The Facts on File Dictionary of Cultural and Historical Allusions: From the Middle Ages Through the 20th Century (Facts on File Library of American Literature) [Library Binding]

Sylvia Cole (Author), Abraham Lass (Author)

Book Description

Series: Facts on File Library of American Literature | Publication Date: October 2000

"I coulda been a contender." Molotov cocktail. Catch 22. Beatrice.Our language is chock-full of allusions: terms, names, and phrases that have been shorthanded for certain attributes or circumstances. This dictionary explains the current meanings and original contexts of more than 1,500 allusions of the past millennium drawn from history, literature, art, and mass culture. Eminently useful and fun to browse, this is an essential resource for writers, students, and general readers.

Sample entries include:
* Apple pie: A quintessential American dish that has become a metaphor for American values
* K-Mart: The name of this department store chain has become a symbol of bargain-basement products
* Wall Street: The location of the Stock Exchange brings to mind huge financial deals, insider trading, and greed.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Allusions add color to our language and symbolize shared knowledge or experience. When they are obscure (and even when they're not), they are the stuff of frequently asked reference questions. This book's origins lie in The Facts On File Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Allusions (1991), revised and expanded to include more than 600 new entries spanning the millennium just ending.

Shakespearean characters, infamous criminals, advertising slogans, baseball and boxing expressions, movie titles, tycoons, tag lines, and more are explained in alphabetically arranged entries that incorporate definitions, quotations in context, and examples of usage. Many of the allusions cited are literary in origin, but just as many are historical as well as part of popular culture and politics. Clara Barton and Clara Bow, Galahad and glasnost, Jacobin and jihad, paladin and perestroika all find a place in this helpful handbook. An index facilitates the location of particular names, words, or phrases. This volume complements The Facts On File Dictionary of Classical, Biblical, and Literary Allusions (1987) and is recommended for most, if not all, reference collections. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Library Binding: 480 pages
• Publisher: Facts on File (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816040575
• ISBN-13: 978-0816040575
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,366,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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