The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

marriage feast ( John 2:1–11). <strong>The</strong> play went down
well enough, but the critics were generally agreed that
you can’t turn water into wine.
Waterloo (wahterloo) A fi nal, climactic defeat,
especially one from which there is no hope of
recovery. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the Battle of Waterloo
fought between the French armies of napoleon
and those of Britain and her allies under the command
of the duke of Wellington on June 18, 1815
near the village of Waterloo in Belgium. Napoleon’s
comprehensive defeat ended his reign once
and for all and resulted in his permanent exile to
the remote island of saint helena. Ever since
then those who are seen to suffer a serious defeat
may be said to meet their Waterloo. As far as his
future in competitive athletics was concerned, this was
his Waterloo.
waters of Babylon See by the rivers of
babylon.
water, water everywhere and not a drop to
drink Though something may appear to be in
plentiful supply, it is not actually in a form that is
of any use. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the poem “<strong>The</strong> Rime
of the Ancient Mariner” (1798) by the En glish
poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834), which
includes the lines: “Water, water everywhere, / And
all the boards did shrink; / Water, water everywhere
/ Nor any drop to drink.” <strong>The</strong> fl ooding contaminated
the water supply, prompting residents to
lament that there was water, water everywhere and not a
drop to drink.
Watson, Doctor See doctor watson.
waving the bloody shirt Rousing pop u lar feeling;
fomenting unrest or rebellion. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to
the post- Civil War era when Republicans metaphor
ical ly waved the bloody shirt to remind voters
that in their opinion the Demo cratic Party was
to blame for causing the war and the bloodshed
that had ensued. When he changed the subject to argue
that the current administration had the blood of U.S.
casualties in Iraq on its hands he was accused of waving
the bloody shirt.
way it is, and that’s the See and that’s the way
it is.
Wayne, Bruce See batman and robin.
Wayne, John See john wayne.
way of transgressors, the
way of all fl esh See go the way of all fl esh.
way of a man with a maid, the <strong>The</strong> mysterious
nature of relationships between the sexes. This reference
to the mystery of sexual attraction is of
biblical origin, appearing at Proverbs 30:18–19:
“<strong>The</strong>re be three things which are too wonderful
for me, yea, four which I know not: <strong>The</strong> way of an
ea gle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock;
the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the
way of a man with a maid.” What on earth she saw in
him I shall never know, but I suppose that’s the mystery of
the way of a man with a maid.
way of transgressors, the <strong>The</strong> troubled, diffi cult
lives of those who refuse to live by the law. <strong>The</strong>
expression comes from Proverbs 13:15: “Good
understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors
is hard.” “It is not enough to tell me that
you worked hard to get your gold. So does the
Dev il work hard. <strong>The</strong> way of transgressors may be
hard in many respects” (Henry David Thoreau, Life
Without Principle, 1863).
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