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

Fall of the House of Usher See house of
usher.
fall on stony ground To receive an unfavorable
reception; to be ignored or fail to prosper. <strong>The</strong>
phrase appears in Mark 4:5–6, which relates the
parable of the sower and the seed: “And some fell
on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and
immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of
earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and
because it had no root, it withered away.” <strong>The</strong> young
woman made several suggestions at her fi rst board meeting,
but most of her ideas fell on stony ground.
fallout <strong>The</strong> secondary consequences of something.
<strong>The</strong> allusion is to the radioactive fallout that
results from the explosion of an atomic or nuclear
device, as a consequence of which particles of
radioactive material are typically deposited over a
wide area. <strong>The</strong> term is normally employed in the
context of events that are seen as disastrous or in
some way unexpected or shocking. <strong>The</strong> fallout from
this shuffl e of se nior positions in the government will go
on for months.
false prophet A person who purports to speak
the truth, but whose words are not in fact to be
trusted. <strong>The</strong> phrase appears several times in the
Bible, for example, in Matthew 7:15–17:
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or fi gs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil
fruit.” “<strong>The</strong> clergyman had not, it would seem,
forgot the observation which ranked him with
the false prophets of Dunbar, for he addressed
famous for fi fteen minutes
Mr. Maxwell upon the fi rst opportunity” (Sir
Walter Scott, Waverley, 1814). See also wolf in
sheep’s clothing.
Falstaffi an (folstafeebn) Of a jolly, ro guish,
larger- than- life character. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to William
Shakespeare’s Sir John Falstaff, a life- loving
comical old knight who appears in <strong>The</strong> Merry
Wives of Windsor (c. 1597) and Henry IV, Parts 1 and
2 (1597). His death is also mentioned in Henry V
(c. 1598). <strong>The</strong> term is often applied to people who
share not only Falstaff’s cheerful, self- indulgent
character and his love of wine and women but also
his impressive girth. With his vast paunch and ruddy
cheeks, he cut a Falstaffi an fi gure as he leaned on the bar
and regaled his companions with risqué stories.
Famous Five Any fi ve individuals whose shared
adventures or interests make them an identifi able
group. <strong>The</strong> original Famous Five were the children
Julian, Dick, Anne, and George, together with
George’s dog Timmy, whose adventures were
recounted in a series of children’s novels by enid
blyton. <strong>The</strong> formula is sometimes varied in number
to apply to groups of four individuals, thus the
equally alliterative Famous Four. Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey
Bishop were the Famous Five who became known as the
Rat Pack.
famous for fi fteen minutes <strong>The</strong> notion that in
the modern media- driven age everyone will enjoy
a brief moment of fame. <strong>The</strong> sentiment was fi rst
voiced in 1968 by U.S. avant- garde artist and fi lmmaker
Andy Warhol (1928–87): “In the future
everybody will be world famous for fi fteen minutes.”
<strong>The</strong> phrase fi fteen minutes of fame refers
to this transitory period in the public eye. “You
159