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

Capua corrupted Hannibal (kapyoob, hanibbl)
De cadence will ruin anyone. <strong>The</strong> reference is to
the winter the Carthaginian leader Hannibal spent
in the Italian city of Capua, which was renowned
as a center of idleness and luxury, during his campaign
on the Italian mainland. Until then he had
been victorious everywhere; afterward he failed
to reach anew the same degree of success. As
heavyweight champion it seemed for a time that he
would never be defeated, but just as Capua corrupted
Hannibal, soft living fatally undermined his stamina in
the ring.
Capulet See plague on both your houses, a.
cardigan (kahdigbn) A knitted sweater, buttoned
at the front. <strong>The</strong> garment was named after
the seventh earl of Cardigan (1797–1868), who
was commander of the Light Brigade on the day
it was committed to a disastrous charge against
Rus sian guns at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854,
during the Crimean War. Many of the British
troops wore such garments to keep out the bitter
cold during the Crimean campaign. “Ahead of
him a morose- looking man in a cardigan was
sorting through slabs of meat in plastic containers”
(Nigel Williams, <strong>The</strong> Wimbledon Poisoner,
1990).
Carey Street (kairee) Bankruptcy. Carey Street
in the City of London was the location of the city’s
Bankruptcy Court, hence “to be in Carey Street”
meant “to be bankrupt.” <strong>The</strong> connection is sometimes
made with the expression in Queer Street,
which also means “bankrupt” or “short of funds,”
but this would appear to have different origins, in
the word “crooked” or “cross.” <strong>The</strong> sixth earl squandered
the family’s fortunes and ended up in Carey
Street.
carpetbagger
Carmen (kahrmbn) A passionate, reckless femme
fatale. Carmen is the gypsy girl who is the focus of
the action of the 1846 novel Carmen by the French
writer Prosper Mérimée (1803–70), brought to
life in 1875 as an opera by Georges Bizet. Carmen’s
tempestuous career in love famously ends
with her being stabbed to death by her jilted lover
Don José. Carmen herself could not have made a more
dramatic entrance.
Carnaby Street (kahrnbbee) <strong>The</strong> British fashion
world, particularly that of the 1960s. Carnaby
Street in central London was the location of several
infl uential boutiques whose customers
included rock stars and many other well- known
public faces. It had declined in importance by the
mid- 1970s. “<strong>The</strong> trendies of Carnaby Street
fl ounced around in military uniforms, sporting
fl owers of peace where medals once had hung”
(Simon Brett, Murder Unprompted, 1984).
carpe diem (kahrpay deebm) Make the most of
one’s opportunities, as they may not come again;
seize the moment. <strong>The</strong> slogan comes from the Odes
of the Roman poet Horace (65–8 b.c.), in which
he wrote: “carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero”
(“enjoy today, trusting little in tomorrow”). It is
also rendered as seize the day and take time by
the forelock. “When a man had nothing left in life
except his dinner, his bottle, his cigar, and the
dreams they gave him—these doctors forsooth
must want to cut them off! No, no! Carpe diem!
while you lived, get something out of it” ( John
Galsworthy, <strong>The</strong> Forsyte Saga, 1922).
carpetbagger An unprincipled opportunist. <strong>The</strong>
word made its fi rst appearance in the years following
the U.S. Civil War, when the ravaged
southern states provided rich pickings for
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