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

Battle of Hastings
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the work of Pigres of Caria (c. fourth century
b.c.). Billed as an epic struggle, the contest turned out
to be more of a batrachomyomachia.
Battle of Hastings See hastings, battle of.
Battle of the Bulge See bulge, battle of the.
Baucis See philemon and baucis.
Bauhaus (bowhows) In a modernistic style reminiscent
of that championed by German architect
Walter Gropius (1883–1969). <strong>The</strong> Bauhaus itself
was the name of the art and design school established
by Gropius in Weimar, Germany, in 1919 to
further the principle of combining art and craft in
building design, with the emphasis on form following
function. <strong>The</strong> name Bauhaus was arrived at by
inverting the German word Hausbau (building of a
house). <strong>The</strong> school was closed by the Nazis in 1933
but the movement it represented continued to
exert a profound infl uence throughout the 20th
century. “Its full- length windows give the appearance,
appropriately enough, of a power house, and
the quantity of glass gives it a modern, almost Bauhaus
feel” ( Jeffrey Richards and John M. MacKenzie,
<strong>The</strong> Railway Station: A Social History, 1988).
Bay of Pigs A military fi asco, a foiled invasion.
<strong>The</strong> allusion is the disastrous U.S.- backed invasion
of Cuba launched on April 25, 1961, which ended
catastrophically as a result of poor or ga ni za tion
and lack of air cover. It was the nation’s greatest
humiliation since the Bay of Pigs.
beam in one’s own eye, the See mote and beam.
beam me up, Scotty I wish I could escape this
awkward or embarrassing situation. <strong>The</strong> line is a
quotation from the pop u lar long- running U.S.
science- fi ction tele vi sion and fi lm series star
trek, fi rst broadcast on tele vi sion in 1966. Members
of the crew were transported from the starship
Enterprise to other locations by means of a
matter- transference beam, often in order to
escape extreme danger. Lieutenant Commander
‘Scotty’ Scott, played by James Doohan (1920–
2005), was the ship’s chief engineer, who oversaw
such transfers. Though the line has become a
catchphrase, it is claimed that the line is never
actually delivered in precisely this form anywhere
in the televised adventures. “Beam me up,
Scotty,” he breathed as his wife walked into the room,
her brow dark with fury.
Bean, Mr. See mr. bean.
bear/carry/take one’s cross To suffer a trial affl iction
patiently. <strong>The</strong> expression alludes to Christ’s
words to his disciples: “If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me” (Matthew 16:24). “You must try and be
strong and bear it bravely. We all have our cross to
bear” (Aldous Huxley, Limbo, 1920). “ ‘Still, this
isn’t the time really, is it?’ And she smiled, and was
carry ing her cross ever so bravely really” (G. W.
Target, <strong>The</strong> Teachers, 1960).
bear the burden and heat of the day To assume
the most laborious or exacting part of a task, particularly
in comparison to the lesser efforts of others.
<strong>The</strong> phrase is a quotation from the parable of
the vineyard in which Christ compares the differing
contributions of the workers, some of whom
have worked all day long, while others have arrived
much later when the bulk of the work has been
done (Matthew 20:1–16). “We do not wish to tax
your energies too much. We will bear some of the