english allusions

Bermuda Triangle

A black hole where things inexplicably vanish. In fact and legend, the Bermuda Triangle is an area of the North Atlantic between Bermuda, Florida, and Puerto Rico, where the disappearances of numerous ships, airplanes, and people is often blames on mysterious forces. The "lost squadron" six US Navy planes lost on a training mission on December 5th, 1945, is but one example. Storms are common in the region, but scientific explanations have produced no other specific phenomenon which would make so many things disappear seemingly without a trace. Explanations have also included space aliens! Example: Jean's locker was the local Bermuda Triangle; homework simply vanished without a trace.

Chesire Cat

A broadly grinning cat in Lewis Carroll's _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ (1865). The Cheshire Cat could appear and disappear, and its pronouncements were enigmatic, or at least ambiguous. The cat sometimes only leaves his grin behind. The origins of the phrase go back further than that, but no one is certain of the source , although theories abound. One is that cheese from the English county of Cheshire were molded in the shape of a cat or were stamped with a grinning cat. Others say that an inept sign painter in Cheshire made all of his lions look like cats. Example: (I didn't get all of it so I improvised) Gilderoy Lockhart could dazzle all the young women by flashing a Cheshire Cat grin

Sherlock Holmes

A fictional character created in 1887 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who became the prototype for the modern mastermind detective. The brilliant English detective's adventures were recounted in a series of stories beginning with _A Study in Scarlet_. Doyle not only created the eccentric, arrogant protagonist but Holmes's loyal friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson, and his archenemy, the equally brilliant and supremely evil Dr. James Moriarty. Holmes's greatest qualities were his powers of observation and deduction and his knowledge of arcane science, but he was prone to boredom and was a cocaine addict. The character was hugely popular, and has remained so ever since, in Doyle's books and in films or plays in countries and languages around the world. To be a Sherlock Holmes is to display the superior observational and analytic powers of the Doyle character. A Sherlock Holmes may also describe the solution to a knotty problem as "elementary," his most characteristic utterance. Example: Modern-day forensic science combines Sherlock-Holmes-style sleuthing with high-tech gadgets. It is only elementary that so many crimes are solved today!

Doppleganger

A ghostly counterpart of a living person; a double or alterego. A doppelganger often represents the evil or unpleasant aspect of a person's nature. From the German words "doppel," meaning "double," and "ganger," meaning "walker." Example: Anakin Skywalker succumbs to the dark side of the force and to his doppelganger, Darth Vader, by the end of Episode lll.

Caesar's Wife

A person above reproach and free from any semblance of wrongdoing. Julius Caesar divorced his wife Pompeia because of an episode in which a man had been admitted illicitly and without Pompeia's knowledge to Caesar's house during a women-only religious rite. The man was tried for sacrilege, and even though neither Caesar nor his wife knew anything of the crime, Caesar divorced his wife. When asked why, he responded that Caesar's wife should not be subject even to suspicion of wrongdoing. Example: During a political campaign, if either candidate is anything less than Caesar's wife, he can bet that his opponent will use it against him.

Hemlock

A poisonous preparation made from the hemlock plant and drunk as a way of committing suicide. That's how death came to the Greek philosopher Socrates. In 399 BC, he was tried and sentenced to death on charges of corrupting the morals of youth and committing religious heresies. Resisting all efforts to save his life, he willingly drank the cup of hemlock poison given him. His life and death were recorded by his most famous student, Plato. The term is typically used in the phrase "drink hemlock," and the phrase more widely describes an act that is deliberately destruction of one's own interests. Example: The team decided it would rather drink hemlock than face the opposing team's lineup.

Lemming

A small, short, chubby, furry, and bob-tailed rodent indigenous to cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The little creatures are famous for mass migrations when excess population drives them to search for food. Once moving, lemmings always travel in a straight line regardless of obstacles, including lakes and rivers, and vast numbers of them die. By extension, to be a lemming is to mindlessly follow the crowd, often to destruction. Example: Many stock market investors react to market conditions like lemmings - stampeding up the mountain when markets are rising and down into the cold sea when they are falling.

Basilisk

A spellbinding, deadly creature. The word comes from the the name of the mythical reptile purported to the king of lizards. It was also called a cockatrice, and it was said to be hatched from the egg of a male chicken by a reptile. It's best known qualities are the world's worst case of bad breath and the ability to kill with a glance. The word is frequently used in the phrase 'basilisk stare', the term for a look which is ferociously compelling, frightening, or seductive - or all of the above. Example: The teacher did not need to say a word; he gained control of the class with a quiet, but effective basilisk stare. The unruly 2nd graders quickly lapsed into terrified silence.

Mark of Cain

A stigma: the distinguishing mark or brand of a criminal or outcast. In genesis of the Bible, Cain, first child of Adam and Eve, murdered his younger brother, Abel, and became an exile and a fugitive. As the Bible tells the story, when the Lord asks the guilty Cain about his brother, Cain responds, "'I know not; _Am I my brother's keeper?_' And He said 'What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.'" The Lord put a mark on Cain so he would be identified as the killer of Abel, but protected. As the term is used today, the idea of a protective mark is lost; only the negative sense of a mark of shame or criminality remains. Example: Casey Anthony bears a mark of Cain in the eyes of people in the United States. She was viewed as a murderess, even though she was declared not-guilty.

Bad Seed

An evil person whose wickedness is innate and evident from birth. The term comes from the 1955 play _The Bad Seed_ bu Maxwell Anderson (based on a novel by William March), about a little girl who is a calculating murderess. Example: While he is obviously influenced by an equally evil father, one assumes that Draco Malfoy is a bad seed.

Chimera

An imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts; an illusion or fabrication of the mind. Something that is fantastically visionary, improbable, or the product or an unchecked imagination is called chimerical. In Greek mythology, the chimera was a monster: the front third was a lion, the midsection a goat, the rear end a serpent. Luckily it was slain by the legendary hero Bellerophon, riding the winged horse Pegasus. Bellerophon would be shocked to learn that research into animal cloning has now created sheep/goat and sheep/cow combinations and they are called chimeras. Example: The English 9H students' proposal for no homework on weekends is, unfortunately, nothing but a chimera. Sorry, guys.

Halcyon Days

Calm, peaceful days, a happy golden period: prosperous, affluent times. Halcyon is the Greek name for the bird we know as the kingfisher. The ancient Greeks believed the bird nested at sea at the winter solstice and calmed the waves while it incubated its eggs. This halcyon period lasted fourteen days. In Greek mythology, Halcyon was the daughter of Aeolus, god of the winds. She was married to a mortal who died at sea, and threw herself into the ocean to be near him. The gods changed them into kingfishers. Example: Upon the final defeat of the evil wizard Sauron and the destruction of the Ring of Power, mankind finally entered halcyon days.

Hatfields and the Mccoys

Families in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky and West Virginia engaged in a long and bitter feud. Now synonymous with two bitterly opposing groups, those engaged in a seemingly irreconcilable feud. The Hatfields and the McCoys were the real thing, and in the last twenty years of the 19th century their battles attracted national attention. These two families were neighbors of course. The origins of their feud seem to be obscure but the story does have its Romeo and Juliet: there evidently was a romance between Rose Anna McCoy and Johnson Hatfield in 1880 which the McCoys broke up. The quarrel got out of hand in 1882 when Ellison Hatfield was shot. This event set off a spiral of revenge. Things began to quiet down after 1888 although there continued to be occasional outbreaks of violence. Example: The little brown jug game epitomizes Rockland's own version of the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Apollonian

Having the characteristics of, or pertaining to, the Greek god Apollo. These are such qualities as rationality, intellect, a spirit of justice, creativity. All in all, a cast of mind opposite to _Dionysian_, which is instinctive, irrational, uninhibited, destructive. Example: The political candidate won overwhelming support from his constituents primarily due to Apollonian intelligence, fairness, and conduct.

Ahab

King Ahab was the ruler of Israel in 874 BC and Jezebel was a Phoenician princess. They were married and she converted him from the Jewish religion to worship of the Phoenician God, Baal. King Ahab wanted the vineyard of Naboth, but he would not sell it. Jezebel made claims of Naboth's treason, and he was sentenced to death, Ahab then received the land. The prophet Elijah predicted the death of King Ahab's family line because of his evil acts and disloyalty to God. When Ahab asked for forgiveness from God, his punishment was suspended until his death. God declared that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs. A prediction of destruction or to describe a pair of immoral people. Example: Bonnie and Clyde, famous bank-robbers and killers, go hand in hand with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.

Babes in the Woods

Naive, trusting folks; neophytes. The expression comes from an English play and ballad in the early 17th century, _The Children in the Wood_. The story was about two children whose father left them in the care if his wife's brother. The uncle would inherit a fortune if the children died, so he hired two men to murder them. One of the thugs could not bring himself to do the deed and murdered his partner instead. He then left the children alone in a wood where, helpless, they died. Example: Many young people flock to LA and NYC from small towns in search of fame and celebrity; unfortunately, however, many of the babes in the woods succumb to the darker forces of urban life.

Eden

Paradise; an unspoiled, idyllic, peaceful place. In Genesis, the Garden of Eden was the first home of Adam and Eve, where they were expelled from when they had sinned. When they were evicted, however, Eden was not destroyed, and much interest, research, and legend have been devoted to finding it. It is also referred to as Paradise Lost; one has the perfect life or situation and then destroys it due to character flaws (hmm... sounds like Greek tragedy, no?) Example: Many celebrities lose their idyllic life in Eden when they succumb to the temptations of drugs, alcohol, or other vices.

Fall on one's Sword

Sacrifice oneself; commit suicide; offer one's resignation. Voluntarily take responsibility - and voluntarily pay the price - for a disastrous turn of events. For example, to acknowledge a grave error by resigning from office. From the Roman custom of committing suicide by falling on one's sword when one failed in a big way. Frequently the fallers were generals or high officials who felt honor-bound to take their lives if they were responsible for a defeat in battle or failed conspiracy. Brutus committed this act when defeated by Octavion and Mark Antony at the battle of Phillipi in 42 AD. Example: Overwhelmed by the guilt over her part in Cyril's death, Vera finally fell on her sword at the end of the novel

my brother's keeper

Taken from genesis, it is part of the evasive response by the guilty Cain, who has killed his brother Abel, to the question posed by God: "Where is Abel thy brother?" And Cain said "I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" Cain is cursed, always to be a fugitive and wandering the Earth. The phrase is now most commonly used as a statement: yes, you are your brother's keeper; you should feel responsibility for the well being of your fellow man. Example: By risking public ridicule and even abuse, Atticus Finch proved that he is his brother's keeper; Tom Robinson deserved a fair trial despite the racist views of the society.

Job

The hero of the Old Testament book of Job who endures afflictions with fortitude and faith. His story is the exploration of why, if suffering is punishment for sin, do the good suffer? At the outset, Job is a wealthy man when God permits Satan to test Job's faith. Job's wealth disappears, his children die, he is afflicted with boils, but his faith never waivers, and eventually he is rewarded. Now his name is used to allude to someone who suffers a succession of woes. As an adjective, describing cumulative misfortune, the word is Jobian. Example: On her first day of school, Scout felt much like Job; she got in trouble with the teacher twice, was embarrassed in front of her peers, and was spanked by Calpurnia. That's a lot to happen in one day to such a young kid!

Everyman

The typical or ordinary person. John Q. Public, the man in the street, not rich or brilliant or exceptional - just one of us. He is usually a protagonist without being a hero (like Brother in "Scarlet Ibis") The term comes from one of the Morality Plays of the 15th century, allegorical dramas that as popular entertainment and provided religious served and ethical instruction to the unlettered public. Everyman, the central character, is, of course, the ordinary person. Other allegorical characters represent virtues, vices, and good and bad influences. In the play, Everyman receives a summons from Death and calls on his friends - Beauty, fellowship, Kindred, and Worldly Goods, among others - to accompany him. Only Good Deeds agrees to attend Everyman to the grave. Example: The allure of the recent wave of reality television is watching how the Everyman can be turned into an overnight celebrity.

Down the Rabbit Hole

To find oneself in a situation very difficult from the usual or opposite from what you are used to. Example: Upon entering college, many students feel like Alice down the rabbit hole when suddenly confronted with such a vast diversity of individuals with equally different backgrounds cultures, personalities, and interests.

E tu, Brute

Words of Julius Caesar when he recognized his friend Marcus Junius Brutus among his assassins. A reproach for an act treachery or betrayal by a friend or ally. It's Latin and means "And you too, Brutus?" This phrase is best known from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar but is quoted by the Roman historian Suetonius in The Lives of the Caesars. The phrase often shows up as "Et tu, ?" with the name of the betrayer in the blank. Example: Et tu, Severus? Readers could almost hear that question on Dumbledore's lips as Snape advanced on him in the climax of _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_.