Historical Allusions

Attila

barbarian, rough leader; King of the Huns from 433-453 and the most successful of the barbarian invaders of the Roman Empire

Berserk

destructively or frenetically violent, mental or emotional upset; a warrior clothed in bear skin who worked himself into a frenzy before battle

Bloomer

undergarments for dance or active wear; underwear formally worn by females that was composed of loose trousers gathered at the ankles; invented by Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-94), and American social reformer

Bowdlerize

to censor, expurgate prudishly, to modify, as by shortening or simplifying or by skewing content; after Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), who expurgated Shakespeare

Boycott

to act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion, the act or an instance of boycotting; after Charles C. Boycott (1832-97), of Ireland. Boycott, a former British soldier, refused to charge lower rents and ejected his tenants. Boycott and his family found themselves without servants, farmlands, service in stores, or mail delivery. Boycott's name was quickly adapted as the term for this treatment.

Canopy

an overhanging protection or shelter, to cover or hover above; Middle English word canape taken from Latin Canapeum or Conopeum, meaning "net curtains"

Casanova

a man who is amorously and gallantly attentive to women; a promiscuous man.; Giovanni Jacopo Casanova De Seingalt (1725-98), an Italian adventurer who established a legendary reputation as a lover

Chauvinist

one who has a militant devotion to and glorification of one's country, fanatical patriotism, prejudiced belief in the superiority of one's own gender, group, or kind; after Nicolas Chauvin a legendary French soldier devoted to Napoleon

Derrick

a machine for hoisting and moving heavy objects, consisting of a movable boom equipped with cables and pulleys and connected to the base of an upright stationary beam, a tall framework over a drilled hole, esp. an oil well, used to support boring equipment; named after a London hangman Derick (1600)

Donnybrook

any riotous occasion; taken from the Donnybrook Fair, held in Dublin County, Ireland until 1855, which was famous for rioting and dissipation

Dungaree

a style of casual work pants; from a coarse cotton fabric of East Indian origin; from the Hindu word dungri

El Dorado

a place of reputed wealth; from the legendary city in South America, sought by early Spanish explorers

Hackney

to make something banal or trite by frequent use, a horse for ordinary riding or driving, a horse kept for hire, let out, employed, or done for hire; from Hackney, the most common breed of heavy harness horses in the US.

Horatio Alger

one who believes that a person can make it on his own merits; from (1832-99) American writer of inspirational adventure books.

Laconic

using or marked by the use of few words, brief; Lakonikos, from the reputation of the Spartans for brevity of speech

Limerick

a humorous or nonsense verse of five lines; from Limerick, a county in Republic of Ireland where the form is said to have originated

Machiavellian

of or relating to Machiavelli or Machiavellianism, characterized by expedience, deceit and cunning; after Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1537), a philosopher known for his treaties and political expediency; wrote The Prince (1513)

Marathon

a long distance race; source of the Victory of the Greeks over Persians in 490 B.C.

McCarthyism

modern witch hunt, the practice of publicizing accusations of political disloyalty or subversions with insufficient regard to evidence, the use of unfair investigatory or accusatory methods, in order to suppress opposition; after Joseph McCarthy (1908-57), an American politician who as a US senator from WWI publicly accused many citizens of subversion

Meander

to wander aimlessly; originating from Meander, a river in Turkey noted for its winding course

Mesmerize

to induce the state of being hypnotized; F.A. Mesmer, an Austrian physician who used hypnotism and developed a theory called "animal magnetism"

Nostradamus

fortune teller; (1503-66) French physician and astrologer who wrote a book of rhymed prophecies

Sardonic

bitterly ironical, sarcastic, sneering; from a Sardinian plant said to bring on fits of laughter

Shanghai

to cheat or steal, to make drugs, liquor, etc. to bring or get by trickery or force; a seaport in East China, from Shanghai because sailor for voyages there were often secured by illicit means

Spartan

frugal and bare, simple, disciplined and stern and brave; having to do with Sparta, an important City in Greece. The Spartans were known for simplicity of life, severity, courage, and brevity of speech.

Stonewall

hinder or obstruct by evasive, delaying tactics; in cricket: trying to go completely defensive, blocking every ball without trying to score; relating to Stonewall Jackson (Thomas J. Jackson) Confederate General from the remark during the Battle of Bull Run: "Look as Jackson's men; they stand like a stone wall."

Swiftian

satirical,; from Jonathan Swift's famous satire on politics Gulliver's Travels

Sybaritic

luxurious, voluptuous, a person who cares very much for luxury and pleasure; an inhabitant of Sybars, a town founded by the Greeks in ancient Italy, which was known for its luxury

Thespian

having to do with the theater or acting; relating to Thespians, so called form Thespis, a Attic poet of the 6th century B.C., reputed to the father of Greek tragedy

Uncle Sam

government of people of the United States; derived from the United States of America - Uncle Sam, a businessman with initials on shipping boxes in 1800's

Utopia

an imaginary and perfect society; British 1610, source Thomas Moore's novel Utopia

Wagnerian

style of music: loud, dramatic, radical; having to do with Wagner, his music, or his musical styles or theories

Waterloo

A decisive or final defeat or setback; Belgian 1816, source of Napoleon's last defeat