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

Houses of Parliament and the location of many
government and civil ser vice offi ces. It takes its
name from a royal palace (originally a mansion
called York Place, belonging to Cardinal Wolsey),
which was called White Hall by Henry VIII. It was
largely destroyed in 1698 in a fi re that left only the
Banqueting Hall standing. No one is sure what Whitehall
will make of this latest development.
white man’s burden <strong>The</strong> supposed duty of the
white races to govern and educate other, more
“backward,” races of the world. A notion that
harks back to the days of the British Empire,
when many less- developed countries came under
British colonial rule, the concept was perhaps
best expressed by Rudyard Kipling in his poem
“<strong>The</strong> White Man’s Burden” (1899): “Take up the
White Man’s Burden—/ Send forth the best ye
breed—/ Go bind your sons to exile / To serve
your captives’ need.” It is now viewed as a redundant
relic of the imperial past. No one talks about
the white man’s burden anymore, though many third
world countries continue to operate under the shadow
of the rich West.
white smoke A sign that an important decision
has fi nally been reached. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the voting
practices at the Vatican when the ballots are
collected to elect a new pope. At the end of each
round of voting among the cardinals the ballots
themselves are burned together with an added
chemical (originally wet straw), producing black
smoke and thus advising the crowds outside the
Vatican that no decision has yet been made. When
agreement is fi nally reached white smoke is
released from the chimney by burning the ballots
alone. <strong>The</strong>re is no sign yet of white smoke from Camp
David to tell the world that the rift between the parties
has been healed.
whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder
whither thou goest, I will go Expression of complete
devotion by a committed follower. <strong>The</strong> saying
is of biblical origin, spoken by ruth when promising
to accompany her mother- in- law, Naomi, to
Bethlehem: “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to
return from following after thee: for whither thou
goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will
lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God
my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will
I be buried” (Ruth 1:16–17). “ ‘I fear, my lord,’ the
girl answered timidly. ‘<strong>The</strong>n give me the basket.’
‘Nay, my lord, whither thou goest there I go also’ ”
(H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines, 1886).
who dares wins Those who are prepared to take
risks are the most likely to succeed. Famous as the
motto of Britain’s SAS (Special Air Ser vice), an
elite commando unit, since 1942, it was originally
the motto of Brigadier Robert Yerburgh, Lord
Alvingham (1889–1955). It was a dangerous mission,
with no certainty of success, but who dares wins.
whole duty of man Religious faith or something
else considered as a person’s essential duty in life.
<strong>The</strong> phrase comes from Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Let us
hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God,
and keep his commandments: for this is the whole
duty of man.” “. . . to buy it for as little as he could
possibly give, and sell it for as much as he could
possibly get; it having been clearly ascertained by
phi los o phers that in this is comprised the whole
duty of man—not a part of man’s duty, but the
whole” (Charles Dickens, Hard Times, 1854).
whom God hath joined together let no man put
asunder No one should come between husband
and wife. This now- formulaic phrase from the
marriage ser vice (“<strong>The</strong> Form of Solemnization of
Matrimony” of the Book of Common Prayer) warns
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