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

Forth Bridge
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king to save the Jews: “For if thou altogether holdest
thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement
and deliverance arise to the Jews from
another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall
be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art
come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
(Esther 4:14). This was a life- threatening petition,
however, for one could only come into the king’s
presence at his request, and unless the king held
out his golden scepter to Esther she would die in
the undertaking. Esther asked that all the Jews fast
for three days, and she went to the king, who
spared her life. She invited him to several banquets
at her palace and included Haman in the invitation.
During these she exposed Haman’s treachery, he
was hanged, and the Jews were saved. <strong>The</strong> young
man was unexpectedly chosen out of all his peers to
become leader. His background equipped him perfectly
for the task: He had become a leader for such a time
as this.
Forth Bridge See painting the forth bridge.
Fort Knox (noks) A place of great wealth, or
one that is very securely guarded or protected.
<strong>The</strong> allusion is to Fort Knox in north Kentucky,
where the U.S. depository of gold bullion is
located. She fi tted extra locks to all the doors after the
burglary—the place is now like Fort Knox.
Fort Sumter (sbmtb) A place where confl ict
fi rst breaks out. <strong>The</strong> allusion is to the federal
garrison of this name in Charleston, South Carolina,
where the fi rst shots were fi red in the U.S.
Civil War on April 12, 1861. <strong>The</strong> fort surrendered
after a brief siege, and three days later
President Lincoln called for volunteers to go
into battle against the rebellious South. This incident,
it was feared, would prove the Fort Sumter that
would lead to a major war between the opposing
factions.
Fortuna (fortoonb) Personifi cation of luck. Fortuna
was identifi ed as the goddess of fortune and
good luck in Roman mythology, the equivalent of
the Greek Tyche. It seemed that Fortuna herself smiled
on the party the next day, and they made better progress
than they had done for many weeks past.
Fortunate Islands/Isles See islands of the
blest.
forty acres and a mule A promise that is never
likely to be fulfi lled. At the end of the U.S. Civil
War, freed slaves were promised 40 acres and a
mule with which to begin a new life as free citizens
of the United States, but such compensation
never actually materialized. <strong>The</strong> promise had originally
been made by General Sherman in 1865,
envisaging the division of land confi scated from
Southern landowners, but it was later rescinded
by President Andrew Johnson. I opened the envelope
and couldn’t help wondering what had happened to the
forty acres and a mule that I had been promised.
forty days and forty nights See fl ood.
forum (forbm) A place or opportunity for discussion
of a par tic u lar issue or issues. <strong>The</strong> word
alludes to the forum (meaning “public place”) of
ancient Roman society, a large open space in the
center of a town or city that served as the marketplace.
It was here that much fi nancial and legal
business was transacted, and meetings would also
be held on matters of public interest or concern.
<strong>The</strong> word itself comes ultimately from the Latin
foris, meaning “outside.” <strong>The</strong> ruins of the most
famous forum of all, that of Rome, are preserved