SAT/Allusion list 6

Philistines/Philistinism

(Origin) Old Testament, enemies of the Israelites. David fought off warrior, Goliath.

Philistines/Philistinism

(Meaning) Refers to a person with no appreciation for culture and whose tastes are commonplace.

Faust/Faustian Bargain

(Origin) Subject of plays by Christopher Marlowe (Dr. ) and Goethe, (_). He strikes bargain with Mephistopheles (the devil). Sells his soul in exchange for twenty-four years where he can have everything he desires. He spends much of his time in despair.

Faust/Faustian Bargain

(Meaning) Refers to sacrificing one's self or one's values in exchange for getting what one desires, often material wealth

Coals to Newcastle

(Origin) _ is a coal-mining city in northern England. Carrying coals to this city is superfluous.

Coals to Newcastle

(Meaning) Refers to giving a superfluous gift or making a contribution that is gratuitous and unnecessary.

Freudian Slip

(Origin) Sigmund _ was Austrian physician and psychotherapist who studied subconscious mind in human behavior.

Freudian Slip

(Meaning) An unintentional or accidental error, either in speech or action that apparently reveals one's subconscious thoughts or desires.

Sisyphus/Sisyphean

(Origin) Greek mythology, was a king who offended Zeus. Punished to Hades, rolling a giant boulder up a hill. Boulder rolled back down to the bottom, he had to start his task over.

Sisyphus/Sisyphean

(Meaning) Refers to a seemingly endless, perhaps futile task

Muthuselah

(Origin) Oldest of the patriarchs in the Bible, 969 years old.

Muthuselah

(Meaning) proverbially refers to an extremely old person

Scylla and Charybdis

(Origin) Greek mythology, was a many-headed sea monster living in cave on one side of a narrow strait. ___ was a whirlpool on the opposite side of the strait. Sailors had to steer their ships very carefully between the two to avoid them.

Scylla and Charybdis

(Meaning) Means to be caught between two equal dangers in which avoiding one means getting closer to the other. Has the same meaning as "between a rock and a hard place"

Holy Grail

(Origin) Medieval legend, ____ ______ was an object of quest. A cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper. Associated with legends of King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table. Represented perfection.

Holy Grail

(Meaning) Object that is extremely desirable or valuable and which is attainable only after a long and difficult quest

Luddites

(Origin) British laborers in the early 1800s. Opposed industrialization, feared machinery would threaten their jobs. Workers smashed textile machinery in protest.

Luddites

(Meaning) Someone who opposed change, especially industrial or technological advances

Pass the Buck

(Origin) In poker, "" was a marker that was passed to the person whose turn it was to deal. President Harry Truman kept a sign on his desk " stops here."

Pass the Buck

(Meaning) To shift responsibility (and often blame) to another person

Babylon

(Origin) Capital of the ancient _ Empire. City known for luxury and corruption. Jews were exiled and prophet Daniel became counselor to the King.

Babylon

(Meaning) Refers to a place of decadence and corruption

Phoenix/Rising from the Ashes

(Origin) Mythological bird that was one of a kind. Lived for five or six hundred years, after which it would burn itself to death and then rise from its own ashes as a youthful bird.

Phoenix/Rising from the Ashes

(Meaning) Symbolizes rebirth or resurrection and "_" can describe surmounting great obstacles

Xanadu

(Origin) Ancient city in Mongolia where Mongol emperor of China, Kublai Khan had a magnificent palace. Made famous by poem "Kubla Khan" (1816) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Xanadu

(Meaning) Refers to any magnificent, beautiful, almost magical place.

Muckrackers

(Origin) President Theodore Roosevelt criticized reform-minded journalists, journalists adopted term _ as a badge of honor referring to those who exposed corruption or promoted needed reforms.

Muckrackers

(Meaning) Term applied to authors or journalists who expose corruption in government, business, or other arenas.

Sine qua hen

(Origin) In Latin this phrase means "without which, nothing."

Sine qua hen

(Meaning) Refers to the essential ingredient without which an endeavor or situation would be impossible

Marauder

raider; intruder

Emit

to send or give aid; to express, utter; to put in circulation as money

Engulf

surround or enclose completely

Umbrage

sense of injury or insult; to take offense, displeasure

Abominate

extreme hatred; loathing; something dispised

Rivet

something that fastens two parts together; also to hold the attention of

Rudimentary

basic, crude, underdeveloped; fundamental principles or skills

Abridge

to shorten; to condense; to diminish; to curtail

Fester

to generate pus; to become a source of resentment or irritation

Entomb

to place in or as if in a tomb; or in a grave