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

chaos (kayos) A state of disorder or confusion.
<strong>The</strong> word is Greek; in Greek mythology it
described the state of the universe prior to the
birth of the gods. Chaos itself was personifi ed as
the parent of Night and of Erebus (representing
darkness). “. . . order began to emerge from chaos
and the vision of a home made happy and comfortable
by her skill and care came to repay and sustain
her” (Louisa May Alcott, An Old Fashioned Girl,
1870).
Chaplinesque (chaplinesk) In a manner reminiscent
of silent- movie star Charlie Chaplin (Sir
Charles Spencer Chaplin; 1889–1977). Comparisons
to Chaplin usually involve reference to the
celebrated tramp character in which he appeared
in many of his earlier movies. Such comparisons
may be inspired by echoes of his physical appearance
in the role, complete with baggy trousers and
battered derby hat, or by a perceived connection
with the hapless but likable persona of his most
famous creation. He cut a Chaplinesque fi gure with
his ill- fi tting suit and shy demeanor.
Chappaquiddick (chapbkwidik) A scandalous
event in the past that continues to blight a person’s
present reputation. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to Senator Ted
Kennedy (b. 1932), who on July 19, 1969, drove
his car off a bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick
in Massachusetts. Kennedy was found guilty
of leaving the scene of the accident, which resulted
in the death by drowning of his 28- year- old passenger
Mary Jo Kopechne. <strong>The</strong> shadow cast by the
incident is thought to have ended Kennedy’s
chances of standing for the presidency of the
United States and has remained a permanent blot
on his public record. This unfortunate episode looks
set to become a Chappaquiddick that will haunt the
party for years to come.
charity covers a multitude of sins
Charge of the Light Brigade A heroic but
doomed, even tragic, gesture against impossible
odds. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the cavalry charge made by
the British Light Brigade against Rus sian batteries
at the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854,
during the Crimean War. <strong>The</strong> charge, which was
the result of a catastrophic misunderstanding of
orders, caused the deaths of 247 of the 637 soldiers
who took part in it and was vividly commemorated
in a poem written that same year by
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, entitled simply “<strong>The</strong>
Charge of the Light Brigade.” “Although you have
not been in the manager’s seat very long, you have
done nothing to alter my original opinion that
your appointment makes about as much sense as
the Charge of the Light Brigade” (M. Gist, Life at
the Tip, 1993). See also c’est magnifi que, mais ce
n’est pas la guerre; ours not to reason why.
chariot of fi re An apparently miraculous mean of
overcoming a natural obstacle or other diffi culty.
<strong>The</strong> allusion is to the “fi ery chariot” that transported
elijah to heaven, as recorded in 2 Kings
2:11: “Behold, there appeared a chariot of fi re, and
horses of fi re, and parted them both asunder; and
Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” With a
last wave to the admiring crowd she leapt onto the bike,
gunned the engine, and moments later was roaring off
toward the horizon on this veritable chariot of fi re.
charity covers a multitude of sins Those who are
of a kind and loving disposition will forgive the
wrongdoing of others; sometimes used to state
that such charity may also be a cloak for bad behavior
or a sign of a guilty conscience. <strong>The</strong> proverb
comes from 1 Peter 4:8: “And above all things
have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity
shall cover the multitude of sins.” Sometimes the
phrase is encountered with other words replacing
87