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

Bircher, John
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girlfriend, remade with cybernetic limbs following
a skydiving accident. If they think I can shift this
lot all by myself they must think I’m the Bionic Man.
Bircher, John See john bircher.
Birnam Wood (bernbm) An ominous sign, something
that is interpreted as a portent of imminent
disaster. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to William Shakespeare’s
Scottish tragedy Macbeth (1606), specifi cally to a
passage in which the title character is reassured
that his throne will remain secure until he sees
distant Birnam Wood come to his castle at Dunsinane,
an event that appears to be practically impossible.
When Macbeth’s enemies subsequently invade
Scotland, however, they disguise their numbers as
they approach Dunsinane by cutting boughs from
the trees of Birnam Wood and carry ing them, thus
giving the impression that the wood itself is moving.
When he sees this, Macbeth knows he is
doomed. Though no one knows if Shakespeare
himself ever visited Scotland, both Dunsinane
Castle and Birnam Wood are real places, around a
dozen miles apart. <strong>The</strong>y watched as the huge crowd
held up their placards to form a vast logo, which shimmered
and shifted like Shakespeare’s Birnam Wood.
birthright, sell one’s See sell one’s birthright
for a mess of pottage.
bite the bullet To become resigned to enduring a
necessary or unavoidable burden of some kind or
to making a diffi cult decision. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the
former custom of providing a patient about to be
subjected to a painful surgical procedure with a
soft lead bullet or something similar to bite on in
response to the agony. This helped patients to stifl e
their screams and also lessened the chance of them
biting their tongue off. <strong>The</strong> custom thankfully
ended with the introduction of modern anesthetics.
“When fate marks you down for immortality
you’d just better bite the bullet and lace your boots
up tight” (Robert Rankin, <strong>The</strong> Suburban Book of the
Dead, 1993).
Blackbeard (blakbeerd) A piratical rogue, especially
one with a formidable appearance or black
beard. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the notorious pirate captain
Blackbeard (Edward Teach; d. 1718), who terrorized
shipping off the east coast of America for
18 months leading up to his eventual death in battle
when surprised by a pair of Royal Navy sloops. This
most infamous of pirates was renowned for his
unpredictable temper and wild appearance, especially
his long black beard, which he wore tied in
braids. Her father was a mild- mannered type, but when
he’d had a drink or two he turned into a real Blackbeard.
Black Beauty A horse or something else of a rich
black hue. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the children’s book
Black Beauty (1877) by Anna Sewell, which tells
the life story of a black horse from the point of
view of the horse itself. <strong>The</strong> horse is known by
several other names by its various own ers, among
them Black Auster, Darkie, and Jack. <strong>The</strong> book,
which Anna Sewell felt moved to write in response
to the cruel treatment suffered by many horses,
has been fi lmed several times. As a girl she had
dreamed of owning her very own Black Beauty.
blackboard jungle <strong>The</strong> violent and chaotic world
of inner- city schools. <strong>The</strong> term is a reference to
the 1955 movie <strong>The</strong> Blackboard Jungle, which was
set in a run- down New York City school. <strong>The</strong>
movie was based on an earlier novel of the same
title by Evan Hunter (Salvatore Albert Lombino;
1926–2005). Appropriately enough, Hunter is said