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

enefi t. He made a Faustian bargain that appeased his
enemies but lost him his friends.
favonian (fbvoneebn) Of or relating to the west
wind. Favonius (or Favonianus) was the Roman
name for the west wind, which for its relatively
gentle nature was considered favorable to living
things. A warm, favonian breeze ruffl ed the grasses on
the hilltop and fi lled the sails of the ships in the bay.
Fawkes, Guy See gunpowder plot.
Fawlty Towers (foltee) A mismanaged or ga ni zation
or situation. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the highly
acclaimed 1970s BBC tele vi sion comedy series
Fawlty Towers, which revolved around the chaotic
goings- on at a modest hotel run by a warring married
couple named Fawlty in the En glish seaside
resort of Torquay. In homage to the irascible, henpecked
hotel manager played by John Cleese, anyone
who behaves in a similarly manic fashion may
be labeled a Basil Fawlty. This place is like Fawlty
Towers—nothing works and nothing happens when it is
supposed to.
fear and trembling, in See in fear and trembling.
fed with Saint Stephen’s bread See saint stephen’s
loaves.
feeding the fi ve thousand <strong>The</strong> providing of food
or something else for a large number of people.
<strong>The</strong> reference is to the miracle of the loaves and
fi shes related in Matthew 14:13–21, in which
Christ miraculously fed a crowd of 5,000 people
with just fi ve loaves and two fi sh—and had several
baskets of food left over after all had eaten. It
was like feeding the fi ve thousand, trying to make sure
every child had roughly the same amount and choice of
food.
feet of clay A fundamental character fl aw, especially
one that is not immediately obvious in someone
or something that is otherwise greatly
admired. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to Daniel 2:31–33, which
relates a dream in which the Babylonian king
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a huge fi gure with a
head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and
thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and
clay. When the feet are smashed by a stone, the
whole statue falls. Daniel explained the image as a
symbol of Nebuchadnezzar’s empire and the feet
of clay as a repre sen ta tion of the inherent weakness
that would lead to its collapse. For as long as
anyone could remember the old man had been considered
the ultimate authority on such matters, but now he was
revealed to have feet of clay.
Fell, I do not like thee, Doctor See i do not like
thee, doctor fell.
fell among thieves See fall among thieves.
fellow traveler A person who shares the same
ideas or aims, but without necessarily being part
of any offi cial movement representing such
notions. <strong>The</strong> term arose as a translation of the Russian
word poputchik, which was fi rst employed by
Rus sian revolutionary Leon Trotsky to describe
noncommunist writers who nonetheless supported
the Rus sian Revolution of 1917. <strong>The</strong> term
is often applied to communist sympathizers, typically
with derogatory overtones. We suspect a number
of fellow travelers have infi ltrated the or ga ni za tion
over recent years.
Fester, Uncle See addams family.
Fester, Uncle
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