faust strikes a bargain with Mephistopheles (the Devil), he sells his soul in exchange for 24 years.
-a faustian bargain refers to a deal where one sacrifices oneself or one's values in exchange for one's desires (usually material wealth). |
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-Newcastle is a coal-mining city in Northern England. Thus, carrying "coals to Newcastle" would be unnecessary.
-This Allusion refers to a gratuitous gift (or contribution) that is quite unnecessary |
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In the old testament, the Philistines were enemies of the Israelites. In a famous biblical story, David fought Goliath.
-Todays Usage: a person with no appreciation for culture and whose tastes are commonplace such as an attitude called Philistinism |
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-In greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who offended Zeus. His punishment was to spend eternity in Hades rolling a boulder up a hill. Each time he got close to the top, it would roll back to the bottom.
-This allusion is used to refer to a futile endless task. |
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-a luddite is a group of British laborers in the early 1800s. They opposed industrialization as they feared machines would threaten their jobs. Following their leader, Ned Ludd, they...
-a Luddite is a person who opposed change (esp. industrial or technological). |
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In Greek mythology, Scylla was a many-headed sea monster who lived in a cave. Charybdis was a giant whirlpool. The sailors, including Odysseus and Jason, had to chose which path to take.
-This allusion (between Scylla and Charybdis) refers to a challenge in which avoiding one obstacle brings you closer to another. It is the same thing as between a rock and a hard place. |
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Xanadu was an ancient city in Mongolia where the Mongol Emperor in China, Kublai Khan, has a magnificent residence.
-This allusion refers to any magnificent, beautiful, almost magical place. |
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The phoenix was a mythological bird that would live for 5 or six hundred years, after which it would burn itself to death and become reborn in the ashes as a youthful bird.
-symbolizes rebirth or resurrection |
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