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

ull of Bashan (bashbn) A very strong or ferocious
man; a cruel tyrant. Og was a brutish giant
who ruled Bashan, an area east of the Sea of Galilee
and famous for its cattle (Deuteronomy 32:14;
Psalm 22:12; and Ezekiel 39:18). Og and all his
followers were killed in battle against Moses and
the Israelites (Deuteronomy 3:1–11). Among the
trophies taken by the Israelites after the battle was
Og’s huge iron bedstead, which mea sured nine by
four cubits (around 13 by 16 feet). To roar like a
bull of Bashan means to make an excessive noise.
“. . . man and steed rushing on each other like
wild bulls of Bashan!” (Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe,
1819).
Bunbury (bunbbree) A fi ctitious friend, especially
one invented for con ve nience. Bunbury is
the name given to the fi ctitious, ailing friend
invented by Algernon Moncrieff in Oscar Wilde’s
comedy <strong>The</strong> Importance of Being Earnest (1895) as an
excuse to make himself absent from town when he
has appointments he would like to avoid, particularly
with his aunt lady bracknell. I think I may
need to invent a Bunbury in order to avoid to get out of
this meeting.
Bunker, Archie See archie bunker.
Bunker Hill (bunker) An opening skirmish, especially
one that proves a source of inspiration to a
cause. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the Battle of Bunker Hill,
one of the fi rst battles of the American Revolution,
which took place during the siege of Boston
on June 17, 1775. <strong>The</strong> American forces put up a
spirited defense before being driven from Bunker
Hill by the British, having run out of ammunition.
Though defeated, the Americans took great heart
from the encounter. This turned out to be the women’s
movement’s Bunker Hill.
bunker mentality (bunker) A defensive state of
mind. <strong>The</strong> expression dates from World War II,
when millions of people were forced to seek
shelter from bombing and artillery shelling in
fortifi ed underground dugouts called bunkers.
With the Rus sians on the outskirts of Berlin,
Adolf hitler himself was driven into his bunker,
where he was seemingly driven to paranoid madness
and eventually suicide by the imminence of
the threats surrounding him. After such an extended
run of defeats, the team management have surrendered
to bunker mentality and are now obsessed with damage
limitation.
bunkum (bunkbm) Nonsense, empty talk. <strong>The</strong>
word “bunkum” originated in the fi rst half of the
19th century, prompted by a speech to Congress
made by one Felix Walker, who represented the
district of Buncombe in North Carolina. Such was
the inanity and dullness of Walker’s speech,
addressed to the people of Buncombe, that ever
afterward any insincere, meaningless speech
became known as “buncombe” or “bunkum.” “De
mortuis nil nisi bonum, and all that bunkum”
(Stella Shepherd, Black Justice, 1988).
bunnyboiler See fatal attraction.
Bunyan, Paul See paul bunyan.
burden of Isaiah (izayb) A prophecy of disaster;
a complaint against hardships imposed by others.
<strong>The</strong> reference is to isaiah’s prophecy against
Babylon, as described, for example, in 13:1. He
seemed weighed down, as if with the burden of Isaiah,
by this realization of the inevitable catastrophe to
come.
burden of Sisyphus See sisyphean.
burden of Sisyphus
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