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

he presented Christ to the people. In modern
usage, the phrase is sometimes applied in both its
Latin and En glish forms more widely to any person
who is presently a subject of attention. “Ecce
homo!” exclaimed the bishop as the inspector entered the
room.
echo A repetition of a sound or other radiation
when refl ected by some solid medium; any repetition
or imitation of an idea, event, etc. In Greek
mythology, Echo was a mountain nymph who fell
in love with the beautiful youth Narcissus but
wasted away when he ignored her until all that was
left of her was her voice. <strong>The</strong> echo of breaking glass
reverberated through the empty house.
Eden, Garden of See garden of eden.
Edison (edisbn) A brilliant inventor. Thomas
Alva Edison (1847–1931) is famous for his many
epoch- making inventions, which included the
electric light, the telephone transmitter, and the
phonograph. On most occasions, however, his
name is employed sarcastically to ridicule the
underachievements of those whose inventions fall
well short of the original Edison’s record. <strong>The</strong>
classroom was full of budding Edisons, none of whom had
the faintest idea of how to put their scintillating ideas
into practice.
Edsel (edsbl) A disappointing failure, an anticlimax.
Edsel B. Ford (1893–1943) was the son of
the pioneer U.S. car manufacturer Henry Ford. In
1957 much publicity attended the launch of a new
Ford model, called the Edsel in honor of the
found er’s late son. Unfortunately, the new car
failed catastrophically to win favor and its name
became a synonym for a disastrous fl op, especially
one that is announced with great fanfare. This
Egyptian darkness
latest model looks like being damned as the Edsel of
home breadmakers.
Eeyore (eeor) A person with a melancholic, pessimistic
nature. <strong>The</strong> original Eeyore was a gloomy
gray donkey in the Winnie- the- Pooh stories written
by A. A. Milne in the 1920s. Seemingly resigned to
eternal disappointment in life, he was allegedly
inspired by Sir Owen Seaman (1861–1936), the
editor of Punch under whom Milne worked for
eight years. Her grandfather had always been a bit of
an Eeyore, pooh- poohing any expression of hope for the
future.
Egeria (bjeereeb) A woman counselor or adviser.
According to Roman mythology, the original Egeria
was a nymph who gave valuable advice to Numa
Pompilius (753–673 b.c.), the second king of
Rome; thus, her name is sometimes cited in
describing any female source of inspiration. “Thus,
false to his nation, yet true to the new Egeria of his
thoughts and actions—traitor to the requirements
of vengeance and war, yet faithful to the interests
of tranquillity and love—did he seek, night after
night, Antonina’s presence” (Wilkie Collins, Antonina,
1850).
Egyptian darkness (bjipshbn) Impenetrable darkness.
<strong>The</strong> phrase alludes to the all- enveloping
darkness that fell upon Egypt at God’s command,
constituting the ninth of the 10 plagues with which
the Egyptians were affl icted, according to Exodus
7–12. <strong>The</strong> phrase may sometimes also describe
deep melancholy or some other mental state making
a person’s thoughts inaccessible to others.
“And one, more grave, lost in a man’s hat and
feather, walked in Egyptian darkness, handed by a
girl; another had the great saucepan on his back,
and a tremendous three- footed clay- pot sat on his
143