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

Dean, James
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<strong>The</strong>venot (1633–67). It is also known by the name
apples of Sodom. “Like to the apples on the Dead
Sea shore, / It is all ashes to the taste” (Lord Byron,
Childe Harold, 1817).
Dean, James See james dean.
Dear John letter A letter from a lover ending a
relationship. <strong>The</strong> phrase dates from World War II,
when many men serving in the armed forces overseas
received such letters from their sweethearts
at home after the latter tired of their long separation.
In modern usage, the term may also be
applied to similar letters of rejection from other
parties, such as employers. He had just received a
Dear John letter from head offi ce, informing him that
his ser vices were no longer required.
death by a thousand cuts A painful and prolonged
pro cess of destruction or humiliation. <strong>The</strong>
allusion is to a traditional method of execution
developed originally in ancient China, which
involved the victim being slowly cut to pieces by
“a thousand knives.” This gradual reduction of public
ser vices is simply death by a thousand cuts.
death is nothing at all Death is an insignifi cant
event, which is not to be feared. <strong>The</strong> phrase is a
quotation from a piece of writing by Henry Scott
Holland (1847–1918), which is often recited at
funerals: “Death is nothing at all. I have only
slipped away into the next room. I am I and you
are you. What ever we were to each other, that we
are still. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to
me in the easy way which you always used . . .”
Scott Holland was a canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral
in London and the author of various sermons and
other writings. It has been suggested that he fi rst
wrote these lines to be recited after his own death.
<strong>The</strong>y keep telling me that death is nothing at all, but
people still look both ways when they cross the road.
Death, where is thy sting? Death is nothing to
fear. <strong>The</strong> expression comes from 1 Corinthians
15:55, which questions the signifi cance of mortal
death when compared with everlasting life in
heaven: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave,
where is thy victory?” In modern usage, the phrase
is best known for its inclusion in funeral ser vices.
He died with a smile on his face, as if to say, “Death,
where is thy sting?”
death’s door, at At the point of death; very ill.
<strong>The</strong> phrase derives from Miles Coverdale’s translation
of Psalm 107:18, as found in the Book of
Common Prayer: “<strong>The</strong>ir soul abhorred all manner of
meat: and they were even hard at death’s door.”
“He had had more than one attack of delirium tremens
after his father’s death, and had almost been
at death’s door” (Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne,
1858).
Deborah (debrb) A courageous woman, especially
one noted for her virtue or devotion to God.
<strong>The</strong> original Deborah was a biblical prophet and
judge who urged Barak to lead an army against the
invading Canaanites, spurring him on to victory at
the Kishon River, a triumph she celebrated in a
memorable victory ode dubbed the “Song of Deborah”
(Judges 5:1–31). “Stay, stay thy hands! Thou
art an Amazon / And fi ghtest with the sword of Deborah”
(William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 1, 1589).
deep calleth unto deep A meta phor evoking a
profound spiritual or philosophical understanding
between two individuals, parties, etc. <strong>The</strong> phrase
comes from Psalm 42:7, which interprets waterfalls
or cataracts as representing the soul’s restless