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

David and Nathan
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relations between his father and his friend, and
when Jonathan was ultimately killed in battle,
David uttered a sincere lamentation for him. <strong>The</strong>
pair were inseparable, like David and Jonathan.
David and Nathan See ewe lamb.
da Vinci, Leonardo See leonardo da vinci.
Davy Crockett (krokbt) <strong>The</strong> epitome of a rugged,
experienced backwoodsman. Davy Crockett
(1786–1836) had many unlikely adventures during
the years he spent living in the wild frontier
lands of the American West, as recounted in his
fi ctionalized autobiography, published in 1834.
One of the most celebrated pioneer frontiersmen
of U.S. folklore, he was sent to the House of
Representatives in 1827 and ultimately died at the
Alamo in 1836. “That do- or- die Davy Blooming
Crockett spirit” (Jack Yeovil, Krokodil Tears, 1990).
See also remember the alamo.
Day, Doris See doris day.
day of infamy A day marked by an act of exceptional
evil or deceit. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to Sunday,
December 7, 1941, when the U.S. naval base at
pearl harbor on Hawaii was unexpectedly
attacked by Japa nese aircraft. <strong>The</strong> attack was condemned
the following day, when President Franklin
D. Roo se velt (1882–1945) addressed a shocked
Congress: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date
which will live in infamy—the United States of
America was suddenly and deliberately attacked
by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”
Congress responded by consenting to a declaration
of war. <strong>The</strong> phrase has since been used sparingly
of other extreme events, most notably the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (see 9/11).
That was a day of infamy that no one around this table
is ever likely to forget.
day of judgment See judgment day.
day of small things Apparently insignifi cant
details may in time prove to be the beginning of
much greater things. <strong>The</strong> expression appears in
the Bible in Zechariah 4:10, in which God reassures
Zechariah after some of his people scoff at
the relatively unimpressive beginnings of his
rebuilding of the Temple: “For who hath despised
the day of small things? for they shall rejoice.” “I
am but the incumbent of a poor country parish:
my aid must be of the humblest sort. And if you
are inclined to despise the day of small things, seek
some more effi cient succour than such as I can
offer” (Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847).
days of one’s life, all the For as long as a person
lives. <strong>The</strong> expression comes from Psalm 23:6, in
which it appears in the form: “Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
That is something to remember all the days of one’s life.
days of our years A person’s lifetime, emphasizing
the relatively brief time that mortals have on
earth. <strong>The</strong> phrase comes from Psalm 90:10, where
it appears in the passage: “<strong>The</strong> days of our years
are threescore years and ten.” Modern science threatens
to prolong the days of our years beyond anything our
forebears would have believed possible.
D-day <strong>The</strong> day set for a par tic u lar event to take
place. <strong>The</strong> original D-day was June 6, 1944, when
the Allies launched the invasion of Eu rope by landing
troops on the Normandy beaches. <strong>The</strong> culmination
of months of preparation, D-day is