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

corners of the earth
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corners of the earth <strong>The</strong> remotest, most distant
parts of the globe. <strong>The</strong> notion that the earth has
corners comes from Isaiah 11:12, which describes
how God will “assemble the outcasts of Israel, and
gather together the dispersed of Judah from the
four corners of the earth.” “ ‘I can run out of the
house,’ cried her ladyship, wildly. ‘I can fl y to the
uttermost corners of the earth; but I can not hear
that person’s name mentioned!’ ” (Wilkie Collins,
Man and Wife, 1870).
cornucopia (kornbkopeeb) A great abundance of
something; a plentiful supply, especially of food
and drink. <strong>The</strong> reference is to Greek mythology
and one of the horns of Amalthea, the goat that
suckled Zeus. Zeus presented the horn to the
daughters of Melisseus, king of Crete, and it overfl
owed immediately with what ever food or drink
its own ers desired. Also known as the horn of
plenty, the cornucopia subsequently became a
symbol of plenty widely used in art and literature.
“<strong>The</strong> last time they had had a big basket with them
and all their Christmas marketing to do—a roast
of pork and a cabbage and some rye bread, and a
pair of mittens for Ona, and a rubber doll that
squeaked, and a little green cornucopia full of
candy to be hung from the gas jet and gazed at by
half a dozen pairs of longing eyes” (Upton Sinclair,
<strong>The</strong> Jungle, 1906).
corruptible and incorruptible That which is
fl awed may yet prove perfect. <strong>The</strong> expression
comes from 1 Corinthians 15:42–44, 52–54, in
which Paul discusses the resurrection, through
which the weak and perishable body is made strong
and imperishable: “It is sown in corruption, it is
raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour, it is
raised in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:42–43). “Now
that the incorruption of this most fragrant
ambergris should be found in the heart of such
decay; is this nothing? Bethink thee of that saying of
St. Paul in Corinthians, about corruption and incorruption;
how we are sown in dishonour, but raised
in glory” (Herman Melville, Moby- Dick, 1851).
Corybantian (koreebanteebn) Wild, ecstatic,
noisy, or unrestrained in manner. <strong>The</strong> allusion is
to the Corybantes of Greek mythology, who were
attendants of the goddess Cybele and were well
known for their frenzied rituals, which featured
the repeated crashing of cymbals and wild dancing.
Legend had it that the infant Zeus escaped
death at the hands of his father when his crying
was drowned out by the noise made by the Corybantes.
“Again, at Eleusis, home of Ceres, I see
the modern Greeks dancing, I hear them clapping
their hands as they bend their bodies, I hear the
metrical shuffl ing of their feet. I see again the
wild old Corybantian dance, the performers
wounding each other” (Walt Whitman, Leaves of
Grass, 1855).
Corydon (koridbn) A rustic or shepherd. A lovesick
shepherd of this name appears in Virgil’s
Eclogues (42–37 b.c.). “ ‘Gad, what a debauched
Corydon!’ said my lord—what a mouth for a
pipe!’ ” (William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair,
1847–48).
Coryphaeus (korifeebs) A leader, especially the
most active member of a board, expedition, etc.
<strong>The</strong> term was originally reserved in ancient Greek
theater for the leader of the chorus. By extension,
the leading dancer of a ballet troupe may sometimes
be termed a Coryphée. This Coryphaeus dominated
the meeting, and by the end of the eve ning few of
the directors had any doubts about which way they
should vote.