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

larney
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blarney See kiss the blarney stone.
blessed are the meek See meek shall inherit
the earth, the.
Bligh, Captain See captain bligh.
Blimp, Col o nel See col o nel blimp.
blind leading the blind A situation in which those
who show the way are as misguided or ignorant as
those they lead. <strong>The</strong> phrase appears in Matthew
15:14, in which Christ responds to the suggestion
that he has offended the Pharisees: “Let them
alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the
blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the
ditch.” It is also used in Luke 6:39. “<strong>The</strong> staff of
the Archaeological Department are insuffi ciently
trained by precept and experience—indeed as
regards the students and ju nior members it is a
case of the blind leading the blind, and the quality
of the department is likely to deteriorate progressively”
(Mortimer Wheeler, Still Digging, 1955).
“Neil Hannon’s 20s coincided with the 1990s
when the bland led the bland” (Guardian, October
22, 2001).
blitz (blits) A sudden, overpowering assault or
effort. <strong>The</strong> word comes from the German Blitzkrieg,
meaning “lightning war,” and became current
during the early years of World War II, when
the German armed forces conducted such
attacks by land and air against Poland, the Low
Countries, and France, relying upon fast movement
of armored columns deep into enemy territory.
When German bombers carried out mass
raids on London and other British cities the campaign
rapidly became known among the British as
“the Blitz.” Since the war, the term has been used
much more widely of efforts in other fi elds. What
this house needs is a proper blitz to get it ready for our
guests tomorrow eve ning.
blockbuster Something of enormous size or
power. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the heaviest caliber of
bombs dropped by the RAF during World War II,
which were capable of destroying whole blocks of
buildings at a time. <strong>The</strong> term has since been applied
in a wide range of contexts, especially to epic Hollywood
movies. Several releases are competing for the
title of top summer blockbuster this year.
blood crieth from the ground <strong>The</strong> guilt of those
who have committed murder or other acts of violence
cannot be concealed. <strong>The</strong> expression is a
quotation from Genesis 4:10, in which God confronts
Cain after the latter has put his brother Able
to death: “What hast thou done? the voice of thy
brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.”
“In the book that our teachers worship I have heard
it read, that the voice of blood crieth from the
ground! This is the voice—Hermanric, this is the
voice that I have heard! I have dreamed that I
walked on a shore of corpses, by a sea of blood!”
(Wilkie Collins, Antonina, 1850). See also blood
will have blood.
blood for blood See blood will have blood.
blood of the lamb See washed in the blood of
the lamb.
blood, sweat, and tears Extreme effort and sacrifi
ce, both mental and physical. <strong>The</strong> phrase is a
loose quotation from a speech delivered by British
prime minister Winston Churchill (1874–1965)
in the House of Commons on May 10, 1940, at a
point when Britain faced imminent invasion by