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

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Fabian (faybeebn) Cautious; avoiding direct confrontation.
<strong>The</strong> word alludes to the Roman general
Quintus Fabius Maximus (d. 203 b.c.), nicknamed
cunctator (delayer), who adopted the tactic of
harassment instead of making a direct challenge
against the invading Carthaginian armies of Hannibal
during the Second Punic War. This policy of avoiding
pitched battles provoked accusations of cowardice in
Rome but ultimately proved successful. During the
American War of In de pen dence, George Washington
adopted a similar approach against the British
and was consequently known as the American Fabius.
In 1884 a group of British Socialists who preferred
to achieve their aims through demo cratic methods
rather than through violent revolution opted to call
themselves the Fabian Society to emphasize their
nonconfrontational Fabian tactics. <strong>The</strong> government
would appear to have adopted Fabian tactics in dealing
with the threat posed by the unions.
Fabricius (fbbrishbs) Archetype of incorruptibility
and honesty. Gaius Fabricius Luscinus (d. c.
270 b.c.) was a Roman consul who became famous
for his refusal to accept bribes or in any other way
compromise his principles. He lived a frugal life
and left nothing to his daughters when he died,
but the Senate decided to provide for their future.
He is widely regarded as the Fabricius of the White
House, the one person who can be relied on to give an
honest appraisal of the situation.
face that launched a thousand ships See helen
of troy.
faction A minority group within a large body,
especially one that holds dissenting views. <strong>The</strong>
original factions were the chariot- racing teams,
or factiones, of ancient Rome. Identifi ed by a partic
u lar color, the factiones were well- or ga nized
sporting enterprises, and each had a committed
following, who in time came to wield considerable
po liti cal infl uence. <strong>The</strong> most famous were the
Blues, who enjoyed the support of the aristocracy,
and the Greens, who were the most pop u lar team
among the general populace. On occasion, clashes
between the factiones could lead to wider unrest,
culminating in a full- scale riot in a.d. 509. “All
these things tended to make us excessively obnoxious
to the great sacerdotal clan, the most powerful
because the most united faction in the kingdom”
(H. Rider Haggard, Allan Quatermain, 1887).
Fagin (faygin) A villainous rogue, especially one
who corrupts the young. In the Charles Dickens
novel oliver twist (1837–38), Fagin is a cunning
and evil old Jew who persuades the runaway