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

anyone will succeed in casting these money changers out
of the temple. See also den of thieves.
cast of thousands A large number of people
involved in a par tic u lar project. <strong>The</strong> phrase comes
from publicity releases for movies of the 1920s,
specifi cally one for the fi rst screen version of Ben
Hur (1925), which boasted “a cast of 125,000.” “A
cast of thousands may have to be cut to seven”
(Stafford Whiteaker, A Career in Advertising and Public
Relations, 1986).
Castor and Pollux (kastor, polbks) Archetypes of
devoted brothers. Castor and Pollux were identifi
ed in Greek mythology as twin brothers, sometimes
called the Dioscuri. As the son of the god
Zeus and the mortal Leda, Pollux enjoyed the gift
of immortality, but Castor, being the son of Leda
and the mortal Tyndareus, was mortal. When Castor
died, Pollux asked to be allowed to die with
him so that they might not be parted. Zeus granted
his wish and placed the two brothers in the sky as
stars (in the constellation of Gemini). Like Castor
and Pollux, the brothers were inseparable as teenagers
and maintained this closeness well into adulthood.
cast pearls before swine See pearls before
swine.
cast the fi rst stone See let him who is without
sin cast the fi rst stone.
cast thy bread upon the waters To give generously,
as acts of generosity or kindness will be
rewarded eventually. <strong>The</strong> sentiment comes from
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast thy bread upon the waters:
for thou shalt fi nd it after many days.” He little
expected that he would ever benefi t from this casting of
bread upon the waters, but many years later he was
pleasantly surprised to fi nd his generosity was paying
dividends.
catbird seat An advantageous position. <strong>The</strong>
phrase was pop u lar ized by radio sportscaster Red
Barber (1908–92), who claimed to have borrowed
it from a fellow poker player. <strong>The</strong> catbird (Dumetella
carolinensis) is related to the mockingbirds and
has a distinctive catlike cry. <strong>The</strong> team are well and
truly in the catbird seat now.
Catch- 22 (twenteetoo) A situation in which one
outcome depends on another, which itself depends
upon the fi rst outcome, and thus cannot be
resolved. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the novel of the same
title by Joseph Heller (1923–99), published in
1961. At the heart of the novel are the attempts of
Captain Yossarian, an offi cer in the U.S. Air Force
stationed in Italy during World War II, to avoid
taking part in further suicidal missions by pretending
he is mad. His campaign falters when his
superiors argue that by trying to escape such danger
he is merely demonstrating his sanity (as made
clear in regulation 22 laid down by the military
bureaucracy): “<strong>The</strong>re was only one catch and that
was Catch- 22 which specifi ed that concern for
one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were
real and immediate was the pro cess of a rational
mind.” “Asserting herself as a conceptual artist,
considering all her work as creative, whether
working with other people or developing ideas for
further projects, Jane nevertheless sees spending
time on other people’s creativity as a Catch- 22
situation” (S. Townsend, Women’s Art, 1992).
catcher in the rye See holden caulfi eld.
Catherine wheel
Catherine wheel (kathrin) A small circular fi rework
that spins rapidly on a pin, shooting out
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